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Purple Cow
a fashion show in Paris, go to Internet World, and read
edgy trade journals.
Right next to innovators on Moore’s curve are the early
adopters. (No, they’re not early adapters –that would be just
about the opposite, wouldn’t it) Early adopters are the
folks who can actually benefit from using a new product
and who are eager to maintain their edge over the rest of
the population by seeking out new products and services.
It might be a new investment device (zero-coupon bonds,
say) or even a new TV show, but in any meaningful market,
this audience is both sizable and willing to spend
money.
Trailing after the early adopters are the early and late
majority. These consumers don’t necessarily yearn for a
new product or service that can benefit them, but if
enough of their peers try it and talk about it, these followers
are likely to come along as well.
It’s essential to realize two things about this big and
profitable group. First, these people are really good at
ignoring you. They have problems that they find far more
significant than the ones your product solves, and they’re
just not willing to invest the time to listen to you.
Second, they often don’t even listen to the innovators
on the left part of the curve. The early and late majority
want protocols and systems and safety that new products
rarely offer. Countless products never manage to get far
enough along the curve to reach these folks. And if they’re
not even going to listen to their friends, why should they
listen to you
Finally, the laggards complete the curve, getting around to
buying a cassette deck when the rest of us have moved on to
CDs. If anything, these people are the adapters. They don’t
use something new until it’s so old that what they used to use
is obsolete, impractical, or not even available any longer.
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