subject: Target group is taken, what next? [print this page] Target group is taken, what next? Target group is taken, what next?
According long tail idea in current economical and technology environment it is possible to address missing 80% customers from Pareto principle. Before long tail typical company was able to identify and successfully address with marketing messaging 20% of target group. It was good enough because these customers generated 80% of company revenue. It was very ineffective to try gather last 80% because of high costs of traditional marketing and low revenue (missing 20%).
Long tail was born when internet brought low cost communication and marketing techniques. Long tail gave a hope that now missing customers can be accessed. In real life it is interesting how these 80% of customers look like from vendor (manufacturer of anything) perspective. These customers were not touched by marketing messaging too much, they are not educated in product features, they are not aware of what vendor promote as a product value. What is going on when they occasionally decide to buy something from vendor?
I like this extreme but nice example from Kurt Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions": "She wrote this ad for an end-of-the-summer sale on straw hats: "For prices like this, you can run them through your horse and put them on your roses."" How straw hats manufacturer feels like seeing this add? He spent marketing dollars creating messages about straw hats functionality, UV protection, ecological production process, recycling, greenhouse effect combat, fashion trends, etc. And now what? He is confused: new customers came (wow!) but because of quite different reasons he can expected (ups!). If vendors start to accept customers from long tail they will lose control what and how people are thinking about their products.
If there are vendors ready to accept new customers with their own purchasing reasons it can be not only access to new market but also begin of consumers freedom.
