jayeff

I have a suspicion you replied to what you assumed I wrote, rather than actually reading it, because I didn't mention exclusive content anywhere. In fact if I had, I would have said that I don't believe - per se - exclusive content sells any better than non-exclusive. Nor did I equate more with better anywhere: I would far rather post a gallery with a half dozen imaginatively photographed pics than 30 of same-old, same-old poses and run-of-the-mill models. But where are they?

Apart from the sites which simply don't deliver on specific promises, we are selling a fantasy and one question is whether more than a handful can deliver on that, even with the best of intentions. In other words, do we ever think about what we need to provide if we seriously expect someone to come back month after month? Surely not just uploading more sets of ordinary models shot by merely competent photographers?

Lots of things could do the trick, many of them to be found in the well-run, model-operated sites. But what is a natural part of these sites doesn't scale up well and loses its magic in the process. Solidly themed sites can work too, but only until they begin repeating themselves or there are so many second-rate copies that the whole sector becomes discredited. Great photographers. Super models. Also answers, but for how many?

Maybe large-scale, "corporate" porn can only deliver something that will always fall short of surfers' expectations and therefore is stuck with overly aggressive marketing, cross-selling and all the rest which in other circumstances they probably should drop like a hot brick. If true, that's bad news for them, because surfers will continue to build up resistance and become better and better at identifying something they have tried and know they don't want. Meanwhile, those who use free content to sell will follow the market and put more of their efforts into promoting the specialist sites which aren't driving their surfers away.

I suspect that over the next few years a certain type of sponsor is going to come under a lot more pressure than will the providers of free porn.