Jonah Berger

All Courses

• MKTG0001 - Viral Marketing

  Why do some products catch on and become popular while others fail? Why do apps and services take off while others languish? And why do certain ads, messages, or ideas stick in memory while others disappear the minute you hear them? Diffusion, social media, word of mouth, and viral marketing have become important topics for companies, brands, and organizations. Marketers want their product to be popular, organizations want their social change initiative to catch on, and entrepreneurs want their ideas to stick. This course investigates these and other topics as it explains how things catch on and become popular.

• MKTG2680 - Contagious

  Why do some things catch on? Products become popular, apps take off, and videos go viral. Why? What makes some things succeed while others fail, and how, by understanding the behavioral science behind social epidemics, can we make our own stuff more successful? This course looks at these and related questions as it examines why things become popular. Building on research from psychology, sociology, marketing, and economics, the course explores characteristics of products, services, and ideas that lead them to catch on, what makes ideas stick, and how social dynamics shape success. We’ll talk about viral marketing, growth strategies, the role of social media, and influencers. Whether you have a product, service, or idea you want to catch on, or just want to better understand social epidemics, this course will shed light on what drives success.

• MKTG6110 - Marketing Management

  This course addresses how to design and implement the best combination of marketing efforts to carry out a firm's strategy in its target markets. Specifically, this course seeks to develop the student's (1) understanding of how the firm can benefit by creating and delivering value to its customers, and stakeholders, and (2) skills in applying the analytical concepts and tools of marketing to such decisions as segmentation and targeting, branding, pricing, distribution, and promotion. The course uses lectures and case discussions, case write-ups, student presentations, and a comprehensive final examination to achieve these objectives.

• MKTG7680 - Contagious

  Why do some products catch on and achieve huge popularity while others fail? Why do some services and apps spread like wildfire while others languish? And what makes certain ideas stick while others fail? This course looks at these and other topics as it examines why things catch on. Marketers want their product to be popular, organizations want their initiatives to catch on, and entrepreneurs want their ideas to stick. Building on research from psychology, sociology, marketing, and economics, the course explores characteristics of products, services, and ideas that lead them to catch on, what makes ideas stick, and how social dynamics shape success. We’ll talk about viral marketing, growth strategies, the role of social media, and influencers. Whether you have a product, service, or idea you want to catch on, or just want to better understand social epidemics, this course will shed light on what drives success.

• MKTG8990 - Independent Study

  A student contemplating an independent study project must first find a faculty member who agrees to supervise and approve the student's written proposal as an independent study (MKTG 899). If a student wishes the proposed work to be used to meet the ASP requirement, he/she should then submit the approved proposal to the MBA adviser who will determine if it is an appropriate substitute. Such substitutions will only be approved prior to the beginning of the semester.

• MKTG9520 - Consumer Research Topics - A

  The purpose of this seminar is to provide graduate students with an overview of contemporary topics in consumer research. Depending on faculty, areas addressed may include basic research on consumer knowledge (learning and memory), goals, persuasion, and emotions, with applications to branding. consumer finance, human-technology interaction, and social influence. The course draws from the literature in marketing, psychology and economics. The course will enable students to conceptualize, operationalize, and develop research ideas. Therefore, the focus is on understanding theoretical and methodological approaches to various aspects of consumer behavior, as well as advancing this knowledge by developing testable hypotheses and theoretical perspectives that build on the current knowledge base.

• MKTG9730 - Research Sem Mktg Part A

  This course is taught collectively by the faculty members from the Marketing Department. It is designed to expose Doctoral students to the cutting-edge research in marketing models in order to help them to define and advance their research interests. This course will offer: in-depth discussions on some important topics in marketing by experts in respective areas; tools, and methodologies required for conducting research in those areas; broad exposure to our faculty members and their proven research styles.

• Sheth Foundation Award, Journal of Marketing, 2025 Description

  Best article published in the Journal of Marketing that has made long-term contributions to the field of marketing

• Hunt/Maynard Award Finalist, Journal of Marketing, 2024 Description

  Most significant contribution to marketing theory and thought

• William F. O’Dell Award, Journal of Marketing Research,, 2019
• Outstanding Reviewer Award, Journal of Consumer Research, 2016
• Top 30 Leaders in Business, American Management Association, 2015
• Best 2012 Article Finalist, Journal of Consumer Research, 2015
• Berry-AMA Book Prize for Best Book in Marketing, 2014
• Top 5 Most Productive Researchers in Marketing 2009-13, AMA DocSig, 2013
• Paul Green Award, Journal of Marketing Research, Finalist, 2013
• Most Creative People in Business, Fast Company, 2013
• Early Career Award, Association for Consumer Research, 2012
• Early Career Award, Society for Consumer Psychology, 2012
• Outstanding Reviewer Award, Journal of Consumer Research, 2011
• Winner, Iron Professor Competition, The Wharton School, 2011
• MBA Teaching Commitment and Curricular Innovation Award, 2011
• MSI – Young Scholars Program, 2011
• Top 10 Reviewer Award, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2011
• JCR Best Paper in 2007 Award, Finalist, 2010

