The way that businesses work has changed dramatically. Through the Internet it has become easier than ever before to get in contact with customers, but at the same time it has become very difficult to convince them to pay for whatever you offer. We have seen that in the music business, in film and in the publishing industry. Instead of being afraid of this development, Nicholas Lovell argues that businesses should embrace it. In the Curve he shows you how to convert modern "window shoppers" into paying customers.
My company, 1SDK, operates in the mobile gaming space so I know a little bit about the business, but Lovell's book was able to teach me a lot still. At the same time I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of what type of business you are working in. Lovell gives a myriad of examples of people who have leveraged The Curve from all industries. He even includes the story of a flour company that has managed to grow from a local business into a nation-wide brand by offering free services.
In his own words "the secret of the Curve is about building upwards from whatever base you have, finding and satisfying customers who love what you do and allowing them to spend lots of money on things they value". In essence those customers that you might perceive as freeloaders are actually an asset to your business because of two reasons. The first is that they serve as the best marketing tool out there, recommending your products or services to others. The second is that in the age of social media they serve as an audience for those of your customers who buy your premium products. Without the ability of your "superfans" to show to this audience that they have bought your premium products they probably would not do it.
Not only does Lovell draw from his experience in the gaming industry, but he grounds his arguments in theoretical knowledge from the fields of economics, psychology and even evolutionary biology. For instance he explains how economies of production have moved from individual production through mass production in the industrial age to what we now see as "mass customization".
It is essential to understand the new way that markets work so that you can weather the storm no matter how circumstances change.
Plus it is fun to read. I finished it over the weekend.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2013
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Top reviews from other countries
Axel
Essentiel pour tous ceux qui travaillent dans la culture !
Reviewed in France on February 12, 2018
Grey Drane
Great ideas, but sooooo repetitive
Reviewed in Italy on December 14, 2015James
Getting rid of the fear factor of free
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2013Doris Lessing
Goo book about business and the modern marketplace
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2014