21A – Reading Reflection No. 2

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

The general theme and argument of the book is that as market conditions change and technology allows us to move from the traditional centralized production model customers will have more choice. The increase in choice will create demand for niche products and services. Chris Anderson asserts that moving forward this segment of the market is where entrepreneurs want to find themselves.

I think the book connects with what we are learning in that it stresses that broadly, success in business moving forward will rely heavily on innovation and customer connection.

I would design an exercise that requires students to identify an extensive list of niche products and services that have been successful and evaluate the space they occupy. I would ask the class to explain what has changed that enables the product or service to be successful today and what would have prevented the product or service from being successful in the past.

For me, learning about this concept reinforced what I'm doing in the doberman space. My mentor has bred for 30 years and focuses on his "pitch" and volume. I have always disagreed with his philosophy but couldn't really put my finger on why. From the beginning, my intuition was that I would rather sell fewer but at a higher quality that commanded higher prices. I think this book explains exactly why my philosophy is more appropriate for the times.