SUCCESs is the acronym for the six core elements that make up great ideas: simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and story. When an idea has a core and is delivered in a way that features these elements, it is more likely to stick and influence the actions of its audience.

In journalism, burying the lead is the act of getting lost in details to the point of forgetting to highlight the main idea of a story. In Made to Stick, this problem occurs when a message is lost due to complexities that obscure its core.

In the US Army, the Commander’s Intent (CI) is a broadly defined core objective for any mission, designed to help all levels of command coordinate toward a single goal. Made to Stick uses the CI as shorthand for the act of finding a core message that enables various paths toward a single, common goal.