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The Long Tail's Shortcomings

Chris Andersen's book "The Long Tail" has been regarded as a sacred text among many Internet industry execs since it was first published in 2006. In it, Andersen claims that the Internet is shifting society away from mainstream media "hits"--products that sell enormously well and appear at the top of the demand curve--toward an expanding number of niche products appearing in the curve's long tail. Thus, "narrowly-targeted goods and services can be as economically attractive as mainstream fare," Andersen said.

However, a new article from Harvard marketing professor Anita Elberse offers evidence that mainstream "hits" are not going away. In fact, she claims that the Internet has helped make successful products and services even more successful. In other words, people like sharing in the experience of blockbusters; it's a social phenomenon. Moreover, she suggests that most of us are happy to receive others' recommendations.

Wall Street Journal writer Lee Gomes agrees. He says the Long Tail theory flattered readers, who were mostly techies, into thinking that the Internet was changing everything. That group tends to have a "contemptuous" view of mass media anyway, he says, and was thusly predisposed to appreciating anything undermining its power. Meanwhile, Gomes claims the blogosphere, supposedly the shining example of The Long Tail, is the perfect example of where the theory falls short: it's as hit-driven as the rest of the world, with a tiny percentage of blogs receiving huge traffic.

Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal »

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