There Are No Hits Anymore
Our culture is constant in its infatuation of what's new, what's popular, and what's what. We obsess over celebrities and, because of the mass dominance of social networks, we even get paid because we are known—we call these people "influencers," as though they have something to offer.
But have you ever considered that most "hits" are not from this century? Think about it … if someone were to ask you what are the best movies or music albums ever, what would you name?
Please don't say The Avengers …
In fact, Chris Anderson in his book, The Long Tail, claims that "most of the top fifty best-selling albums of all time were recorded in the seventies and eighties, and none were made after 2000. Hollywood box-office revenue was down by more than 6 percent in 2005, reflecting the reality that the theatergoing audience is falling even as the population grows…"
Anderson argues that this is because we live in the "broadband era," as opposed to the "broadcast era" of the previous generation. Instead of 12 channels, modern TVs have many hundreds of channels. Instead of the 4,000 CDs Wal-Mart carries, we have access to nearly 1 million CDs that Spotify carries at our fingertips.
A "market of multitudes," Anderson says.
There are a lot of points that could be made from these findings. This morning's point, however, is simple: never before has small business had such a great ability to market and gain brand-loyal customers all over the world for non-revolutionary products.
The key is marketing—how you market yourself on the web is the fundamental note in your success. Have a product? Good enough! You can sell online and make a living. It does not need to be a blockbuster hit.
We have helped over 7,000 businesses world-wide connect smarter with their markets and we can do the same for you! Our Charlottesville Digital Marketing is growing and we would love to help!
Written by: Daniel Griffith on June 19, 2019