The 20/80 Rule

I've been working on a theory about the way things work. It is based on some loose and sometimes unverifiable numbers, but bear with me.

The 20/80 rule is a basic rule of things pertaining to culture and marketing. I came up with it when I was debating beer with a friend. His beer of choice is MGD Lite and he tried to justify himself by saying something to the effect that 80% of all beer drinkers choose Bud, Miller or Coors. The major brands of those three breweries do in fact hold some 80% of the beer market share. This guy travels a lot and portrays himself as some sort of international savvy traveler, so I knew my response would strike a chord. Somewhere I had heard that only 20% of Americans hold valid passports, so I explained that those same 80% who drink shit beer have also never been outside of the country. It worked.

I've been applying the 20/80 observation to other aspects of culture. If I cared enough I might go out and dig up some statistics, but as a general idea it is fun to just apply the rule to things that you hear or read. I know that independent music labels have somewhere around 20% market share. I guess the rule is a way of quantifying something I've always known. There is a minority alternative culture of people who seek out the finer things in life. They are the progressives. The people who like to try new things.

The 80 percent-ers would call those people snobs. They would tend to stick to things that are safe and familiar. They are the bread-and-butter customers of network TV, popular music, chain restaurants, and so on.

This is not a political thing. Although there may be a political tendencies among the groups, I think it is mostly a division between the 80% middle of the road people and the 20% liberal/conservative extremists. Some people prefer mediocrity and complacency, others prever adventure and challenge.

Let me know what you think. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has some similar observations.