What are the dividing lines between failure, modest success, and blockbuster success? Yeah, cashflow, and all that technical stuff matters, but lets forget that for now.

There is one common thread between all “blockbuster success” business — mass appeal. Google, Myspace, oil, Microsoft Windows, Wal-Mart, even American Idol share this.

What is mass appeal and what core qualities surround it?

Case study: two sites, Myspace and PlentyofFish.com. What grades would you give them on design, features, and branding? Would either win an honerable mention let alone first place for much of anything? Doubtfully.

As I see it, both sites did one specific thing, more or less. All the fluff and disconnect that comes from over-polished and commerical internet ventures was nowhere to be seen. With mass media, simplicity and delivery (of what the customer wants) beats complexity and gloss every single time.

Yes, to succeed you still have to get everything else right. You still need money to pay the bills. You still need to enter the market at the right time. Your audience still needs to be able to find you.

A good place to learn about mass appeal is computer and video games. Consider Will Wright’s The Sims. It was an obnxiously simple concept. Yet, there was resistance to let even a proven successful game designer create it.

The mass appeal paid off. The Sims and its countless expansion packs went on to annihilate all PC game sales records. To this day its the #1 top selling computer game in history (short as that may be.) In retrospect, wasn’t it and obvious hit? Hmm, may be there really where millions of computer users, male and female, who wanted to play something other than the same old shoot-em-up action games?

Reaching your audience and giving them exactly what they want is critical to both mass market and niche market business success. Take a critical look at what pieces of the puzzle are missing or incomplete. Once you understand this you can execute your business plan with total confidence.