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

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)

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.

Amazon Exclusive: Q&A with Authors Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith

What is the Dragonfly Effect?
The Dragonfly Effect is a model that taps concepts from social media, marketing strategy, and consumer psychology to help people achieve a single, concrete goal. We named it after the only insect that can move swiftly in any direction, and even hover, when its four wings are moving in harmony. The four “wings” of the model—Focus, Grab Attention, Engage, and Take Action—work together to help readers produce the change they seek, and that desired change can take many forms: social good, employee morale, or customer loyalty, among many others.

The name itself is a tribute to the “Butterfly Effect,” which is itself built on chaos theory. It describes how the flapping of a butterfly’s wings might have an impact on the weather halfway around the world. The dragonfly, however, moves with tremendous speed and force, and compared to a butterfly, it has about twenty times more power in each flap of its wings. You can imagine that potential is even greater when harnessed and coordinated on a mass scale. Al Gore, former vice president and master viral-message maker, once said, “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Small acts create big change, and working in concert maximizes your ability to go farther faster—and in any direction you choose.

What inspired you to create this movement (or ecosystem)?
There were three underlying reasons we started working this book: first, Andy’s experience in marketing and harnessing social media to build brands suggested that the social space could be deployed in a fundamentally new way; second, Jennifer’s research on happiness, which shows that what people think makes them happy isn’t really what makes them happy; and third, most importantly, our own personal experience working with amazing, smart people to find a bone marrow match for a friend, which, as a result, helped to build up a bone marrow registry that’s helped thousands of others. Those stories, and the tools that were developed as a result, are described in this book.

These three things led to “The Power of Social Technology,” a class that Jennifer teaches at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. The class is designed to help entrepreneurial students harness the social web to cultivate good in the world. The course demonstrates not only that people are clamoring for ways to use the social web for good, but that there’s a framework and a repeatable process that can help them achieve their goals quickly. We wanted to share this model with as many people as possible and are excited to see what can be achieved as even more people get involved.

Lots of books describe how to use social media. How is yours different?
That’s true; there are many excellent books that teach the mechanics of using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. And some explain how to use these tools to compete in business. But few books address how to harness the incredible power of the social web to make a difference. The Dragonfly Effect shows you how to tap social media and insights from consumer psychology to achieve a single, concrete goal. We walk readers through the Obama campaign and how they pioneered social technology strategies to create political change; how Starbucks uses the social web to engage with customers and educate fans about social-good initiatives, such as buying fair trade coffee; how ProFounder provides a platform for crowdfunding for small businesses, making micro-loans easily available to entrepreneurs; and how everyday people are able to improve the chance of survival for cancer patients.

We also have direct insights from the founders of eBay’s World of Good, storytellers from Pixar, and leaders from Facebook, Twitter, and Google…all offering their unique expertise and success stories. Throughout the book, readers will also find Dragonfly Toolkits designed to break down potentially intimidating first-steps and walk them through the process of getting started with easy-to-implement actions.

What do you mean by “the ripple effect” and “emotional contagion”?
Just as a rock thrown into a pond leads to a series of waves that radiate in all directions, the small act that you do can lead to big, often unimaginable results. Research shows that ripple effects result from small acts that have a positive significant impact on others over time. When the action at the epicenter of the ripple effect is based on deep meaning (or something that you believe will make you happy), a multiplier effect can occur because of principles of emotional contagion.

Emotional contagion is the tendency to feel emotions similar to and otherwise be influenced by the emotions of others. So when others around you start to feel the way you do, they can become more strongly energized and mobilized. The fact that your feelings of happiness or meaning can actually infect others also helps explain why some initiatives work and others don't. It underscores the potential for organizations of all types to cultivate social good—which is often tied to happiness and meaning—when they’re trying to capture the imagination of their employees and customers.

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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"The Dragonfly Effect is the single best roadmap to social media I have ever seen. With ideas rooted in research and examples rooted in life, it offers both big strategies and small tips that you can use to invigorate your business, increase your happiness, and maybe even change the world. So do yourself a favor: Take two hours and read this remarkable book."
―Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind and Drive

"The Dragonfly Effect is actionable, credible, and absolutely necessary for anyone looking to use social media and Facebook to drive social good."
―Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook

"The Dragonfly Effect  shows anyone how to get involved and take action on issues that matter to them. Its principles lay the foundation for any organization looking to harness the power of social media to champion a cause and create positive change in the world."
―Pierre Omidyar, founder and chairman, eBay; founding partner, Omidyar Network

"So much of the recent focus on social technology has emphasized its power to distract. It is hugely gratifying to see a book which focuses on its power to attract, to powerfully bring together caring people around critical social problems to address them at global scale. The same principles that make a YouTube video go viral can help bring disaster relief to Haiti. It is all just a matter of making it happen. Thanks to The Dragonfly Effect, you can now learn how."
―Geoffrey Moore, Co-Founder and Managing Director, TCG Advisors & author of Crossing the Chasm and Dealing with Darwin

"This book makes envisioning, formulating, and executing a social media strategy an intuitive and―dare I say―fun process!The Dragonfly Effect shows how any individual or organization can turn their passion for reaching out to the world into a concrete set of actions."
―Jessica Jackley, Founder of Kiva and Profounder

"The Dragonfly Effect shows how social technology, openness, and empathy can come together to change the world. Read this book to discover dynamic ways to harness this potential for good."
―Charlene Li, author of Groundswell and Open Leadership & Founder, Altimeter Group

"There's theory and there's applied theory. The Dragonfly Effect brings us all the way from the science into the execution. To me, it's that last mile that most of us miss. With this, you can take your ideas all the way through the last mile."
―Chris Brogan, author, Trust Agents and Social Media 101

"This truly innovative book identifies four powerful forces shaping our lives and shows how they are working together in unanticipated and creative ways. The Dragonfly Effect is fundamentally relevant to all younger leaders, who will spend their lives learning to leverage these forces, and to any leader from the baby boomer generation who wants to stay current with the role of social technology in business and our lives."
―Bill Meehan, Director Emeritus, McKinsey and Co., Inc.

