Everything to Someone: How Niches Are Becoming the New Mainstream

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Follow the Rabbit

Igor Schwarzmann, Johannes Kleske

51 episodes

2 days ago

Follow the Rabbit feels like eavesdropping on a fascinating conversation between two well-read friends at a Berlin coffee shop—smart without being pretentious, critical without being cynical, and deeply engaged with contemporary culture while maintaining historical perspective. The podcast occupies a unique space between trend forecasting, cultural criticism, and philosophical inquiry, delivered with warmth, humor, and genuine enthusiasm for understanding how the world works.

Society & Culture

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Society & Culture

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Everything to Someone: How Niches Are Becoming the New Mainstream

Follow the Rabbit

41 minutes 37 seconds

5 months ago

Everything to Someone: How Niches Are Becoming the New Mainstream

When a billion-dollar bet on arthouse cinema meets teenagers selling newspapers in the Hamptons, it reveals how radical proximity to your audience might be the only strategy left that works.

In this monthly review, Igor and Johannes uncover a pattern hiding in plain sight: while mainstream culture flattens into algorithmic predictability, billion-dollar businesses are being built by doing the exact opposite. From Mubi's quiet 18-year journey to unicorn status to fashion designers abandoning boardrooms for London's car boot sales to Gen Z rediscovering the radical act of local journalism—each story reveals the same truth: being everything to someone beats being something to everyone.

The conversation weaves through venture capital's surprising bet on arthouse cinema, the data goldmine of watching customers touch fabric, and why teenagers who need their parents to drive them to interviews might understand community better than any algorithm. Johannes connects it all to the post-pandemic realization of what we've been missing, while Igor warns about the pressure that comes with billion-dollar valuations.

From the Spotify Paradox (how did that artist get 500 million plays without you knowing?) to why KFC tested 400 marketing claims and still got it wrong, this episode dissects what happens when you choose authentic connection over optimized reach. Whether you're building a business, creating content, or just trying to understand why everything feels so disconnected, this conversation offers both diagnosis and cure.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction: Niches Becoming Mainstream02:14 - Monthly Review Format & Welcome02:40 - MUBI: The Billion-Dollar Art House Success11:45 - Cultural Flattening and the Marvel Effect16:00 - Fashion Designers Hit the Markets26:01 - Teenagers Create Hamptons Newspaper33:09 - The Decline of Copywriting Quality39:56 - Getting Close to Your Audience41:15 - Closing & Call to Action