The Dragonfly Effect: Quick, Effective, and Powerful Ways To Use Social Media to Drive Social Change

Proven strategies for harnessing the power of social media to drive social change Many books teach the mechanics of using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to compete in business. But no book addresses how to harness the incredible power of social media to make a difference. The Dragonfly Effect shows you how to tap social media and consumer psychological insights to achieve a single, concrete goal. Named for the only insect that is able to move in any direction when its four wings are working in concert, this book Reveals the four "wings" of the Dragonfly Effect-and how they work together to produce colossal results Features original case studies of global organizations like the Gap, Starbucks, Kiva, Nike, eBay, Facebook; and start-ups like Groupon and COOKPAD, showing how they achieve social good and customer loyalty Leverage the power of design thinking and psychological research with practical strategies Reveals how everyday people achieve unprecedented results-whether finding an almost impossible bone marrow match for a friend, raising millions for cancer research, or electing the current president of the United States The Dragonfly Effect shows that you don't need money or power to inspire seismic change.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by Chip Heath, author of Made to Stick and Switch ix Preface xi Introduction: Why Reading This Book Is Worth the Investment xiii The Dragonfly Body The System That Keeps It Airborne 1 Wing 1: Focus: How to Hatch a Goal That Will Make an Impact 19 Wing 2: Grab Attention: How to Stick Out in an Overcrowded, Overmessaged, Noisy World 49 Wing 3: Engage: How to Make People Connect with Your Goal 73 Wing 4: Take Action: How to Empower Others, Enable Them—and Cultivate a Movement 107 Onward and Upward You’re Flying! Now What? 143 Afterword by Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality 165 Notes 173 The Dragonfly Ecosystem 191 About the Authors 201 Index 203

About the Author :
A social psychologist and marketer, JENNIFER AAKER is the General Atlantic Professor of Marketing at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Her research focuses on time, money, and happiness, and how small acts create significant change—fueled by social media. Her work has been featured in a variety of media including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BusinessWeek, Forbes, and NPR, as well as CBS MoneyWatch. ANDY SMITH is a principal of Vonavona Ventures, where he advises companies on marketing, customer strategy, and operations. Over the past 20 years, he has served as a high tech executive, leading teams at Dolby Labs, BIGWORDS, LiquidWit, Intel, Analysis Group, Polaroid, Integral Inc., and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Review :
Marketing gurus (and married couple) Aaker and Smith turn Aaker's popular class at the Stanford Graduate School of Business into a handbook on using the power and popularity of social media to do good in the world. They employ real-world examples--an e-mail campaign to register bone marrow donors for hard-to-match patients, a Colombian engineer who used Facebook to organize a protest against the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Obama's grassroots campaign, the microlending site Kiva--to illustrate their mantra F+GET: "Focus, Grab Attention, Engage, Take Action." This is the "Dragonfly Effect," named for the insect's ability to move in any direction when its four wings work together. Specific, practical advice teaches readers how to translate anything--a product, service, community concern--into a powerful narrative that invites participation, how to communicate with potential supporters, how to craft a compelling video, and more. A fascinating, comprehensive guide for how to take your cause and compassion viral. (Oct.) (Publishers Weekly, July 26, 2010)