Showing posts with label Viral. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Viral. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Why Is the song Cups so catchy

Cups by Anna Kendrick is currently shooting up the billboard charts and at the moment her Vevo on YouTube has 28 million views and counting.

The movie Pitch Perfect is where the song comes from and has been out for a while and can now be found in Redbox, So why is it gaining popularity now and why cant I get it out of my head? why do I get excited when it comes on the radio and why am I going to tell friends that its a good song.

The book Contagious: Why things catch on by Jonah Berger lays out a simple science that contributes to this phenomenon. The pattern that he lays forward is what he calls S.T.E.P.P.S. I definitely recommend reading his book to get the full insight but from what I understand it can be directly applied to my current favorite actress/music producer's hit.

STEPPS stand for Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, and Stories.

Social Currency comes from our own status, people like things that make them look good or improve their status so something that will provide them social currency is something they are more likely to share with a friend. Being able to know that the song came first from the movie is one of those "I was there first" credits in Social Currency no matter how annoying it may be when your friends say it we all do it because we all like things that make us look better. Many people, myself included, will add other insights to elevate their status even more which in all practicality is just more free publicity for Anna and Cups.

Triggers are things that make you think of the song. Great example is how everyone listened to the Awful song by Rebecca Black on Fridays. The day of the week reminded you of the song so you listen to it. The triggers for cups are plenty. Every time you eat and see a cup you might be triggered to think of the song. The very popular and almost becoming a cult classic movie Pitch Perfect is also a trigger anytime someone watches it or talks about it, which will then lead to you wanting to listen to the song. Acca-anything singing shows and sitcoms are becoming so popular that the movie Pitch Perfect was even made so the hit show Glee could make someone think of the movie which then leads people to think of the song Cups.

Emotion is simple, this is a song about someone who is going to miss you when you are gone which tugs at all sorts of emotions including but not limited to love, and appreciation or lack thereof. So the emotion might motivate you to listen to the song or share it with a friend.

Public obviously this song has been public and publicized during Anna's rounds on the late night talk shows, the movie being out, and social media.

Practical Value is that the song is actually musically solid. A catchy beat and quality vocals combined with lyrics that connect create a song worth listening to. This aspect cannot be underrated since we live in a world where content is the main driver of everything.

Stories come when you can talk with your friend about it and how it happened. In this case, Anna's character played this song during the tryout for the Bardon Bellas in the movie pitch perfect I was at the movie with Johnny the first time I saw it and I just thought it was so cool.

This is a practical application onto this song of  Jonah Berger's principals should be an example to you of how things catch on. Could you do something that might catch on? What about your life could spread like wildfire? How can you apply these STEPPS to spreading your faith and making disciples of Christ?


Just want to listen to the song? Here ya go!


As Always thanks for your time and giving this a read. If you enjoyed it share it with friends, you can do so easily with one of the buttons below. I pray that you will embrace life in the Love and Grace offered to you through Jesus Christ, and that you will always remember Jeremiah 29:11.  – For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to Proper You and not for harm, Plans with Hope for the Future.