We still love our hits

We have all been hearing about the fragmentation of media and the death of mass. (1,2).

But according to a recent Economist article it isn’t that simple. (3)

It seems that the real blockbusters are busting out more than ever.

Some examples from the article:
1. Twilight New Moon earned more in a single day than any other movie ever.
2. Average sales of the top selling album in the UK increased by 9% between 2004 and 2008 despite total sales being 18% down. And Susan Boyle is selling well this Christmas.
3. US Network TV has lost over 20% of viewers in the last 8 years but the ratings of the top 5 shows are virtually unchanged. For example, in 2000-1 Survivor was the top show drawing 17.8m households. In 2008-9 it was American Idol with 16.5m.

Both the really big hits and the niche offerings have done well. It’s the massish stuff that is suffering – the middle rating TV; the lower chart position music.

My conclusion. While tribes, or packs as I call them, are becoming smaller and more diverse there is still a need for the mass communal experience, the sense of belonging to something bigger, the desire to share something with people at large.


1. . http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/01/tribal-manageme.html
2.
http://www.wunderman.com/Content/assets/11139_how_to_think_digital.pdf
3. The Economist Nov 28th 2009, Briefing Media: A World of Hits. http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14959982