Details
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling author heralds the future of business in Free.
In his revolutionary bestseller, The Long Tail, Chris Anderson demonstrated how the online marketplace creates niche markets, allowing products and consumers to connect in a way that has never been possible before. Now, in FREE, he makes the compelling case that in many instances businesses can profit more from giving things away than they can by charging for them. Far more than a promotional gimmick, Free is a business strategy that may well be essential to a company's survival.
The costs associated with the growing online economy are trending toward zero at an incredible rate. Never in the course of human history have the primary inputs to an industrial economy fallen in price so fast and for so long. Just think that in 1961, a single transistor cost $10; now Intel's latest chip has two billion transistors and sells for $300 (or 0.000015 cents per transistor--effectively too cheap to price). The traditional economics of scarcity just don't apply to bandwidth, processing power, and hard-drive storage.
Yet this is just one engine behind the new Free, a reality that goes beyond a marketing gimmick or a cross-subsidy. Anderson also points to the growth of the reputation economy; explains different models for unleashing the power of Free; and shows how to compete when your competitors are giving away what you're trying to sell.
In FREE, Chris Anderson explores this radical idea for the new global economy and demonstrates how this revolutionary price can be harnessed for the benefit of consumers and businesses alike., Visionary business journalist Chris Anderson's FREE underscores just how different the 21st century business models can and should be from their 20th century predecessors. Anderson works hard to sell the idea that business can prosper through the simple concept of giving things away. He provides a fascinating and thorough survey of the history of promotional gimmicks and freebies, which he says began with the invention of Jell-O at the end of the 19th century. He presents an informed overview of how the new digital economy, including the rise of social networking sites, requires us to rethink concepts such as cost, value, and price. And he projects how "freeconomics" can have an impact on the global economy and on societies. In FREE, Christopher Anderson provokes thought and sweeps away old shibboleths. As to whether there is, indeed, a free lunch--that is a big chore for a book that costs $26.99
| Size | | Length: | 274 pages | | Height: | 9.5 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 18.2 oz |
Publisher's Notes
First Line: "There's no getting around it: gelatin comes from flesh and bones. It's the translucent, glutinous substance that skims to the top when you boil meat. But if you collect enough of it and purify it, adding color and flavor, it becomes something else: Jell-O. A clean powder in a packet, far removed from its abattoir origins of marrow and connective tissue."
Industry Reviews
"Still, Mr. Anderson has come up with a lively conversation piece. Even when the particulars of his argument are easily assailable, the gist is clear: Now that a cornucopia of Internet material has been made available without fee, and in some cases without scruples, the smart business must find ways to adapt to that new reality....And FREE is full of specific examples of how to do just that."
(07/06/2009)
"[Anderson's] advice is pithy, his tone uncompromising, and his subject matter perfectly timed for a moment when old-line content providers are desperate for answers."
(07/06/2009)
"FREE is a successful business speech between two covers, pleasant, upbeat and full of anecdotes and bullet points....It's stimulating but not uncomfortably challenging."
(07/12/2009)
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