• Parents looking for ‘cool factor’ in baby names, USA Today - 11/29/2012
• 4 Decision Making Mistakes to Avoid, INC Magazine - 11/26/2012
• How to Cope With a Terrible Review, Businessweek - 11/16/2012
• Hurricanes and Hot Baby Names, New York Times Op-Ed - 11/09/2012
• Did your team win? That might affect how you vote., Washington Post - 11/01/2012
• Chanel No. 5’s heavy notes of Brad Pitt tickling the wrong senses at the moment, Chicago Tribune - 10/24/2012
• Mobile Telephone Start-Up Solavei Avoids Ads, Relies on Customers for Sales Leads, Dail Beast - 10/24/2012
• ‘Old-fashioned’ has lost its chic for Wendy’s, NPR - Marketplace - 10/11/2012
• Good bye ivory tower, hello social media: academics struggle to make ideas accessible, WHYY - 09/28/2012
• Crafting Contagious, Google Think Quarterly - 07/19/2012
• Penn Researchers Detail Polling-place Effect, Penn News - 05/22/2012
• Sophia and Jacob are most popular U.S. baby names, USA Today - 05/15/2012
• When to Ignore Web Memes, Wired - 04/01/2012
• Should you read this story? Why you’re having trouble deciding, MSNBC - 03/14/2012
• Bad Reviews Can Boost Sales. Here’s Why, Harvard Business Review - 03/01/2012
• Hidden triggers prompt voters’ choices, USA Today - 01/20/2012
• Polling Location May Influence Vote, Study Finds, ABC News - 01/19/2012
• Decision Quicksand, Wall Street Journal - 11/30/2011
• Five Tips for Driving Word-of-Mouth — No Matter What Your Product Is, Ad Age - 11/28/2011
• The Drive to Be Different, Wired - 10/14/2011
• If You Want to Win, Tell Your Team It’s Losing (A Little), Harvard Business Review - 10/01/2011
• No Room for Promises in Advertising, Business Week - 08/27/2011
• The Physiology of (Over-)Sharing, The Atlantic - 08/05/2011
• Why You Just Shared That Baby Video, Wall Street Journal - 07/23/2011
• New Study Shows How To Rack Up Retweets:, Fast Company - 06/29/2011
• Bet on the Losing Team, Scientific American - 06/28/2011
• Decision Quicksand, The Guardian - 05/21/2011
• Under the Influence: How the Group Changes What We Think, Wall Street Journal - 05/03/2011
• Why Are Easy Decisions So Hard?, Wired Magazine - 03/02/2011
• The Formula for a Most-Emailed Story, NPR - 02/25/2011
• Better to be reviled than ignored, The Economist - 02/24/2011
• The End Of Trends: If It’s Hot, It’s Over, NPR - 02/09/2011
• The Tyranny of Choice, BBC - 01/11/2011
• The Key to Fulfillment, Oprah.com - 12/01/2010
• Can Negative Publicity Help?, New York Times - 10/30/2010
• Why Elite Shoppers Eschew Logos, New York Times - 07/26/2010
• Brands and Stores Want Haul Videos, Marketplace, National Public Radio - 07/13/2010
• Inconspicuous Consumption: Subtle Signals of Style, Psychology Today - 06/01/2010
• 5 Reasons Your Fast-Car Is More Social Than Your Fast-Food, Fast Company - 05/10/2010 Description

