Firefly/Serenity and the Long Tail--Please Read by KSB36

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Firefly/Serenity and the Long Tail--Please Read

POSTED BY: KSB36
UPDATED: Sunday, July 16, 2006 13:36
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VIEWED: 3570
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Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:03 AM

I had been seeing a lot of news about this Long Tail stuff but as usual, didn't really pay that much attention to it. Business is definitely not my area of interest so how could it possibly have anything to do with me?

The answer: FIREFLY and SERENITY.

Last night I decided on a whim to pick up the book. It's relatively short and an easy read. Firefly and Serenity both get one brief mention in it, too. The theory in a nutshell is that online retailers like Amazon have opened up the entertainment marketplace to an infinite variety of niche products. Through word of mouth and an endless cycle of virtual recommendations, products that once might have been forgotten, considered "failures" (FIREFLY, anyone?), are able to find a new life and become immensely profitable.

It's not so much that these products will sell huge volumes but that they will sell *something* FOREVER. FIREFLY and SERENITY are the poster children for Long Tail phenomena. You only have to look up the Amazon tracker on this very site to see the amazing staying power of the Firefly box set (three years after coming out on DVD) and Serenity (still sitting in the top 40 after eight months).

You can look up the article that was the genesis for the book at:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html

Now, the question is how can we show the PTB's that more Firefly/Serenity can make them oodles of money? The 'verse is more popular than ever--how can we break through the clutter and get the word out?

Any ideas?

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Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:13 AM

DOROTHEA

Interesting article--thanks for the link. I guess in addition to the emailing and letter-writing, everyone should make sure to give Firefly and Serenity gleaming feedback on all the retailer's sites? I put in my amazon feedback a while back, but I can make sure my family and friends who all like the story to do so as well... Think a spike in positive feedback for the products would make an impact at this point, though?

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Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:47 AM

11THHOUR

Firefly episodes are now available for purchase through iTunes. Fans buying LOTS of the episodes is a very direct way of demonstrating that the 'Verse continues to be something people will spend money on. Letters and reviews are fine, but the studios need to see people spending money to really get their attentin.

11th Hour

>>>}———————————————)))======<[]>======(((———————————————{<<<

"Because teenage pranks are fun when you're about to die!" - Hoban Washburne

Firefly/Serenity Guerilla Marketing Posters ~ http://the11thhour.home.att.net
Serenity Inspired Cafe Press Shop ~ http://www.cafepress.com/11thhourart

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Saturday, July 15, 2006 7:03 AM

DOROTHEA

Cool--I didn't know about iTunes. I'll definitely check it out.

Serenity doesn't even have 1000 feedbacks, on amazon. Firefly has nearly 2600. From what the article mentioned (and it makes pretty obvious sense, I guess), positive feedback causes the product to get recommended more and more often to people who're browsing, which could spike the sales. Why doesn't everyone try prodding their friends/family to give it 5 stars and a good review? It might cause a couple more people to buy the movie. Of course I'm a newbie on this site so maybe there was already a feedback campaign that I missed... Anyway, for those of us who're sort of out of money at the moment, it's something we can actually do...

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Saturday, July 15, 2006 8:07 AM

KSB36

Here's another article that makes mention of the Firefly phenomenon. New media, indeed!

http://newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/arts/tv/15038/

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Saturday, July 15, 2006 9:20 AM

ROCKETJOCK

Very interesting reading KSB38. It seems Firefly/Serenity may be at the leading edge of a new phenomena.

And--in the long run, for the patient--this truly does bode well for us.

Let's consider Firefly's closest historical parallel, Star Trek. (And yes, I know some Browncoats despise the show. Tough, deal with it. It's our best precident.)

The show was a borderline flop by the ratings system of the time, barely hanging on for the three seasons that were the minimum for the standard syndication package of the time.

--However--

Trek was only a ratings failure based on a simple head count of viewers, one that made no differentiation between such things as age groups and disposable income. When demographic ratings went into use in the early 1970's, it turned out that Star Trek had reached as close to a demographically perfect target audience as was possible. (The A.C. Neilson company immediately said "oops", but offered no refund.)

Also, from the start, Trek was the #1 show among owners of Color TV sets -- a distinct minority in the late sixties, and not a major ratings consideration, but this fact may have been what kept it on the air for those three seasons. Since NBC was, at the time, heavily commited to its identity as "The All-Color Network", and had a financial interest (through RCA) to promoting color set sales.

By the time Trek went into syndication in the early 1970's, color sets were becomming common, and local stations were smart enough to air the reruns in time slots which appealed to the "Young adult/High disposible income" demographic which was so sexy to advertisers.

