When things are not as popular as they could be or are expected to be, there are a lot of questions that naturally result. Not everything is designed for a mass audience, and that is quite alright. When one is creating material for a narrow audience, one judges one’s efforts at appealing to that audience differently than one does if one is aiming at and failing to reach a mass audience. Expenses that may be expected for mass appeal might be far too much for something that aims at a niche audience. What I would like to ponder today is the sort of approach that one takes in marketing niche products as opposed to marketing something that is designed for a mass audience, as they are very different. Not everything is meant to be accepted by everyone, but one needs to be aware of what one is aiming for and what one ought to achieve.

One of the first things to realize when one is seeking to promote something that has a narrow audience is that the audience one is aiming at often deliberately enjoys something because the narrowness of the way that is being promoted. Niche audiences pride themselves on being people of great discernment and a willingness to enjoy and act in ways that mass audiences simply refuse to do. To be sure, not all niche audiences do this the same way, but so long as one can find the language that appeals to the audience that one is aiming at, and that one has something that is genuinely appealing to people who have made certain commitments that put them in a very small space relative to the mass culture of the world around us, one has a fair chance of success. Such people may not appreciate being pandered to, but most people appreciate others making an honest and fair appeal that highlights the special and chosen nature of the niche audience.e

This is in stark contrast to something that is aimed at a mass audience. If one seeks mass appeal, one has to aim at a pretty basic lowest common denominator. That which offends the people one is aiming one’s product at is going to drive away people, because even the hint of certain approaches or certain content is going to spread via those who know how to communicate with important segments of a mass audience and drive down the appeal of what is being offered. Something that openly alienates men, for example, is likely not to receive a great deal of positive word of mouth as well as a great deal of business from those who are being assaulted by a given offering and its marketing, and this greatly hinders the mass appeal that such an offering has. This may seem obvious, but far too often people make projects and offerings that have a budget that requires a mass audience and then market them in such a way that they are only appealing to niche audiences, thus guaranteeing a lack of profit as well as harm done to the reputation of a brand. In contrast, a project that is aimed at a niche audience and that manages to appeal to that niche will be highly praised by a small niche that may be used to not being served because of its small size.

It should be noted that there are indeed a great many aspects of life that are indeed very narrow and which require a high degree of commitment on the part of people to a way of life in order to enjoy them. It is easy for those who are a part of small niche audiences to look down on mass audiences as being uninformed, while at the same time it is easy for those who are part of mass audiences that regularly receive offerings that appeal to the lowest common denominator to view niches with disdain if no one bothers to appeal to them. Who gets the last laugh is highly dependent on whether a niche is chosen by itself with a high degree of pride in itself or if the niche is something that comes as a result of having made a worldview commitment that is unpopular and is always going to be unpopular no matter how one phrases it. Even in such cases, though, it is far better when we place no unnecessary barriers to the wider understanding and appreciation of offbeat ways of life. There are enough necessary barriers as it is.