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12th out of 159 books
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160 voters
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Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
by
Seth Godin
Godin uses the principle of the Purple Cow to show businesses how to leave behind their boring marketing strategies and stand out from the herd. Risky, edgy, and enlightening, Purple Cow will stand with Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point and Godin's other books as classics of business innovation.
Hardcover, 160 pages
Published
May 12th 2003
by Portfolio Hardcover
(first published 2002)
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This book is really a Purple Cow :) !
In a "remarkable" way, Seth sending a message that: if you don't convert your business into a Purple Cow (being Remarkable), most probably you'll not succeed.
He clarifies how the world of business have changed & how marketing of old days doesn't work anymore.
A LOT of good advices with evidence and study cases in this book.
I totally recommend it for people interested in business, sales and marketing.
In a "remarkable" way, Seth sending a message that: if you don't convert your business into a Purple Cow (being Remarkable), most probably you'll not succeed.
He clarifies how the world of business have changed & how marketing of old days doesn't work anymore.
A LOT of good advices with evidence and study cases in this book.
I totally recommend it for people interested in business, sales and marketing.
Purple Cow tells how the traditional 4-Ps of marketing is lacking to move consumers in current day's media noisy market place. Marketing Guru and author, Seth Godin defines a new ' P ' that stands for 'PURPLE COW'. He coined the term PURPLE COW to mean a product or service having achieve huge differentiation, innovative and scores high on wow factor. On this point, Seth describes that the PURPLE COW will first attract the early adopters who will then take it through into the masses. He reasons ...more
At the heart of this book is the notion of "Moore's idea diffusion curve". It's just a bell-curve that shows innovators (sneezers), early adopters, early/late majority, and laggards. The central theme of the book is that you need to target the front of that curve by appealing your "remarkable" product to them as a niche, and treat them very specially.
Contrary to the most popular review here (quite negative) calling this book an unnecessarily expanded essay, I woul...more
Contrary to the most popular review here (quite negative) calling this book an unnecessarily expanded essay, I woul...more
I'm being kind with a 4 star rating. While it's a well written book, and I believe most of what Seth says to be true, I was hoping for a guidebook. Instead, he affirmed what I already knew-marketing isn't as effective as it was 10 years ago, marketing doesn't guarantee you'll get noticed, and all of the normal avenues of marketing are no longer the powerhouses. It's not even print vs. digital. It's the remarkable vs. the unremarkable.
After reading The Dip (also by Seth Godin), I though...more
After reading The Dip (also by Seth Godin), I though...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I've been enjoying new-media and digital-economy expert Seth Godin's blog recently, and this book feels like a papery extension of it (you can find his blog at sethgodin.com). Godin's a businessguy and is fascinated (as am I) with how business and marketing are currently transforming themselves.
Purple Cow reads like a series of blog posts about business innovation. Some of Godin's most useful ideas are so simple they feel like no-brainers--but as far as I know, he's been the first to...more
Purple Cow reads like a series of blog posts about business innovation. Some of Godin's most useful ideas are so simple they feel like no-brainers--but as far as I know, he's been the first to...more
Seth Godin provides a refreshingly simple but effective alternative to traditional advertising: build marketing into your product (or service) by making it remarkable and worth talking about. You’ll stand out like a purple cow in a plain herd, and people will notice and spread the word.
Godin, a renowned marketing expert, offers straightforward, actionable advice and plenty of examples of entrepreneurs and companies, both good and bad. I highly recommend it to marketers, especially ent...more
Godin, a renowned marketing expert, offers straightforward, actionable advice and plenty of examples of entrepreneurs and companies, both good and bad. I highly recommend it to marketers, especially ent...more
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Having read Tribes from Seth Godin and enjoyed it I decided to give Purple Cow a go. Written in a very similar, easy-reading style, I took away two key messages from Purple Cow:
1. Be Remarkable
2. Focus on the Innovators and Early Adopters
Every day, consumers come face to face with a lot of boring stuff, a lot of brown cows, but you can bet they won't forget a Purple Cow. By building remarkable features into products (as opposed to thinking of marketing as just slappin...more
1. Be Remarkable
2. Focus on the Innovators and Early Adopters
Every day, consumers come face to face with a lot of boring stuff, a lot of brown cows, but you can bet they won't forget a Purple Cow. By building remarkable features into products (as opposed to thinking of marketing as just slappin...more
After reading a lot of Seth Godin's blog and watching some of his talks I realized I had not actually picked up any of his books. When deciding where to start I picked up one of his most popular books - Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. I wondered if a book published in 2003 would still be relevant six years later and after digging into Purple Cow I was not disappointed.
Godin's encouragement to be remarkable is illustrated throughout the book with examples of ...more
Godin's encouragement to be remarkable is illustrated throughout the book with examples of ...more
This is a book that will push you to create something extraordinary. Godin's basic point is that we don't remember ordinary experiences, like the airline that got you to your destination on-time or the meal that was merely OK. Instead, we become passionate over excellent, "above and beyond" service and products. We rave about them to our friends and neighbors, which is the best marketing there is. And about the only marketing that works.