Result: A failure by the old standards became the #1 breakaway hit of the new.

So what have we got here? A closet hit that was ignored by its parent network because they were judging it by an outdated paradign. A show that went on to become the textbook example of a comeback from oblivion.

Like I said, it bodes well.

"She's tore up plenty. But she'll fly true." -- Zoë Washburn

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Saturday, July 15, 2006 4:03 PM

FOLLOWMAL

Hi, Dorothea, I don't think you've been properly greeted and fitted with your browncoat. I try to get to everyone, but sometimes folks slip thru, especially as my storeroom clerk RadarRese is gone on vacation. I'm really quite hopeless without her.

*hands Dorothea a browncoat that fits perfectly*

There you are. Now you're officially garbed.

We have a campaign to encourage Browncoats to buy Firefly thru ITunes coming up later this month.
Here's the thread:

http://www.fireflyfans.net/showevent.asp?e=128

We hope that lots of Browncoats and regular folks too, will avail themselves of the ITune wares.

Dorothea, make yourself to home. Talk often and we'll be nearby.

We're trying lots of things to bring Firefly/Serenity to the public's attention. I believe what's in this article bodes well for us.
We just have to be patient.

"You hold. Hold 'til I get back." Mal

Click here www.fireflyfans.net for info about the Serenity Summer Campaign and how you can help!

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Saturday, July 15, 2006 4:33 PM

GREENFAERIE

Firefly is not only available at iTunes. It's also available at PeerImpact.com - if you don't have iTunes, I'd suggest getting that instead... it's far superior IMHO, offering not only music and TV, but movies, games, and internet radio too.

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Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:06 PM

ONTHEDRIFT

Thanks KSB36, interesting read. It does make me hopeful, maybe as more of the PTB realize this phenomenon and decide to take advantage of it -- more Firefly?

I don't know of a specific feedback campaign(let me know if I'm wrong) but anything we can do to give the verse a boost or even nudge towards possible further success-I'm there! Maybe another thread encouraging and reminding people to submit awesome reviews is a good idea. ?

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Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:11 PM

FLORALBUNNY

Welcome home, Dorothea.
Coat looks right shiny on you.
I've brought the traditional berries,
but there's something special tonight:
Camembert!!! And assorted crackers to
smear it on.
Come on up to the galley and question
the buffet. There's a crowd waiting
for you.

As for the subject of the thread: I'd
read a review of The Long Tail in New
Yorker (July 10 & 17, 2006) and thought
immediately of FF/S -- and Slither, too.

I think we're at a shift point, and our
show and heroes suffered from being in the
wrong place, wrong time as far as the
executives' understanding extended. The
execs didn't see it coming. Who knows if
they see it now.

We can hope the Tail effect makes it
possible for us to get more show, but we
need to remember that our show is *expensive*
to make, and if execs want each niche item
to pay for itself we still have big
obstacles to surmount: their attitude, and
the size of the fan-base.

So keep on spreading the Camembert -- I mean
the good word -- and bring in the converts!

bun
~2006~Firefly Summer~2006~
==We aim to exponentiate==
------Hide the rum!------

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Sunday, July 16, 2006 2:11 AM

MAVOURNEEN

If Firefly and the Long Tail intrigues you, read this article on why Firefly is the perfect economic model for direct to dvd production. I thought it was fascinating, and not too out of reach.

http://www.henryjenkins.org/2006/06/more_on_firefly_and_the_long_t.htm
l

"Have you ever been with a Warrior Woman?"

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Sunday, July 16, 2006 3:35 AM

FOLLOWMAL

Quote:
Originally posted by onthedrift:

I don't know of a specific feedback campaign(let me know if I'm wrong) but anything we can do to give the verse a boost or even nudge towards possible further success-I'm there! Maybe another thread encouraging and reminding people to submit awesome reviews is a good idea.

OntheDrift, I was just thinking that I'd mention this within the Event Team and see if we can't arrange to have a week of this sort of thing.

All of us doing it daily for a while should make an impact!

"You hold. Hold 'til I get back." Mal

Click here www.fireflyfans.net for info about the Serenity Summer Campaign and how you can help!

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Sunday, July 16, 2006 6:09 AM

ONTHEDRIFT

Sounds like a good idea FollowMal. I'm going to try to head over to the idea/brainstorming thread in a while, I've been thinking...

So I'll try bouncing some ideas off you and the event team.

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Sunday, July 16, 2006 1:36 PM

FOLLOWMAL

That'd be very shiny!!!!

"You hold. Hold 'til I get back." Mal

Click here www.fireflyfans.net for info about the Serenity Summer Campaign and how you can help!

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