It seems like people who like novelty are also likely to have a more iconoclastic tendencies. "I'm gonna pick Zune over iPod because iPod is too popular!". But

It seems like people who like novelty are also likely to have a more iconoclastic tendencies. "I'm gonna pick Zune over iPod because iPod is too popular!". But i have no research to back that up. It seems like "harbinger customers" are really clusters of 3 groups. Price sensitive people who buy the product that isnt moving because retail is fire selling it. Price sensitivity also explains why they live around each other alot. People who enjoy novelty. Most things fail, and if you optimize towards novelty most things you choose will have a pattern of failure. People with an iconoclastic trend. "I pick it because it's NOT popular!" Should be self explanatory.