Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

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Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 7,678 ratings · 407 reviews

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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Dec 25, 2010 Ahmad Al-Aloula rated it 5 of 5 stars

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.

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Aug 23, 2007 David Yeo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 t...more

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Jan 05, 2009 Micah Elliott rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 would argue that Godin covers a lot...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Scott Haraburda rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting book that many people I know recommended to me. It has an interesting cover, with a remarkable background of a purple and white cow design. The author states that most products today are boring, quickly forgotten by customers. What we need is a product that people remember and will talk about it. As implied by the title of this book, when you see a Purple Cow (a remarkable product or idea), you won’t forget it. That’s because products are like cows; they’re either remarka...more This was an interesting book that many people I know recommended to me. It has an interesting cover, with a remarkable background of a purple and white cow design. The author states that most products today are boring, quickly forgotten by customers. What we need is a product that people remember and will talk about it. As implied by the title of this book, when you see a Purple Cow (a remarkable product or idea), you won’t forget it. That’s because products are like cows; they’re either remarkable or invisible. Who’s going to buy an invisible product?

Today, a product, or idea, becomes successful if other customers talk about it. They tell friends and family all about it, which in return makes a product well known. This concept helped me understand my own personal buying decisions. For example, a few years ago, I bought a historical fiction book. It wasn’t a book I ever heard of, and I didn’t want to buy a book at that time. So, why did I buy that book? It was because a colleague of mine, someone I respected very much, suggested that I should read it. I took his advice, bought that book, and really enjoyed it. I suggested the book to others, and they too bought and read it. Of interesting note, this historical fiction book later won several prestigious awards and became a blockbuster movie a few years later – yes, I saw the movie and enjoyed it too, seeing it a few times.

Now back to the Purple Cow book. The author believes that manufacturers now can no longer successfully market their products to the typical consumer by applying the traditional media marketing strategy. He suggests that most of the consumers are happy with what they have, and that they’re bored with commercials. As such, these consumers today ignore all unwanted advertisements, regardless of what media it is in, including TV, radio and magazines. One of the best ways to effectively advertise a product a few decades ago was through television commercials, with quality profitable products marked “As Seen on TV”. This was because television back then changed the way that products were marketed to the consumers and how the products were created. However, the impact of television commercials faded since then, along with radios, newspapers, and magazines ads.

The author believes that the only way you can sell products today is to market to the consumer who is looking for a product to solve one of more problems. This means that advertisements must be targeted to the right people (not to a huge market) in the right way with relevant content. These ads also need to be presented where consumers are actually looking for a product. Targeting ads to everyone is a problem since not everyone wants to buy the same product, meaning advertising money is wasted on people not willing to purchase a product based upon the ad.

Although I found the content of this book easy to read and entertaining, it lacked a secret formula for marketing today, such as a successful process for creating a Purple Cow. The author does provide case studies with real stories of companies succeeding with Purple Cows and of companies failing by not remaining remarkable with new Purple Cows. Bottom line is that companies needing to remain profitable in the future must be both innovative and remarkable, not only today but in the future.

I enjoyed reading this book, learning some about people’s buying decisions, and believe others will too.(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 Loy Machedo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Loy Machedo’s Book Review - Purple Cow by Seth Godin

I have ardently become a fan of Seth Godin. It may his brash style of writing, his unique branding strategy of being the Rebel Marketing Guru or his bald head and over-sized glasses (I also purchased a pair) that has made me a fan of his. So that made me purchase ‘Purple Cow’.

The strange fact of the matter is this – I had seen the book many a times while shopping for new books. But I never thought I would ever want to read it. I mean, I picked...more

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May 25, 2012 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you love advertising but see a train wreck coming straight at the industry, this book will give you faith that it isn't a problem with advertising as much as it is a problem with few companies really being remarkable.
Risk is something that most people avoid taking but not to risk is really risky.
I love the advertising industry but I find myself shaking my head more often then not over the shear volume of crappy ads, ads that I am forced to look at (and having the outdoor media world for ins...more

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May 01, 2012 Anugerah Erlaut rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book calls for aspiring entrepreneurs and businessman to challenge the world view. Through this book posits that to be a successful business in the market nowadays, entrepreneurs and business men have to play by different set of rules, different from those established decades ago. According to Seth Godin, the established methods of marketing are insufficient, and a new form of understanding about marketing is required.