Which is Godin's point - in order to ...more
Which is Godin's point - in order to ...more
Brad
rated it
Recommends it for:
Small business owners and entrepreneurs
Recommended to Brad by:
Rob Poel
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I have literally had this book on my book shelf for years, and I'm glad to finally be able to say that I read it! If you are looking for the "how" behind making a Purple Cow, you may be disappointed. This book only introduces the idea and explains the "why" behind it. Looking briefly through the reviews here, I feel the people that found the book unsatisfying were looking for a how to guide. I plan to read Free Prize Inside soon, which boasts on the cover that it will tel...more
Marketing Guru Godin provides a bunch of interesting tidbits on the business of being remarkable. He provides mini-blog portions of case studies. He knows the dwindling attention span of most business-minded readers. Just kidding. A friend of mine had been recommending Godin to me and I'll admit the title of this book piqued my curiosity.
Word coiners, like me, will find this book a treat. He calls those who spread your idea "sneezers". These are the cutting edge cool cats who...more
Word coiners, like me, will find this book a treat. He calls those who spread your idea "sneezers". These are the cutting edge cool cats who...more
”Be remarkable.” That could be the alternate title of this book, but by itself, saying “be remarkable” is not nearly as remarkable as “Purple Cow.” The title of the book itself proves the point of the book - remarkable wins. It wins over cheap, it wins over “pretty good”, and it even wins over “safe”.
Which makes it a pretty challenging book for anyone in any pursuit of excellence.
It’s challenging to me as an excellence-seeking pastor in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod...more
Which makes it a pretty challenging book for anyone in any pursuit of excellence.
It’s challenging to me as an excellence-seeking pastor in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod...more
I am a big fan of Seth Godin. I read his blog every morning and find his ideas inspiring and very thought provoking. I was not a fan of this book. Similar to what other reviewers mentioned I felt this book was more of a stream of consciousness essay on how to be unique. The most important things that the purple cow lacked was organization and research. Seth Godin definitely drove home his point I understood loud and clear and was thankful that he didn't carry on for another hundred pages sa...more
My first encounter with Godin's Purple Cow came in college when I was given the excerpt that contains the story behind the title. I was unaware at the time that it was just a snippet from a book, and I was unmoved. The concept seemed obvious, but I read this book at the insistence of my boss.
After reading the book I can truly appreciate Godin's point. He doesn't just say, "Create a product that's different." He provides examples of products as they fit into the principles ...more
After reading the book I can truly appreciate Godin's point. He doesn't just say, "Create a product that's different." He provides examples of products as they fit into the principles ...more
THE marketing book out there, I think. Main message is that in order to win clients and enjoy success, you have to be extraordinary, different and most of all remarkable.
Excerpt from What I've Been Reading - May 2008
"Seth Godin is a brilliant marketer – one of those guys that points out the obvious daily, much to the chagrin of those who are thinking too hard about more complex techniques. Reading Godin is like listening to Nirvana or grilling a perfect salmon steak – you always find yourself drawn to something complex, but in reality it’s the most simple ideas that hold the most weight.
(Yes, I just compared Godin to Nirvana. But onl...more
"Seth Godin is a brilliant marketer – one of those guys that points out the obvious daily, much to the chagrin of those who are thinking too hard about more complex techniques. Reading Godin is like listening to Nirvana or grilling a perfect salmon steak – you always find yourself drawn to something complex, but in reality it’s the most simple ideas that hold the most weight.
(Yes, I just compared Godin to Nirvana. But onl...more
This book hammers home how important it is not to compete in the "average" range of a product or service but rather that opportunity lies in the extremes, be the "most" of something to stand out and attract a niche market of devoted customers who will spread your word. Old models of advertising on television and radio to the masses is not effective in an established market.
It's a short book with a good deal of information. It may feel like it's a little vague ...more
It's a short book with a good deal of information. It may feel like it's a little vague ...more
I have read Purple Cow 3 times and every time I read it I get so many new ideas that revolutionize my approach to business. The book is an easy read and I would recommend to buy it. The best 3 ideas I got were: 1. Small is the new Big: uncover a small niche market that you're passionate about and then become the absolute best person serving that market 2. Don't be afraid to stand out. Be unique, gutsy, true to yourself and brand yourself in a unique way. Vanilla is dead - be purple! 3. Make your...more
Great short book from Seth Godin on the benefits of making yourself a purple cow in your business (ie, the thinking goes, people get used to passing fields with black and white cows..but it's the purple cow that stands out)
A few take-aways:
Reason it's so hard to follow the leader is because the leader did something remarkable; and that something remarkable is already taken. So go find something else to make remarkable
The only products with a future were those created by ...more
A few take-aways:
Reason it's so hard to follow the leader is because the leader did something remarkable; and that something remarkable is already taken. So go find something else to make remarkable
The only products with a future were those created by ...more
Seth Godin uses the metaphor of something unusual--such as a purple cow--to illustrate what businesses must do in order to compete in the new world of marketing. Consumers are no longer listening, so Godin insists that businesses must let their products do the marketing.
