Book Review: 'Purple Cow' by Seth Godin

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Imagine driving down a road and seeing a bunch of brown cows. Seems normal right? Now, imagine seeing a purple cow. That’s remarkable. Exciting. And memorable. This is what Seth Godin’s The Purple Cow is about. He suggests that in today’s competitive world, you need to be a purple cow in everything you do. You’re either a purple cow or not. You’re either invisible or not. The choice depends on you. This purple cow phenomenon is what Godin associates with the successes of brands like Apple, Starbucks, Pret-a-Manger. He reveals the underlying differentiation strategy of such brands, as means to achieve spectacular growth in a highly competitive modern business world. Godin’s The Purple Cow takes a stab at conventional thinking in the world of marketing. Marketing so far has been established by the Ps — price, promotion and publicity. Godin introduces the new P that is the Purple Cow — a metaphor to remarkable products that defy conventions, captivate people and hold attention. Godin insists that marketers need to put a Purple Cow in everything they do and build as the way to stand out and remain noticeable. The book is a manifesto for anyone in the world of creating and marketing products, offering a range of real cases and examples designed to equip readers with practical strategies and tactics to create memorable brands. Godin calls for remarkable differentiation — to stand out from the herd, especially at a time with the rise of Internet and digital marketplaces. Purple Cow thinking is a message that continues to remain more relevant today than ever. It deals with a variety of areas that set the pace for influence and organic word-of-mouth in the modern world. Godin’s book allows readers to challenge conventional thinking, traditional advertising and pursue new forms of effectivness without bombarding people with the old-world ways of mass messaging and interruption. Alternatively, the Purple Cow approach allows marketers to create products that are inherently remarkable, so they become natural conversation starters. It’s a manifesto for creating stand out products and marketing.

Seth Godin’s The Purple Cow is built on the thesis that challenges conventional traditional marketing tactics, including advertising and promotion. The book argues that consumers are dealing with information overload and their attention spans have been dwindling. To counter this evolution, marketers need new ways to be heard and noticed. His Purple Cow phenomenon allows for products to be perceived as innovative, unique and compelling so much that they can stand out like a purple cow in a field of brown cows. Godin explores the idea of being remarkable, and that this comes from products seeming to have something worthy of a remark. This leads to conversations and buzz that allows for differentiation and memorability, capturing audiences by standing out. Risk-taking in this context isn’t a luxury but a necessity, so Godin makes a compelling case for marketers to embrace failure, allow for the natural creative process to flow, break free from the conventional clutter and iterate toward success.

Seth Godin’s The Purple Cow makes the case for targeting niche audiences, rather than mass audiences. He goes on to describe these niches are tribes, which allow for better opportunites for scrutiny, needs-resolve and connection. Godin suggests that tribes are united in common passions, composed of like-minded individuals that think alike in worldviews. This specific targeting allows those needs to be better serviced, and allows for building customer loyalty. A strategy to keep growing with impact. 

Seth Godin’s The Purple Cow is a useful book because it allows marketers to take learnings from the variety of successful brands that are discussed. From Apple to Google, or cult-like brands like Harley Davidson or Starbucks, Godin covers the ground to help readers get underneath the world’s most successful brands and their purple cow quotient. The book offers a variety of strategies, insights and techniques to be applied for marketing in the modern world.

Seth Godin’s The Purple Cow gets underneath to explore the anatomy of the remarkable. It’s not a book about trends and gimmicks, but the fundamental mechanics of how brands succeed in today’s marketplace. He explores action areas like innovation, memorable design and emotional connection as means to create the remarkable. He presents a variety of case studies, from the iPod’s revolution music experience to the disruptive pricing model of Southwest Airlines. Apple’s clean lines and Google’s intuitive search are some examples he studies in the power of design. Godin reveals the kinds of emotions, like joy, surprise, frustration, that are more likely to be shared and remembered. 

Seth Godin’s The Purple Cow offers a number of insights and strategies to transform marketing efforts in the modern world. He suggests that marketers ought to focus on a tribe, not a market. This allows them to create passionate niche audiences that become advocates. Godin argues for creating content that is entertaining, not just information to spark conversations. He explores the idea of permission marketing, where businesses seek to connect with consumers with consent by creating products and marketing that works as a value exchange. It respects their time and values their attention, allowing for the building for lasting relationships. Godin pushes marketers to put a Purple Cow in everything they do and make, allowing products and services to have something inherently remarkable, rather than just relying on marketing tactics. By creating remarkable offerings, consumers can be invited to interact and be naturally attracted and generate interest.

Seth Godin’s The Purple Cow is an interesting book that truly pushes marketers to rethink their approach to be successful in today’s world. The book inspires marketers to put a Purple Cow in everything they do as a way to create remarkable products and marketing that stands out. Godin calls for a rethink on targeting; to look at niche audiences, not mass audiences to better understand their need and satisfy them to create passionate loyal advocates. The book allows marketers to create remarkable offerings and reimagine the way they build brands today.

Get your copy here: amzn.to/3VGZef0