Article: Book review of 'The Long Tail' by Chris Anderson

06 August 2006

Chris Anderson has published his new book 'The Long Tail' which takes his initial 'Long Tail' article, and, facilitated and developed through his blog, boils down the essence of what Long Tail businesses are, and the principles by which they operate. By contrasting the success of hit-driven 'short-head' businesses operating with limited shelf space, with those enabled by the 'super-size' principles that the 'long-tail' supports, the reader is shown how a larger and more broadly based business can be built. The Long Tail impacts differently the elements of the end-to-end chain linking a producer with the final customer of their produce.

Customers of Long Tail businesses are enabled by the wider choices and are more likely to find suitable items in their search, even if what they find is not what they initially searched for. The worldwide view enabled by the internet allows a widely spread audience of customers to find what they seek and to support their preferred artist / supplier wherever they reside. A thinly-spread domestic audience can be aggregated (e.g. by Netflix) to support an otherwise difficult to reach but substantial audience (e.g. Bollywood movie fans across the US), providing that audience with otherwise unavailable choices.

For entrepreneurs building long tail businesses, the essential principles outlined in the book, supplemented by examples from the book's blog, and enhanced by the thinking of the surrounding and interested 'crowd' (e.g. Guy Kawasaski's comments on how an asymptotic (Utopian?) long-tail business might operate), can develop the questions that must be asked and answered when establishing or modifying a business.

The initial producer is also provided with food for thought as the various long-tail businesses form links in the chain through which their output can reach a broader audience. A broad but geographically diverse demand for what they produce can be aggregated to support them in their endeavors. This holds whether their output is physical (and must be shipped to the destination), digital (and so can be downloaded) or is ideas-based. The rise and rise of long-tail search (Google), advertising (Adwords) and sales (Amazon) businesses lowers the barriers to a viable and ongoing relationship between a producer and their end customers.

This book is written for a wide audience in an easy to read format that explains how 'niches' can reach wider audiences outside their local area through Long Tail principles. Another point that can be implied from the book is that being a 'big fish' in a Long Tail 'small pond' may be an outcome worth seeking out...

I recommend this book. For those who haven't followed the 'Long Tail' discussion, the book is an essential primer providing a base upon which to build further investigation and discussion. For those who have followed Chris Anderson's blog, the book provides supporting historical details and orders the core principles in a way that was not appropriate on the blog during the book's development.

The relentless movement from geographically-limited markets where the same selection is offered to all, to a marketplace where each customer is offered or seeks out their own very diverse selection means 'The Long Tail' is a book that should be considered by producers and businesses alike as they seek to 'market' what they 'produce' to their end 'customer'.

Related links:

• Chris Anderson's Long Tail Blog
• The original 'Long Tail' article in Wired Magazine
• The Long Tail book on Amazon (aff)
• My purebill column: 'Long Tail' impacts on billing for digital businesses

[Disclosure: I was lucky enough to receive a 'review copy' of 'The Long Tail' from Chris Anderson.]

Tags: Long Tail, Book Review, Business Model