The Tipping Point

I got this guy's third book for Christmas but I decided I'd read (uh, listen) to his first book before I started it. I love this stuff. It's basically an analysis of how "things" explode into national phenomenons. Described . . . The first example in the book - that of how Hush Puppies went from being a moribund brand, sold only to the un-hip, to a hugely successful national brand, thanks to a handful of downtown New York trendsetters - is a prime example of how such shifts can occur. A [handful of guys who wanted to be hip] started wearing these shoes; others saw them and copied the style, with people even driving to out-of-the-way places to buy up stocks of Hush Puppies. Then a few fashion designers used them on the walkway, and visibility reached the "tipping point". The brand then experienced a renewal that, to this day, astounds even those in the company, who had been ready to throw in the towel. The guys behind Hush Puppies even acknowledged they had nothing to do with the brands resurgence. They didn't advertise. They didn't plan for it. It just, well, happened. But the book basically tries to answer the question: How and why does stuff like that occur? After the first two chapters, I think he has a pretty good handle on it.