This book is filled with all kinds of insights about product design and marketing strategies. Mostly, Godin talks about what works, giving case studies of different companies and the innovative ideas they have used to s...more
This book is filled with all kinds of insights about product design and marketing strategies. Mostly, Godin talks about what works, giving case studies of different companies and the innovative ideas they have used to s...more
This book follows the standard Seth Godin formula: take a simple idea (in this case - in today's world, you have to figure out how you can make your business *remarkable* if you are going to have any chance of winning), talk about it from a dozen different angles, throw out a bunch of case studies to emphasize the point, and then regurgitate the idea a couple more times in various ways. That said, he executes this one well and I enjoyed it. It is a quick read that is good food for thought for ...more
I'm not sure how something can be both obvious and counter-intuitive at the same time, but the Purple Cow pulls it off. The book could really be about 5 pages long, but I think the repetition and the highlighting of nuances reinforces not only the, "Duh!" factor, but also the, "Why am I not doing this?" element.
In the end, I realize how vulnerable I am to failing when it comes to developing something remarkable, and so, to hold me to the obvious that is counter-in...more
In the end, I realize how vulnerable I am to failing when it comes to developing something remarkable, and so, to hold me to the obvious that is counter-in...more
I keep being told this is an iconic marketing book, a critical read for anyone considering the marketing field. It's amazing how much the world has changed since Purple Cow was written. The case studies of companies whose purple cows became brown and then failed is as much a part of the book's application now as the one's who continued and succeeded. I was surprised how quick a read it was. I listened to it in an afternoon and will probably listen again. My main reaction though was a desire...more
Seth Godin writes to support his thesis that traditional marketing as born out of the tv-industrial complex is dead. He supports this with years of experience and stories of true, 'purple cows.' Some slogans to remember - "Don't be boring, safe is risky, design rules now, and very good is bad."
He really encourages marketing personnel and entrepreneurs to think out of the box and create something that is remarkable. He intuitively challenges the reader to ask themselves q...more
He really encourages marketing personnel and entrepreneurs to think out of the box and create something that is remarkable. He intuitively challenges the reader to ask themselves q...more
I never expected this book to be one of the finish-in-one-sitting books. But it ended up being one. Interestingly so, till Seth Godin does not actually tell you what a Purple Cow is, I did not make the connection. But he moment he did, I immediately thought of The Black Swan, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
In short, the Purple Cow (like the Black Swan) is what doesn't exist. (I haven't completed reading the Black Swan, so I'll refrain from any further comparison)
This is the fir...more
In short, the Purple Cow (like the Black Swan) is what doesn't exist. (I haven't completed reading the Black Swan, so I'll refrain from any further comparison)
This is the fir...more
I really enjoyed this book. Great ideas for marketers and entrepreneurs on how it's not how much you spend on advertising - it's WHAT you are advertising. Find a way to be "remarkable", be a Purple Cow in some way, some aspect, and you'll be on your way to beating the rest of the market.
Also, the book kept proving it's point by the reactions that people would have to it once they saw me reading a book entitled "Purple Cow". They would laugh, or make a remark, and...more
Also, the book kept proving it's point by the reactions that people would have to it once they saw me reading a book entitled "Purple Cow". They would laugh, or make a remark, and...more
I imagine that one either likes Seth Godin's approach or totally hates it. I like it. I like the collection of anecdotes. I like the fluid, clear prose. I like the iconoclasm (even if it seems not quite so iconoclastic these days, but that may be in no small part due to the fact that it's a post-Seth world e.g. he's become sorta ubiquitous in the circles I seem to travel in).
And the best thing to take away from this book is not the need to be remarkable, to find your purple cow, but...more
And the best thing to take away from this book is not the need to be remarkable, to find your purple cow, but...more
A client asked me to read this book in preparation for a class on "differentiating your business in a tight market." I'm so glad I read it! The book gives solid advice about how to adjust your market strategy during economic downturns. Much of is it counter-intuitive but highly reasonable-- that is the "a-ha" factor of the book. It is packed with concrete examples across industries. It is a very quick read. My copy is highlighted and marked up... the sign of a great res...more
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Seth Godin is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change.
Godin is author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world, and he is also a renowned speaker. He was recently chosen as one of 21 Speakers for the Next Century by Successful Meetings and is consistently rated among the very best speakers by the audiences he addresses.
Seth was founder and CE...more
More about Seth Godin...
Godin is author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world, and he is also a renowned speaker. He was recently chosen as one of 21 Speakers for the Next Century by Successful Meetings and is consistently rated among the very best speakers by the audiences he addresses.
Seth was founder and CE...more
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