sari

The viable companies of tomorrow are the niche brands of today.

Thanks to this powerful data network effect, Google was able to move down the stack. Google wasn’t “just a website” anymore, it became an aggregator that commoditized all other websites and made them layers on top of Google’s.

Everything you do as a product manager is done through writing, speaking, and meetings. As Boz puts it, “communication is the job.” You can never be too good at this, and it’s very difficult to over-communicate.

But increasingly, creators with loyal followings are creating their own independent offerings—ranging from paid courses to niche communities to vertical social networks—with the basis of competition shifting to curated content and community, trust in a particular creator, and alignment to specific topics.

As one brand leaves its curiosity gap open for a particular consumer, another comparable brand is able to swoop in and fill the gap quickly thus acquiring the customer away from their competition. Over long periods this dissonance and operational thrash fracture both the customers’ contract and affinity with the brand.