Mark Mayerson points to a great marketing piece which he argues should be applied to animation studios. But since the strategy is for large companies to create brands to give the impression of being smaller, it is even more likely that niche brands applies to microISVs, which are already small, as well.

Supporting the small, independent craftsman has always been a core value of society. Well, it became a social value after the advent of the Industrial Age because there was no alternative to independent craftsmen beforehand. And now globalization and fears of the rising power of multinational corporations deepen the sense of helplessness when dealing with large, bureaucratic companies. These feelings, combined with idealized, romantic notions of supporting indies, lead buyers to prefer the intimacy inherent in patronizing the little guy.

It’s an important, albeit subtle, reason why the Mac is gaining marketshare, and it can be an important leverage in marketing your products. Combining Long Tail product development (lots of niche products and brands) with the social epidemic of network economies (AKA The Tipping Point) can help independents prosper and remain so.

[Update - 2007/04/19] I found Chris Anderson had written a couple of Long Tail entries regarding software before. They and the comments and trackbacks they contain are a great reminder of the importance of product differentiation and mean a lot more work for the microISV to exploit the advantages being opened up to us.