"Too few executives take happiness seriously as a brand attribute, missing opportunities to build into products and services those features that would increase the overall delight and well-being of users and employees alike. Aaker and Smith have created an interesting, thoughtful, and engaging book to provoke new thinking about the power of joy."
―Joel Peterson, Chairman, JetBlue Airways

"The Internet has made it possible for individuals and small groups to have an impact far beyond their size. Read The Dragonfly Effect to learn how to translate your good intentions into actual, real, tangible, world-changing good!"
―Avinash Kaushik, Analytics Evangelist, Google & author, Web Analytics 2.0

"The Dragonfly Effect is an inspiration and joy to read. Drawing on design thinking principles and emotional contagion, this is an important read for anyone contemplating the virality of ideas and creating infectious action. You will love it. It will transform you and your work."
―Pat Christen, President & CEO, HopeLab

"Motivating and inspiring, The Dragonfly Effect makes readers answer the question ‘how can I make an impact in the world?’ with yet another question: 'what am I waiting for?' Whether acting as an individual or a corporation. Aaker and Smith show you how to harness the power of social media as a force for good, in a way that even a CFO will love."
―Lisa Edwards, Head of Global Business Development, Visa Inc.

"This book takes the fast-evolving world of social media and offers a clear, inspiring guide to create social change."
―Bobbi Silten, Chief Foundation Officer, Gap Inc.

"An excellent read. The Dragonfly Effect offers a guidepost for every marketer struggling to stay on top of fast evolving social media trends and use peer-to-peer marketing to mobilize a mass audience. Even more powerfully, the book demonstrates that by using our networks for good, we will be happier and more successful individuals―in life and at work."
―Joanna Drake Earl, COO, Current Media

"If you are ready to change the world The Dragonfly Effect has the social networking secrets you've been looking for."
―Gregory Baldwin, President, VolunteerMatch

"This book puts the 'social' back intosocial media. If you want to do something important, something seismic, then The Dragonfly Effect is the place to start."
―Seth Godin, author, Linchpin

Many books teach the mechanics of using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to compete in business. But no book has addressed 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, The Dragonfly Effect reveals how four key actions can come together to produce colossal results. By learning how to effectively Focus, Grab Attention, Engage, and Take Action, everyday people can achieve unprecedented results―whether they are looking to ignite a corporate program, save a life, or change the world. Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith show how individuals, armed with only an Internet connection, were able to find an almost impossible bone marrow match for a friend, raise millions for cancer research, create widespread corporate engagement with consumers and employees alike, and even elect the current president of the United States.

Featuring dynamic, original case studies of global organizations like Gap, Starbucks, Kiva, Nike, eBay, and Facebook, as well as start-ups like Groupon and COOKPAD, The Dragonfly Effect shows how they achieve both social good and customer loyalty by leveraging the power of design thinking with practical strategies. With additional "Expert Insights" from key thought leaders and social media strategists Charlene Li, Randi Zuckerberg, Robert Scoble, Avinash Kaushik, and Oren Jacob, The Dragonfly Effect shows you how to bring people together in the age of distraction, and how to inspire widespread change without money or power.

"The Dragonfly Effect is the single best road map to social media I have ever seen. With ideas rooted in research and examples rooted in life, it offers both big strategies and small tips that you can use to invigorate your business, increase your happiness, and maybe even change the world. So do yourself a favor: take two hours and read this remarkable book."
―Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind and Drive

"The Dragonfly Effect is actionable, credible, and absolutely necessary for anyone looking to use social media and Facebook to drive social good."
―Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook

"The Dragonfly Effect shows anyone how to get involved and take action on issues that matter to them. Its principles lay the foundation for any organization looking to harness the power of social media to champion a cause and create positive change in the world."
―Pierre Omidyar, founder and chairman, eBay, and founding partner, Omidyar Network

"So much of the recent focus on social technology has emphasized its power to distract. It is hugely gratifying to see a book that focuses on its power to attract, to powerfully bring together caring people around critical social problems to address them on a global scale. The same principles that make a YouTube video go viral can help bring disaster relief to Haiti. It is all just a matter of making it happen.Thanks to The Dragonfly Effect, you can now learn how."
―Geoffrey Moore, co-founder and managing director, TCG Advisors, and author of Crossing the Chasm and Dealing with Darwin

"This book makes envisioning, formulating, and executing a social media strategyan intuitive and―dare I say―fun process! The Dragonfly Effect shows how anyindividual or organization can turn their passion for reaching out to the world intoa concrete set of actions."
―Jessica Jackley, founder, Kiva and Profounder

"The Dragonfly Effect shows how social technology, openness, and empathy cancome together to change the world. Read this book to discover dynamic waysto harness this potential for good."
―Charlene Li, author of Groundswell and Open Leadership, and founder, Altimeter Group

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.