The Tipping Point has Three Factors

Malcolm Gladwell, author of the best-selling The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference contends the Tipping Point is determined by three factors.  The first, the Law of the Few, identifies three agents of change who are responsible for moving to and across The Tipping Point.  These change agents are connectors or those individuals who are skilled at networking; mavens or those to whom others go for information, and salesmen or those with charisma and personality to persuade others.  The second is the Stickiness Factor, which is determined by the content of the message and how it resonates in a society.  Gladwell’s third factor in reaching the Tipping Point is the Power of Context.  Context is a critical part of any communication that seeks to educate or persuade.  It relies on the local conditions and circumstances for its power. 

from Threes, Chapter 5, “Threes in Psychology and Sociology”