The Movie Rating: The Long Tail - Essay Example

The Long Tail Lecturer: 03-Nov-09 The ratings of the movies that individuals watch depend on the regularity of theindividuals in watching those movies. The tastes of individuals who watch movies regularly are different from the tastes of individuals who watch movies occasionally. Those who watch movies regularly like watching the obscure movies while those who watch them once in a while like watching the popular ones. Again, the way that heavy consumers of movies rate movies is quite different from the way that light viewers rate them. For the heavy viewers, they rate obscure movies lowly and rate hits highly. The popular movies will still be watched even with the introduction of the internet since those who are light viewers are interested in these hits. Producers and retailers need to improvise their own ways of meeting the consumer's wants so as to keep their businesses moving. Introduction People rate movies, music, and books differently depending on the rate at which they read books, view movies, or listen to music. There are those individuals that watch the movies regularly and those that watch them occasionally. These individuals affect the movies that are sold by different distributors in the town. Earlier in time, advertising companies used to display those books, movies, and music that they felt would touch customers and those that the customers watched, read and listened to frequently. Advertising priorities were also given to those books, films and music that they felt were demanded by customers the most. When a popular product is released, individuals were likely to converge at places where they are used to obtaining their items in search of the new product. Very many people are influenced by their friends and you will more likely find them watching those movies that their friends have watched, reading those books that their friends have read, or listening to the same music that their friends listened to. This way, the movie that is watched the most, the music that is listened to the most, and the book that is read the most does not merely depend on the content but also the people who have watched, listened, or read it. Those books, movies, and music that have been used by many are likely to be used by more people than any others. With the introduction of the internet, the patterns have however been changed whereby individuals can now view their favourite movies, music, and books over the internet. A graph of sales against products produces a long tail in the demand curve when these products are viewed over the internet. This is especially in a case whereby these products can be digitised because the cost of distribution is minimised to zero since they can be watched over the internet. In addition, the space that online movies require is negligible compared to the space that a physical distributor would require to store the movies and music files. The internet allows an individual to look for a product that better suits his or her interests and this is likely to make the tail in the demand not only to grow longer but also fatter. Analysis of the Questionnaire The answers from the questionnaire indicate that occasional film goers will rate popular movies highly. All those individuals who indicated that they watch movies at durations of more than two weeks also indicated that the movie they watched was referred to them by a friend and they bought it from the shop. The individuals also got satisfaction in this movie that was refereed to them by a friend. Most of them also indicated that the last movie they had watched had satisfied them. For the regular film goers who indicated that they watch movies at durations of less than one week, they rated popular movies lowly. From the data, these popular movies were gotten from the internet and didn't give much satisfaction. Concerning the obscure movies, occasional viewers indicated that they didn't get satisfaction from watching the movie while the regular viewers indicated that they got maximum satisfaction from the movie. Most of the regular viewers also indicated that they got these movies from the internet while occasional viewers claim that the movies were referred to them by a friend. When dealing with obscure movies, occasional viewers claimed to have received little or no satisfaction while regular viewers claim to have been completely satisfied. Elberse's Results The movies that individuals watch, the music that they listen to, and the books that they read have greatly been affected by the rise in technology whereby individuals can now purchase their movies and music over the internet. This has resulted from the fact that these items can be digitized and shared over the internet. The individuals who sell the physical copies of these books and movies have greatly been challenged since the individuals no longer rely on those items that are popular but those that fit their tastes. With the introduction of the digitized movies, books, and music, the work of looking for a movie, a book, or music is made very simple. The customers who need an item will just need to proceed to the internet and choose from a long list the particular item that he or she wants. The items are sorted depending on their types and thus the individual will only need to know the particular type of item that he or she wants. This leads to an increase in the demand of some items that could never have had customers due to the problem of selecting them. Some items are not very popular but they are favourites to some individuals and thus, the internet will allow these individuals to watch what they enjoy watching (Elberse, 2008). Different age groups have their favourite movies, books, and music that they like listening to. The movies that most young people enjoy watching are very different from the ones that their parents and other older people watch. The internet allows these people to select their favourites rather than them listening and watching what has been watched by other people. The internet increases the demand of items that could never have been watched if the internet was never introduced (Nikki, 2006). These items make a major contribution to the sales of the items and they produce the long tail in the demand curve. One of the factors that contribute to the length of the tail is the issue of distribution of the digitized items. The cost that the physical stockers incur in distributing the items is reduced to zero. The items are placed in the internet and any individual who can access the internet can access these items wherever he or she is in the world. The customers also need not to proceed to the sellers to purchase the items but can purchase them over the internet. All the music albums, movies and books can be accessed over the internet and individuals can trace their browsing history allowing him/her to listen, watch and read the items continuously over time. Again, the number of items that a music store can stock is relatively low compared to the number that an internet site can hold (Elberse, 2008). This makes it possible for the individuals to have a large number of varieties to choose from. True niches and former hits form the long tail in the demand curve. There are some products that are produced from particular groups of people and therefore, are more likely to entertain the individuals in this group and no others. These groups could depend on ages or the gender of the group. Some programs are more appealing to young ladies than they are to men of the same age. Each group will value products that fit it and this greatly affects the tail of the demand curve. The internet helps these groups to enjoy what interests them other than follow what has been produced for everyone in the market (Elberse, 2008). Individuals are expected to purchase more products of their tastes and this will affect the tail by making it fatter and longer. Some products that would never have been used get a chance to contribute to the tail and this reduces the share that a few hits that were deemed popular enjoyed. This is because different customers will pick what pleases them and