In a mass market you followed the Bell Curve. You went for the volume and values in the mainstream which was located in the centre of the Bell curve. If you found it, you had a mass market. The market was so large that it could support several competitors. But we have seen a shift.
The large mainstream suppliers have become giants like Wal*Mart. The merely large, like KMart, are dying. But the ultra small and the ultra specialized retailers are doing well. On PEI is a very small Hobby shop that sells model airplanes all over the world. They do well because they are so knowledgeable and personal. They have no desire to be huge - all the employees are fanatics - they intern boys of all ages.
In Journalism, major brands such as the New York Times are becoming giant global players, regional papers are dying. General magazines are dying. Maybe most magazines are dying. BUT ultra small journalism such as Instapundit and Andrew Sullivan are booming. Look how the war has created new blog networks such as Command Post which are branching into following SARS.
This trend of the ultra small and the ultra local is even taking place in the non-commercial fields such as medicine. The internet is becoming a more important source of health information than the medical establishment. This trend is now moving into the actual treatment area where self help internet groups are supplanting the doctor in effectiveness.
What is going on? The "Well Curve"
Much more on the Well Curve in this excellent short article by Daniel Pink, of Free Agent Nation Fame, published this month in Wired magazine. It appears that the new technology is allowing the rebirth of the craftsman, the local business and the community group. It seems that the process drives a radical drop in costs and rise in quality for both producer and consumer.
What else can be "ultra-smalled"? Having just endured a terrible cross continent journey - I suspect ultra small rural airlines that run a true shuttle from small centres to regional hubs might make it. I would love to have a service with say a ten seater that ran every hour from PEI to Halifax. How about my local ISP becoming the network connector for a network of ultra small business support folks who could keep my home office up and ahead of the curve? How about local food grown locally and sold locally without all the processing, ads and transport?
Maybe nearly everything but major industrial processes such as car making can be ultra smalled. But I am not sure. Aren't mini steel mills are giving the major steel mills a hard time? Maybe we just have to think about how to ultra Small anything and we can find a way.
What this really means is surely the end of the age of Capital based feudalism? It's exciting that most of us will not need to be part of a large organization anymore. We have a chance to get our lives back - Dan Pink's central thesis.
4:31:52 PM 
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