Crossing the chasm

When I interact with people who are doing important work in marketing, it’s inevitable that I will mention Geoff Moore’s Crossing the Chasm.

It truly is a classic.

Here’s a summary to get you started, along with a link to other posts I’ve shared…

It’s intuitive that not everyone buys a new idea as soon as it’s introduced. Some people watch all their TV with a VR/AR headset connected via gigafiber, and some still have a 12:00 flashing on their VCR.

It’s a choice. In various markets (shoes, laptops, political candidates…) different people choose where they stand. It might be that you always buy the same Converse sneakers, but that you are also constantly in search of the latest haircut…

The myth was that an innovation would start with the early adopters (the first 12% of any population) and then organically spread from them to the rest.

Moore’s insight is that this isn’t actually true. That in-between the early adopters and the rest is a chasm, a gap in the curve.

That’s because early adopters want new and the rest want what’s proven. That the masses of people want a full solution, something that actually delivers on productivity, ease of use, and perhaps, most surprisingly, social acceptance. We want to reduce risk, not maximize thrills.

More here.