I was really hoping much more from the book. The idea was very good, altho...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 thought this one...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 thought this one would be the perfect follow-up. And it is, but not in the way I expected. The Dip had instructions, steps to take to move forward. Purple Cow has the same direct writing approach, but the instructions were lacking. I understand why. He's saying there is no "right" way or easy answer. If there was an easy answer to success, we'd all be successful. But we know it's not just a lottery, either. You can work towards being successful. His main point, is that humans are overwhelmed with products, choices, and ads. If your company doesn't have something that stands out, you'll get lost in the middle. This is what's happened to me. I provide a great product. But I wasn't the first, I'm not the biggest, the smallest, the cheapest, the most expensive, the easiest, the most difficult, the craziest, the prettiest packaging, the most illusive, the best placement, the fastest, the slowest.....This makes me unremarkable. I'm good, but that doesn't matter. I'm not remarkable. I fall into the wasteland of Google, I'm just another photographer on a page. I can't blame people. They don't want to spend all their time researching the middle. They want someone to tell them what's best, cheapest, etc. I find myself falling into that sometimes as well, though I try to find the people in the middle, because I know what it's like. The quickest answer isn't always going to serve me best, but I admit it saves on time and frustration. And that's what people want.

What I found most helpful about this book is the examples he gives of successful companies, why they became successful, how they've stayed successful and why some of them are no longer successful. He breaks apart the product from the marketing, saying that the marketing is important, but the product is more important. This is good! Who wants to be sold crappy products with great advertising?

Bottom line, if you're in business for yourself, or if you are an influential person in your company, this is a good book to read. Though it's frustrating and isn't full of easy to-do lists, it's probably the best piece of advice I've heard. And I hate Seth for it. Hopefully one day I'll thank him instead.

Favorite Quotes:
"Are you obsessed or just making a living?"
"Let them see that every single industry is feeling the same pain you are."
"Well, if you don't have time to do it right, what makes you think you'll have time to do it over?"
"Cheap is an easy way out of the battle for the Purple Cow."
p.93 "The sad truth, though, is that it may be quite a while before the {cell phone} market generates the attention it did five years ago." This made me laugh out loud, because it was written in 2002, but the smart phone was unforeseen. Wow, if we only knew then....
"So the question you need to ask yourself is this: If only 6 percent of the most valuable brands used the now-obsolete strategy of constantly reminding us about their sort-of-ordinary product, why do you believe this strategy will work for you?"
"Will any business that targets a dying business succeed? Of course not. But...targeting a thriving niche in a slow-moving industry can work-if you're prepared to invest what it takes to be remarkable."
"No one will argue with you if you claim that Wal-Mart is the biggest, most profitable, scariest retailer on earth. So, when Wal-Mart was frantically trying to catch up with Amazon.com, what did they have plastered on a banner in their offices? "You can't out-Amazon Amazon."
"You have to go where the competition is not. The farther the better."

(less)

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Apr 30, 2010 Book Calendar rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: business, marketing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Purple Cow Transforming Your Business By Being Remarkable by Seth Godin

Seth Godin is a motivational speaker about business. His focus is on marketing goods and services. He does not just talk about marketing; he also has created a social network, Squidoo http://www.squidoo.com as well as a very popular blog http://www.sethgodin.com . His focus is on being exceptional and different. He is the most popular marketing blogger on the internet.

In his words, a "purple cow" is a remarkable thing to se...more

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Dec 27, 2009 Anya rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 articulate...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Simon Gianoutsos rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business

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 slapping some paint on top of th...more

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Oct 28, 2009 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

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 remarkable p...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 remarkable people and remarkable approaches in all different business sectors from technology to food to service industries. Being remarkable doesn't always take massive amounts of effort such as a doctor making a quick call with test results even if everything is fine. The age of the book also allows some insight into areas where being remarkable has had payoffs for companies. For example, when this book was written the cell phone market was languishing with a lack of innovation (small size had been optimized and Godin references some companies just focusing on adding cameras to phones). The iPhone has since achieved Purple Cow status and it is interesting to follow its growth to this status with Godin's Purple Cow thesis in mind.