  Hello

• Applause, Please, for Early Adopters, New York Times - 05/09/2010
• The market is bleeding, so I’m selling!, Marketplace, National Public Radio - 05/01/2010
• Will You Be E-Mailing This Column? It’s Awesome, New York Times - 02/09/2010
• The Feel-Good Economy, The Globe and Mail - 01/28/2010
• Examining the shifting trends in baby names, Philadelphia Inquirer - 12/30/2009
• What Is It About “It” Gifts?, NPR - Talk of the Nation - 12/24/2009
• How Do Popular Holiday Gifts Become Popular?, Washington Post - 12/13/2009
• Paper checks… Remember those?, NPR - Marketplace - 12/02/2009
• Why We Love — and Love to Hate — Fads, Wall Street Journal - 08/10/2009
• Don’t Blog or Tweet Anything With More Than Half a Million Hits, Wired Magazine - 07/15/2009
• Berlin Bans Brakeless Bikes, Freakonomics Blog - 07/02/2009
• Cultural Latency, Fast Company - 07/01/2009
• American Apparel suit means cheap ads, NPR - Marketplace - 05/18/2009
• Quick Arriving Fads Quick to Flame Out, New York Times - 05/17/2009
• Heather Today, Gone Tomorrow, Scientific American - 05/04/2009
• How Twitter Might Be More Popular and Less Cool, San Jose Mercury News - 04/24/2009
• A Slight Deficit Can Actually Be an Edge, The New York Times - 03/16/2009
• When Being Down At Halftime Is A Good Thing, Wall Street Journal - 03/06/2009
• Las Vegas Touts Its Affordability, Wall Street Journal - 02/04/2009
• Frugalness Is The New Chic, National Public Radio - 01/21/2009
• Psychology: Bias at the Ballot Box, Nature - 11/28/2008
• How to Turn a Herd on Wall Street, New York Times - 11/09/2008
• Brain Research on Buying, Stanford Magazine - 11/04/2008
• Warm Your Hands, Warm Your Outlook, National Geographic News - 10/24/2008
• Modifying political behavior by manipulating group identification, Huffington Post - 09/10/2008
• Poll Position, Stanford Social Innovation Review - 09/01/2008
• Subconscious Decisions: Voting in Churches and Buying Designer Labels, Scientific American - 08/28/2008
• When Images Speak Louder Than Words, Huffington Post - 08/21/2008
• Surprising Insights from the Social Sciences, Boston Globe - 07/13/2008
• Polling Places’ Surprising Sway, Scientific American Mind - 07/01/2008
• Too Racy for JC Penney, NPR - Marketplace - 06/24/2008
• How Do You Vote? Depends on Where You Vote, ABC News - 06/24/2008
• Voter Decision Affected by Polling Place, Study Finds, National Geographic - 06/23/2008
• Where You Vote Affects How You Vote, Nature - 06/23/2008
• Your Polling Place Affects How You Vote, NPR - All Things Considered - 06/23/2008
• Contexts and Product Choice, National Public Radio (WNYC) - 05/30/2008
• Subtly but Visibly Swayed by Context, New York Times - 05/12/2008
• Herd on the Street, CNBC - 04/10/2008
• Philly’s best cooks, Blog - 02/06/2008
• If You Like It, It Must Be Uncool, US News & World Report - 01/09/2008
• Variety Can Change Your Mind, Boston Globe - 01/04/2008
• Chequebook Frugalista: Marketers are reframing ad messages, Financial Post - 12/12/2007
• Timeless Object, New York Times - Consumed - 10/28/2007
• Time to Get Trigger Happy, Fast Company - 10/01/2007
• Researchers on the hunt for cool, Vancouver Sun - 09/15/2007
• I Think, You Behave, Science - 06/01/2007
• What You See Affects What You Get, Sloan Management Review - 05/01/2007
• Dancing To The Beat of Their Own Drummer, Vancouver Sun - 04/26/2007
• Voting Booth Feng Shui, New York Times - 12/10/2006

Knowledge at Wharton

• What Makes Virtual Influencers Effective?, Knowledge at Wharton - 5/9/2025
• How Speaking Slower Influences Consumer Behavior, Knowledge at Wharton - 4/8/2025
• Small Shifts, Big Impact: Elevate Your Leadership, Knowledge at Wharton - 1/28/2025
• Boosting Donations Through Self-expressive Choices | Jonah Berger, Knowledge at Wharton - 11/19/2024
• Why Influencers Should Pay Attention to Word Choice, Knowledge at Wharton - 9/16/2024
• What Does Your Writing Style Say About You?, Knowledge at Wharton - 7/23/2024
• Has Music Become Less Misogynistic?, Knowledge at Wharton - 5/14/2024
• Want to Live a Meaningful Life? Be the Hero of Your Story, Knowledge at Wharton - 2/19/2024
• The Psychology of Hoarding | Jonah Berger, Knowledge at Wharton - 1/23/2024
• How to Convince Someone Using This Simple Writing Tip, Knowledge at Wharton - 10/2/2023

Wharton Stories

• The Story Behind Wharton Convocation and 7 Pieces of Advice to Begin Your Academic Journey, Wharton Stories - 08/06/2018