The remarkable return of the long-tail (or maybe it was here all along)

source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinlewis/2016/05/31/the-long-tail-theory-can-be-reality-for-traditional-megabrands/

A few years ago, I wrote about how Chris Anderson’s predictions in his 2006 book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, didn’t materialize as expected

In an era increasingly defined by power law distributions(e.g. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram), I argued, our world was dominated by the top 1%, or the “head”. Think the billion-view YouTube videos, hits-driven Hollywood, Instagram influencers with millions of followers, and rich-get-richer dynamics.

My premise was that:

The long tail is still there, but it’s harder to find. Meantime, the head is more concentrated and powerful than ever. And in many ways, our “neutral” platforms prevent you from accessing the long tail.

Well, things have changed. The long-tail dynamics are abundant…from the way we communicate, buy, share, entertain, and create, both offline and online.

Let me take a step back.

I think about this through the lens of the 1-to-many framework from my friend Andrew Heyward. He uses it to explain the media industry, but it applies to lots more.