He also illustrates how marketing has changed in the past decades - from the death of the TV-Industrial complex to the ineffectiveness of banner advertising. Much successful marketing now changes the product itself and not the ads - in many cases the product is the marketing. I appreciate the concept of shifting millions of dollars of advertising money from dying (dead?) channels, such as TV and newspaper advertising, to research and development budgets. Godin does say failures can and do happen, but the remarkable product will be closer at hand. Is all advertising dead? Not at all, but the approaches and media are changing and while old titans may resist change, when those venues no longer work the Purple Cows know it.

This book is a quick read an full of not only marketing ideas and stories, but also inspiration. It encourages continual creativity and whether you are a designer, scientist or business person that is a welcome message. "Safe, it seems, is risky" says Godin and that is especially true in today's light-speed society and business environment. I hope to see more Purple Cows in the future - they are so much more interesting.(less)

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Aug 15, 2011 Joe Flood rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 break through the clut...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Kssmitch rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: business

If you enjoy books such as Paul Arden's It's Not How Good You Are It's How Good You Want To Be, then you're likely to enjoy this.

A fairly straightforward and simple read. It's not a guide book, it's not a "how-to" book, but what it does do, is show you examples of people who have used alternative marketing strategies, and succeeded, as well as those who've used tried and tested methods and the risks of playing safe.

If you're starting a new business, and you're wondering how to get your service...more

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Jul 31, 2009 Brad rated it 5 of 5 stars 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.

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Nov 08, 2011 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: business, kindle

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 tell you "How to make a Pur...more

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Apr 09, 2011 John Gorman rated it 4 of 5 stars

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 get all the new gad...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Jay Winters rated it 5 of 5 stars

”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. Most LCMS pastors don...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. Most LCMS pastors don’t want to be “remarkable,” except maybe for their sermons. Other than that, receiving “remarks” is something that many of my tribe try to steer clear of. Remarks can quickly turn into judgments, and judgments into accusations, and accusations into heresies. So we attempt to escape “remarkable” and shoot for “friendly”, for “pastoral”, and for “overworked and underpaid” (in other words, “cheap as hell”).

The problem with that is that when we shoot for “friendly”, we’re not shooting for “remarkably friendly”, when we shoot for “pastoral”, we’re not shooting for “remarkably pastoral”, and when we shoot for “cheap,” we’re not even that cheap (just look at that Concordia Plan insurance package). Even when we attempt to cloak ourselves in “pure doctrine”, we usually don’t do so in such a way that it makes us remarkable to see how pure we are, but rather how well we camoflague ourselves into the way that we paint the picture of how we think “the Synod should be.”

At the end of the expanded edition that I read, Seth gives you case studies of “Purple Cows.” These Purple Cows are exceptional for profit and non profit adventures that people of all shapes and sizes have put together, including a church in the Bible belt that advertised at the bottom of shot glasses and the inventor of chocolate covered bacon. As I read, I began to imagine. As I imagined, I became excited by what my church and my denomination could be if we just dared to be remarkable.

No matter what your vocation is - church worker or laundromat owner or waitress - you’ll start doing the same thing if you read this book. You will look at the absurdities of the often counter intuitive and conflicting laws of “remarkability” and walk away dreaming of how things could be different, and how they could be remarkable.(less)

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Jan 10, 2011 Matt rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: business

