The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More - Hardcover

Anderson, Chris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1401302378 ISBN 13: 9781401302375

Publisher: Hachette Books, 2006

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

"Anderson's insights with The Long Tail influence Google's strategic thinking in a profound way. Read this brilliant and timely book if you want to get a look at the future of business." (Eric Schmidt, CEO Google)

"The Long Tail is a book for the Head - provocative and insightful. It belongs on your shelf between Tipping Point and Freakonomics, offering great insight into the next generation of internet revolution and opportunity." (Reed Hastings, CEO Netflix)

"A brilliant and important book - as i-intelligent as it is e-entertaining." (Robert Thomson The Times)

"...his book should be read by anyone who wants to understand the social and economic implications of the internet." (Frances Cairncross Prospect)

"[his] background enables him to weave the languages of economics, technology and hip modern culture into a highly readable narrative, zapping casually from one product field to the next and reflecting entertainingly on the nuances and niches between them...I strongly recommend this one to anyone who wants to understand how economics is changing." (Martin Vander Weyer The Sunday Telegraph)

From the Publisher:

The new economics of culture and commerce

About this edition

• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1401302378
• ISBN 13: 9781401302375
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 238