That being said, I DO think we put a bit too much emphasis on the idea that Vilfredo Pareto was thinking that we’d try to apply his mathematical theory (and Chris Anderson’s amazing book on the economic practice of the theory) to every crappy, inferior, and out of date product we produce.

Marketing to the “long end of the tail” is much more about specifically marketing to a small niche, where you focus on that niche, cater discreetly to that niche, and become a sole source for that niche.

More frequently, I’ve been seeing companies (even companies already serving a specific niche) develop, produce, and sell inferior products, and when criticized they claim The Long Tail. I’m of the opinion that’s a faulty crutch to prop up a crappy product. The true theory of the Tail is knowing and marketing specifically to a niche that you are well studied on, and know their needs… the theory is NOT a wasteland of misfit and faulty products.

The proof is in the pudding, so to speak. I hear a great deal of Long Tail talk in the music industry… Well, more than 10 million of the 13 million tracks available on the internet failed to find a single buyer last year (really!).  Sometimes what is created is just inferior product, and while the creator might think they’re niche marketing, they’re really just clouding the landscape with more inferiority.

The Long Tail theory should only be applied to quality products that truly serve your desired niche. I’ll hop off my soap box at this point and consider this a lesson learned, at least by me… and hopefully some of you out there. Know what you are, know what you’re not, and most importantly… KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. Using statistics and mathematics shouldn’t be used to explain away complaints.