Free

The topic that I think I'm going to write my Junior Theme on is why things are free these days. I will be reading a book entitled Free, by Chris Anderson. I've only just started but it is already quite interesting to me. In it he talks about how the most effective price is often no price at all. From services like Flickr, and Animoto who give the basic package away for free but charge for the premium version, to companies that offer free services and installations like Comcast then charge monthly. The examples go on and on, from free trials for videogames to free samples for food, the concept of no price is boundless. Many people say "there is no such thing as a free lunch", but Anderson argues that it is in fact a very important marketing tactic. He also talks about how the concept of free stretches far back into history. It is an interesting topic that I'm looking forward to writing about it. What do you think about the concept and marketing strategy of 'free'?