Alix F.

Check out Blockbuster or Bust, published in the July 3rd edition of the Wall Street Journal. It’s a very interesting look at marketing in the publishing industry, and why it makes business sense to focus on blockbusters. There has been a lot of talk about the long tail in the past few years, so it is enlightening to see why blockbuster strategies are more successful overall.

Media companies’ hit-focused marketing did not emerge in a vacuum. It reflects how consumers make choices. The truth is that consumers prefer blockbusters. Because they are inherently social, people find value in reading the same books and watching the same movies that others do. This is true even in today’s markets where, thanks to the Internet, buyers have easy access to millions and millions of titles.

Full disclosure: I was very lucky to have the author, Anita Elberse, as my professor for the 1st year Marketing course of my MBA program at HBS.