Do you have a Long Tail?

The 2016 presidential election campaign turned conventional wisdom on its head. Political prognosticators and pundits were bewildered all throughout the year. The unpredictable nature of the campaign cycle culminated with the most unexpected result, the election of Donald Trump as President.

Why was the 2016 campaign so unpredictable? There are many contributing factors, but it is incontrovertible that the outcome of the campaign would not have been possible without the internet. In fact, our last two presidents would not have been elected but for the internet.

In 2004, Chris Anderson, then Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine, authored a book entitled, “The Long Tail.” In it, Anderson described how the internet was shifting consumer demand away from mainstream hits in the head of the graph and toward the ‘misses’ in the long tail of the graph. Anderson also explained how online retailers like Amazon were creating businesses aggregating the supply and demand in the Long Tail, while bricks and mortar businesses were stuck with a limited market in the head.

Our political system has witnessed the same phenomenon. Head politicians are being successfully challenged by Long Tail candidates. Small money is beating big money. Micro media is beating mass media.

The old rules in a Head World no longer apply in a Long Tail World.

Do you understand the new rules of the Long Tail World? Does your competition?

Are you living in the Head or in the Long Tail?

Long Tail Strategies is a consulting firm that helps companies survive and thrive in a Long Tail World. We have some of the best digital strategists in the industry, and understand how to leverage the Long Tail to your advantage. We do corporate advocacy, online advertising, audience development and engagement and content creation. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us at: 954-302-5981 or ca@yourlongtail.com.