What happens when the bottlenecks that stand between supply and demand in our culture go away and everything becomes available to everyone?"The Long Tail" is a powerful new force in our economy: the rise of the niche. As the cost of reaching consumers drops dramatically, our markets are shifting from a one-size-fits-all model of mass appeal to one of unlimited variety for unique tastes. From supermarket shelves to advertising agencies, the ability to offer vast choice is changing everything, and causing us to rethink where our markets lie and how to get to them. Unlimited selection is revealing truths about what consumers want and how they want to get it, from DVDs at Netflix to songs on iTunes to advertising on Google.However, this is not just a virtue of online marketplaces; it is an example of an entirely new economic model for business, one that is just beginning to show its power. After a century of obsessing over the few products at the head of the demand curve, the new economics of distribution allow us to turn our focus to the many more products in the tail, which collectively can create a new market as big as the one we already know.The Long Tail is really about the economics of abundance. New efficiencies in distribution, manufacturing, and marketing are essentially resetting the definition of what's commercially viable across the board. If the 20th century was about hits, the 21st will be equally about niches.
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"This examination of the web's most successful storefronts was really interesting, even to someone like me who doesn't love reading the business pages of the newspaper. It's more about how smart people are taking advantage of the potential of the internet and how that is a good thing for people interested in buying, say, funny wigs for the newborns. Or something. Just go read it. It's short." — Jim (4 out of 5 stars)
"This examination of the web's most successful storefronts was really interesting, even to someone like me who doesn't love reading the business pages of the newspaper. It's more about how smart people are taking advantage of the potential of the internet and how that is a good thing for people interested in buying, say, funny wigs for the newborns. Or something. Just go read it. It's short."
" Fantastic read, makes tons of sense and teaches you how to think about stores like Amazon and iTunes and how they truly are different from brick and mortar stores. "
" Great stuff about the new markets being opened up by the Internet and how to reach them....though I think a lot of the book's prophecies have yet to be realized. For anyone in marketing, this is a must-read, I think. "
" A should-read book for knowledge workers and entrepreneurs on concepts and trends regarding technology. "
" A must read for anyone looking to be earn a living in the next 10 years... "
" Ideally I would give this book a two-and-a-half. Interesting in concept, but many of the points were belabored. "
" In similar genre to Malcom Gladwell books "
" This book was ahead of it's time when it was released (2006) and today most corporations have not embraced the concept. "
" A skewed perspective on branding and marketing. It's biased and blindly optimistic. "
" It makes for a good essay - good thinking drawn out way to long "
" Very good book... maybe a couple of chapters too long... "
" A little out of date, but still worth a read for anyone interested in the future of digital retailing. "
" It's an interesting idea/concept and it did expand my mind about the marketing/economics of online items like music. But I could probably have got the same info from an article rather than a book. But if you have the time... "
" The web is changing the way we do business and developing niche markets and sub-cultures more than ever before. "
" Anderson's book presents some fascinating ideas describing the relevance of "long tail" economics. Great read for anyone who enjoys popular economics. "
" How the web is changing economics, advertising, and selling. Makes Jeff Bezos out to be a genius. "
" Great concepts that were definitely game changing at the time, but probably 100 pages too long. "
" I found this book very interesting and keep seeing the applications. "
" Since reading this book, I have seen the long tail in almost every market I see. Chris Anderson has got ideas worth listening to, but you don't need to read the whole book to get the point. Find the original article from Wired. "
" Great book for those of us who work in media, advertising, marketing... "
" Probably THE book that has most challenged my thinking over the past year. I admire the generosity of spirit that has enabled Anderson to share his insights so freely. Ironically, I learned far more about the Web through this printed medium than I have on the actual Web. "
" This book kept coming up in my grad school classes. I'm glad I read it - full of interesting concepts, and changes the way I'll think about some of my favorite sites for a while. "
" An interesting pop culture/business/tech book about finding your niche. "
" mass market, niche market, world of scarcity, world of abundance, word of mouth, disposable income "
" This book is a few years old, but still relevant to the economics of the digital world. Well worth the read. "
" A fascinating analysis of the emerging market of niches, where an abundance of choice allows the individualization of consumption alongside the creation of new micro-communities. "
" I just ate up this book. It's a great economics book, and great at explaining things like why Netflix is successful even though they don't have a lot of new blockbusters. Also it was very readable! I recommend this book. "
" Loved this book both as a recent history of popular culture and an analysis of the economic impact that recent changes in technology have had. I highly recommend it. "
Chris Anderson is the editor in chief of Wired, which he has led to multiple National Magazine Award nominations, as well as winning the prestigious top prize for General Excellence in 2005, 2007, and 2009. In 2009, the magazine was named Magazine of the Decade by the editors of AdWeek. He is the co-founder of 3D Robotics, a fast-growing manufacturer of aerial robots, and DIY Drones. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Long Tail and Free: The Future of a Radical Price. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Christopher Nissley is an actor and narrator, most known for his voice work on the video games Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone and Twisted Metal 2: World Tour, as well as the anime TV series Blood+.
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