We have discussed the long tail as a sort of food chain for what is in and what is out. Some people make hits, while others get trapped in mediocraty known as niche. We have also talked about The 1,000 true fans theory for success. We were asked if there were any items; such as movies, comic books, sports teams, and music among other things that we have ever spent one hundred dollors or more on. Me for instance I spend that much on a pair for Jordan Brand sneakers every chance I get. That being said; Ms. Markman compared my incident on buying shoes to the 1,000 true fan theory, which I believe was brilliant. She took a very complicated matter of gaining fans and keeping fans and simply cut it down to a simple math equation. The price for any item may vary, but her math problem was 1,000(true fans) multiplied by 100 dollars equals 100,000 dollars. There are a select few people, items, and ideas that succeed, and everything, even those that don’t make the Hits portion of the long tail, are still apart of it no matter how bad/unpopular they are, and that is the beauty of trial and error. Some people make it big, while others get trapped in mediocraty.
It is definitely the case that not everything in the long tail is awesome, but the question is: does it matter? If you can find the fans who love what you do, and cultivate that fan base so they stay active, you might be able to make a living. It will be hard work, though.
After class, I thought about if I had ever really spent more than $100 per year on an artist/athlete/etc. The only thing I could really think of outside of concert tickets was the brand Johnny Cupcakes. I’m pretty sure no one in the class has ever heard of this guy or his company (Dr. Markman, you might have; he’s based out of Boston on Newbury Street), but he is a perfect example of 1,000 true fans. This guy started by making t-shirts and selling them out of his trunk. He eventually gained a following of true fans, and he now has several store fronts as well as an online store. If you check out this guy’s Facebook page, you can see the unconditional love that people have for his brand. He is a self-made millionaire, and I really believe his success is due mostly to his excellent marketing. When I used to order his products from his online store, I would receive a Johnny Cupcakes package that included my shirts along with extra goodies, such as Ninja Turtle trading cards and Johnny Cupcakes pins. This guy also talks back to his fans. I worked as a cookie decorator during undergrad, and I made a cookie in the shape of his logo. Johnny Cupcakes, his mom, and a lot of other fans all responded to it when I uploaded a picture of it to his Facebook page. That direct connection made me even more of a true fan at the time. So I guess the 1,000 true fans can work, but like everyone has said, it will be very hard work; you have to love what you do.
Hey that’s pretty cool that Johnny Cupcakes responded to your cookie pics. I became aware of the brand when Gym Class Heroes mentioned Johnny Cupcakes in their song “7 Weeks”…..He has done something that I believe is one of the keys to maintaining 1,000 true fans; and that is (like you said) —> interacting with fans and having a direct connection with them.