The 80/20 Principle and the three “agents of change”

The 80/20 Principle (which is based on Pareto’s Principle) says that in any situation roughly 80% of the 'work' will be done by 20% of the participants. The key for advertisers is, naturally, to find the 20%. In his book “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” Malcolm Gladwell describes the three “agents of change” describing them as:

• Connectors – people who are both known by a lot of people and who are in the habit of making introductions. They have the “ability to span many different worlds is a function of something intrinsic to their personality, some combination of curiosity, self-confidence, sociability, and energy”
• Mavens – people who have special knowledge or experience. They are “information specialists” or “people we rely upon to connect us with new information"
• Salespeople – people who are persuaders. They have powerful negotiation skills and have a knack which makes others want to agree with them

Perhaps the real key is to make the most of your time - or your money - by not only focusing in the right direction but by also using the time wisely.


Jez Simms
Group Research Manager