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 saying...more

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Apr 25, 2013 metralindol rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Мабуть, я прочитав книгу Сета Ґодіна тоді, коли озвучені ним ідеї (їх аж одна) викликають відчуття оскомини. Чи тривіальності. Це коли натикаєшся на те ж саме достатньо часто, аби зуби відреагували несамовитою тугою за нормальним піаш.
Можливо також, що порада автора придбати якомога більше примірників книги і пороздавати своїм колегам, аби ті, увага, почувались озброєними, не була приправлена дещицею іронії чи доброго гумору. У читича може виникнути прикре враження, що Сет Ґодін направду вірить,...more Мабуть, я прочитав книгу Сета Ґодіна тоді, коли озвучені ним ідеї (їх аж одна) викликають відчуття оскомини. Чи тривіальності. Це коли натикаєшся на те ж саме достатньо часто, аби зуби відреагували несамовитою тугою за нормальним піаш.
Можливо також, що порада автора придбати якомога більше примірників книги і пороздавати своїм колегам, аби ті, увага, почувались озброєними, не була приправлена дещицею іронії чи доброго гумору. У читича може виникнути прикре враження, що Сет Ґодін направду вірить, що сам якраз і створив "видатну" книгу. Чи корову. Чи армію воїнства фіолетових ґодініанців, які пачками поширюватимуть Книгу Сета. Коротше, not good.
Але певно й справді у "цинічному й жорстокому" корпоративному світі є терени, де мірила якості й доцільності безповоротно замилені-затерті. Може, є достатньо суха і спрагла земля, для якої ідея замість викидати гроші на вітер реклами створити натомість блискучий продукт, що говорив би сам за себе - ідея, здавалося б, цілком самоочевидна, - сприймалась б як життєдайний дощ? Ну мабуть.
Власне, більше ідей у книзі немає - є лише ілюстрації. Автор запозичує з японського лексикону поняття "отаку" на позначення пристрасті, з якою потрібно творити отой щонайкращий продукт у своїй достатньо вузькій ніші. В результаті (якщо дещо спростити і так не надто розлогі міркування автора) має з'явитися інноваційний продукт - фіолетова корова. Вона затьмарює сіре конкурентне оточення, а отже - приваблює увагу покупця, досягши таким чином мети, яка для традиційної збанкрутілої телевізійної чи баннерної реклами стає нинi майже недосяжною.
Словом, дуже зручний спосіб: візуалізувати свій здогад чи якесь власне спостереження яскравою метафорою, а потім підібрати під цей зародок теорії набір переконливих ілюстрацій, заднім числом. Чим соковитіші приклади - тим переконливіше звучить "теорія". Зрештою, як і в багатьох авторів, у Ґодіна цей метод майже уможливлює на повному серйозі стверджувати, що от, мовляв, оці хлопці ще в минулому столітті користувались моїм методом! Dull but adorable. Слово авторові: 'оглядываясь назад, мы всегда можем сказать: "Конечно, это не могло не сработать". По определению, Фиолетовая корова - это что-то выдающееся в нужное время и в нужном месте. Но если мы посмотрим вперед, то выяснится, что создать новую Фиолетувую корову совсем не просто'. Вау!
Припускаю, що у певній ситуації ця книга - і справді гарний порадник. У мому випадку спрацьовує іронічна лампочка і два міркування. перше: "свіжі ідеї" в популярній економічній думці працюють як пориви вітру в моді. друге: кожне покоління по-своєму переозначує прості істини. і це чудово.(less)

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Feb 10, 2010 Brittany (lemondrop) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: business-read, read-in-2010

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 he presents.

This book...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Tom Franklin rated it 4 of 5 stars

The concept behind Godin's Purple Cow is simple -- in order for your product to be noticed in today's post TV-industrial complex, it has to stand out like a purple cow would in a field of cows.

In this brief book (that, unfortunately for my tastes, reads like a collection of blog postings) Godin details the changes in society that has created the need for purple cows and several examples of easily recognizable purple cows.

The problem, though, is that he gives no clear path to follow to create a p...more

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Jun 03, 2007 Peep Laja rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: marketing people

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.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 30, 2012 Justin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

The old rule was this: Create safe, ordinary products and combine them with great marketing. The new rule is: Create remarkable products that the right people seek out.

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Feb 23, 2010 Corey Vilhauer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

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 only in that sense. Nirvana was...more

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Sep 04, 2009 Shawn Grimes rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 but the point is that you need to f...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Joe Cassada rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a minister, some may wonder why I would want to read a book for entrepreneurs and marketers. My reason: I like to know how people think - how they make choices. Godin knows why some products or services fail and why others succeed - and why some successes later become failures. He knows why some products are invisible to consumers and why they choose what they choose. It's all very fascinating to me.

Not only do I enjoy what he writes, but I enjoy how he writes. He's not afraid to name names a...more

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Feb 25, 2010 Gail rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: business

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 passionate people

Where do...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Ben Zajdel rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 sell.

Godin'...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Wendi Mitchell rated it 5 of 5 stars

On a road trip with my husband, we purchased this book (based on multiple recommendations) on my Kindle Fire. I read the entire book out loud to him while we drove from Kentucky to Michigan and back again. We've been making purple cow comments ever since. This book helped us, as business owners, to determine what we were doing right in our business, and identified some areas on which we may need to improve. Wonderful book that I'd highly recommend to anyone wanting to imrpove their situation in...more

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About Seth Godin

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 CEO of Yoyodyne, the indust...more

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Books by Seth Godin

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers

Poke the Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

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