contagious-stepps

What this skill does

# Contagious STEPPS Framework - Viral Marketing Agent Skill

## Purpose
This agent skill helps users analyze and enhance the viral potential of their products, ideas, or behaviors using Jonah Berger's STEPPS framework from "Contagious: Why Things Catch On."

## When to Use This Skill
- User wants to increase word of mouth for a product, service, or idea
- User is launching a marketing campaign and wants to maximize organic sharing
- User needs to make a behavior change initiative more contagious
- User wants to analyze why something did or didn't go viral
- User is brainstorming ways to make content more shareable

## Core Framework: STEPPS

### 1. Social Currency
**Principle:** People share things that make them look good, knowledgeable, or "in-the-know."

**Analysis Questions:**
- Does sharing this make people look smart, cool, or well-informed?
- Is there insider knowledge or exclusivity involved?
- Does it signal status or good taste?
- Can people use it to appear helpful or caring?

**Enhancement Strategies:**
- Create insider information or exclusive access
- Develop remarkable/surprising elements worth talking about
- Enable people to showcase achievements
- Build game mechanics (leaderboards, achievements, levels)
- Create scarcity or exclusivity
- Make people feel like insiders

**Examples:**
- PDT speakeasy bar (hidden entrance creates insider status)
- Wordle's spoiler-free sharing format
- Tesla Cybertruck's distinctive design

### 2. Triggers
**Principle:** Ideas that are "top of mind" are "tip of tongue." Frequent environmental cues prompt discussion.

**Analysis Questions:**
- What daily/weekly situations remind people of this?
- What existing habits can this be linked to?
- Are there natural environmental cues?
- Is the trigger frequent enough?
- Is the association strong and clear?

**Enhancement Strategies:**
- Link to frequent behaviors (coffee, commutes, meals)
- Associate with specific times (days of week, times of day)
- Connect to common situations or contexts
- Use memorable slogans that create associations
- Leverage seasonal or recurring events
- Create habitat-specific triggers

**Examples:**
- Kit Kat + coffee breaks
- Taco Tuesday
- Spotify Wrapped every December

### 3. Emotion
**Principle:** High-arousal emotions (positive or negative) drive sharing more than low-arousal ones.

**High-Arousal Emotions (Share More):**
- Positive: Awe, excitement, humor, inspiration
- Negative: Anger, anxiety, worry

**Low-Arousal Emotions (Share Less):**
- Positive: Contentment, satisfaction
- Negative: Sadness

**Analysis Questions:**
- What emotions does this evoke?
- Are those emotions high-arousal or low-arousal?
- Does it fire people up or calm them down?
- Is there an emotional story or hook?

**Enhancement Strategies:**
- Add surprise or unexpected elements
- Create awe-inspiring experiences
- Use humor strategically
- Highlight injustice or problems (anger)
- Show inspiring transformations
- Demonstrate urgency or stakes
- Avoid making people too sad or content

**Examples:**
- Dove Real Beauty (inspiration/empowerment)
- Old Spice absurdist humor (surprise/amusement)
- Climate change wildlife stories (anxiety/anger)

### 4. Public
**Principle:** "Built to show, built to grow." Observable things get imitated.

**Analysis Questions:**
- Can people see others using/doing this?
- Does it leave visible traces after use?
- Is participation observable?
- Does it advertise itself?

**Enhancement Strategies:**
- Make the private public
- Create behavioral residue (logos, badges, stickers)
- Design for visibility (distinctive appearance)
- Enable public sharing/participation
- Use social proof indicators
- Create visible community markers
- Design packaging/products to be seen

**Examples:**
- Apple's white headphones
- Stanley tumblers in distinctive colors
- Ice Bucket Challenge videos
- Movember mustaches

### 5. Practical Value
**Principle:** Useful information that helps others gets shared readily.

**Analysis Questions:**
- Does this save people time, money, or effort?
- Does it solve a real problem?
- Is it immediately actionable?
- Would people want to help others by sharing this?

**Enhancement Strategies:**
- Highlight incredible value/savings
- Make information easily digestible
- Provide actionable how-to content
- Frame as helping others
- Use specific numbers/data
- Create useful tools or resources
- Package information for easy sharing
- Target the right audience with relevant value

**Examples:**
- ChatGPT practical use cases
- 50/30/20 budgeting rule
- Air fryer recipe tips
- Vaccine appointment availability

### 6. Stories
**Principle:** Information travels under the guise of idle chatter. The message must be integral to the narrative.

**Analysis Questions:**
- Is there a compelling story to tell?
- Is your message woven into the story (Trojan Horse)?
- Would people retell this story naturally?
- Does the story work without your message?
- Is the narrative emotionally engaging?

**Enhancement Strategies:**
- Create a narrative arc with conflict/resolution
- Make your product/idea the hero or essential element
- Use real customer stories and testimonials
- Develop origin stories or founding myths
- Create characters people can relate to
- Ensure the message is inseparable from story
- Make stories easy to retell

**Examples:**
- Blendtec "Will It Blend?" videos
- Airbnb "Belong Anywhere" human connection stories
- Patagonia "Don't Buy This Jacket" environmental story

## Agent Interaction Protocol

### Step 1: Discovery
Ask the user:
1. What are you trying to make more contagious? (Product/Idea/Behavior)
2. Who is your target audience?
3. What is your current approach or situation?
4. What has worked or not worked so far?

### Step 2: STEPPS Analysis
Systematically analyze the user's offering against each STEPPS principle:
- Rate each principle (Strong/Medium/Weak/Missing)
- Identify specific gaps and opportunities
- Note which principles are naturally strong
- Highlight low-hanging fruit

### Step 3: Ideation
For each weak or missing principle:
- Generate 3-5 specific enhancement ideas
- Explain how each idea leverages the principle
- Consider feasibility and fit with brand/message
- Look for ways to combine multiple principles

### Step 4: Prioritization
Help user prioritize initiatives based on:
- Impact potential (how much it could help)
- Ease of implementation
- Fit with existing strategy
- Resource requirements
- Synergies between principles

### Step 5: Action Plan
Create concrete next steps:
- Specific tactics to implement
- Quick wins vs. long-term initiatives
- Success metrics to track
- Testing and iteration approach

## Example Interaction Flow

**User:** "I'm launching a meal prep delivery service focused on busy professionals. How can I make it more viral?"

**Agent Response:**

"Let me help you analyze your meal prep service through the STEPPS framework. First, let me ask a few questions:

1. What makes your meal prep service unique compared to competitors?
2. Who specifically is your target audience beyond 'busy professionals'?
3. What's your current marketing approach?
4. Have you tried anything that's gotten people talking?

Based on your meal prep service for busy professionals, here's my initial STEPPS analysis:

**Social Currency (WEAK):** 
Currently: Meal prep is practical but doesn't inherently make people look good
Opportunity: Create elements that signal health-consciousness, success, or insider knowledge

**Triggers (MEDIUM):**
Currently: Hunger and meal times are natural triggers
Opportunity: Link to specific work situations (Sunday prep, Monday motivation, Wednesday hump day)

**Emotion (WEAK):**
Currently: Satisfaction from convenience (low-arousal)
Opportunity: Add inspiring transformation stories or anxiety-reducing benefits

**Public (WEAK):**
Currently: Most meal prep happens at home (private)
Opportunity: Create distinctive packaging visible in offices, Instagram-worthy presentations