whatever pleases one person could be very different from what pleases another person. With time, these items that individuals buy when summed up are more likely to exceed the hits that were bought as a result of their popularity. Elberse also notes that most of individuals who watch obscure movies are individuals who have used the internet service for a long time and frequently. As stated earlier, the individuals who watch movies have different ratings depending on the rate at which they watch the movies. Even after the introduction of the internet which is said to greatly affect the rate at which popular hits are watched, the hits are still watched only that this time round, they are watched by those individuals that do not watch the movies regularly. The individuals that watch movies once in a while are likely to go for the hits any time that they deem fit to watch one (Elberse, 2008). On the other hand, heavy watchers of movies are more likely to watch obscure movies with the introduction of the internet. Those people who find more time for watching the movies find time to explore the obscure movies while those who are light viewers only have time for the hit products. The enjoyment received by the individuals who watch the popular hits is different from the one that those who watch the obscure movies receive. The ones who watch obscure movies are more likely to enjoy since they pick movies that are in line with their interest and those that please them. The way that heavy consumers of movies rate them is quite different from the way that light viewers rate their viewing. For the heavy viewers, they rate obscure movies lowly and rate hits highly. Disconfirmation Some of the arguments have been viewed differently by other individuals. The popular movies will always get individuals to watch because most individuals do not have all the time to watch movies and can thus be classified as light viewers who view the popular movies whenever they get a chance. This is an indication that the viewers of popular movies are always there since the society consists of some individuals that are too busy to get all the time to choose obscure movies or they just don't watch movies too often. Since the population of the light consumers is still high, the hits will always have some viewers though the viewers are not frequent. The viewers are also very many in their numbers and therefore, their frequency might not greatly affect the sales of the hits (Elberse, 2008). When very many people know about something, there is very high chance that these individuals will not like that something. Again, people will also not like to be associated with very obscure titles. Individuals who like watching obscure products are those individuals that have a wide range of products to choose from and therefore will avoid those very obscure titles. In effect, those who only have a little knowledge about obscure movies are more likely to watch the popular movies instead of watching the very obscure titles. This is basically because niche products are not known very well to most individuals and those who know them are the ones who have a lot of time to watch and research. Most individuals will therefore tend to watch popular hits in comparison to the obscure titles (Elberse, 2008). Consumer Behaviour and Statistical Distribution of and Film Revenue The process by which products can be purchased over the internet helps customers with easy access to products. However, focusing on the internet as the only way that a company can sell its products is not wise since there are individuals who will always be interested in the old products. For any company that wishes to profit from the rise in technology, the company should ensure that it has combined both the new technologies and has left some earlier means of getting cash (Hair, 2007). The companies that are involved in producing the products should not change their ways as there will still be many individuals relying on the older system in their operations. However, the companies can join the online channel so as to ease advertisement and marketing of products over the internet. It leads to increased sales but also has the disadvantage of competition; the online channel only can lead to a loss since many consumers will be competing for the same products (Elberse, 2008). The companies should also be very careful when producing niche commodities for the tail end because these commodities are more likely to be sold at a loss. This is because products that usually occupy the tail end have low demands therefore; some costs incurred may not be recovered if proper care is not taken. Again, most individuals will tend to appreciate popular products more than the obscure products. When a company decides to use the internet in its business, it should concentrate more on advertising for its products and more so the popular products so as to maximize their profits. This is because the internet will be used by more individuals and those individuals who will consume the popular products are more likely to like more of these products from the company in comparison to those who watch the obscure movies. For the retailers, there is the need to maintain the customers who buy in bulk. These are customers who are mostly interested in the obscure movies and therefore, the retailer should stock more of these obscure movies. These are also customers who deal with the tail end and will frequently visit the internet in search of the movies (Elberse, 2008). Since these individuals are required to subscribe so as to view the files that are contained in a certain website, the retailer should upload as many items as possible and then raise the subscription fee so as to maximize profits. The retailer should also avoid incurring some costs in products that have low probabilities of selling. Investing in long tail products can help the retailer in maximizing his or her profits. In order for a retailer to win and maintain their customers, they should use the most popular products because these products reach many customers and are at the same time appreciated by many. The retailer should also take great care not to dissatisfy the customers by pushing them too much and for longer times on the tail end. Conclusion The movies that are offered by different individuals are rated differently depending on the frequency at which the individuals watch the movies. Those who regularly watch movies have different tastes from those who watch movies occasionally. The introduction of the internet and the digitization of movies, books, and music have greatly affected the individuals who have been selling these items physically. Individuals can now advertise their products over the internet and the customers can also purchase the items over the same internet. The space that the digitized movies occupy in the computer is relatively small in relation to the space that the same number of movies would occupy in a store. Most of the individuals who watch the obscure movies are individuals who have used the internet service for a long time and with frequency. The individuals that watch movies once in a while are likely to go for the hits every time they feel like watching a movie. The enjoyment received by the individuals who watch the popular hits is different from the one that those who watch the obscure movies receive. The ones who watch obscure movies are more likely to enjoy since they pick movies that are in line with their interest and those that please them. However, the popular movies will always get individuals to watch them in that most individuals do not have all the time to watch movies and can thus be classified as light viewers who view the popular movies whenever they get a chance. The producers and retailers of these entertainment items need to improvise their own ways of meeting the consumer's wants so as to keep their businesses moving. References Elberse, A. (2008). "Should You Invest in the Long Tail" Harvard Business Review, July-August. Hair, A. S. (2007). Research Methods for Business. Chichester, Wiley Nikki, F. (2006). Hollywood. 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