The implications of the Long Tail in todays environment

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There is a compelling and interesting Sci-Fi show on Netflix called “The OA.” But I don’t recommend watching it. 

 

I wouldn’t watch it because this show was victim of outdated broadcast content strategy in a streaming-dominated world of television. However, I mention it because it represents what can happen if you neglect to update your customer strategy to invest in your Long Tail business model. 

 

The Long Tail refers to a different inventory approach made possible by the Internet. It represents the ability to have any number of options available in virtual form for the consumption of consumer groups of any number and still be profitable. It allows you to offer more options without regard for the shelf space needed in a physical space. The Long Tail strategy is particularly applicable to content, like books or television shows, but it likely has applications in many other business verticals as well. 

 

In this episode, we explore the implications of the Long Tail strategy for customer experiences and how we can learn a lot from Netflix’s mistakes in this area. We also give you practical ways to apply these business lessons to your own Long Tail customer strategy. 

 

Key Ideas to Improve your Customer Experience

 

“The OA” is a show with two seasons, referred to as parts, that ends the second season with a significant cliff hanger. However, since the other three parts of the original five-part story arc were never made, it hangs there in the Netflix Original inventory unresolved, forever. It is an unsatisfying end to an otherwise compelling show. That’s why even though you can watch the “The OA”  right now, I don’t recommend it. You will never get the answers you seek about what happened. We take a look at why this happens and what we can learn from it for your Long Tail customer strategy.

 

Here are a few key moments in the discussion:

 

• 01:36  Ryan introduces the premise of what happened with the Netflix show “The OA” and why their content strategy creates problems with their catalog. 
• 04:32  Colin explains the concept of Long Tail and how it applied to Amazon’s business model in the early days and later became an essential part of other businesses’ offerings.
• 12:16  We discuss how Netflix might be a victim of using an old broadcast strategy to their approach to creating and renewing content, and how it can poison their Long Tail offering.    
• 17:04  Colin asks Ryan to explain why humans need completion from a psychological standpoint, which Ryan ascribes to cognitive dissonance and our discomfort with feeling unresolved.
• 22:26  Ryan tells the story of France’s Maginot Line and how fighting an old war did nothing to help defend the country from the Germans in World War II.
• 24:52 We explain how you can apply what we see happening at Netflix to your own experience and its Long Tail possibilities and opportunities.

 

 

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Customer Experience Information & Resources

 

LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has 290,000 followers of his work. Shaw is Founder and CEO of Beyond Philosophy LLC, which helps organizations unlock growth by discovering customers' hidden, unmet needs that drive value ($). The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy as one of the best management consultancies for the last four years in a row. Follow Colin on LinkedIn and Twitter.

 

Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University. 

 

Why Customers Buy: As an official "Influencer" on LinkedIn, Colin writes a regular newsletter on all things Customer Experience. Click here to join the other 35,000 subscribers. 

 

 

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