Purple Cow - Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
by Seth Godin
For me, this is probably Seth Godin's key book. The analogy is that while there are lots of cows out there, a Purple Cow would be “Remark-able”. Something special, something
to be remembered and talked about. The key for any marketer is to build a 'Purple Cow' into any and every product so it stands apart from all of the other products out there.
Purple Cow products are outliers – cheap or expensive, innovative or tried and true … they have some parameter that matters to people that sticks out. The product itself is the marketing. Make sure it can be summed up in a few words or a sentence so that people can easily spread the message about it.
Strategies:
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Target a niche, not the broad marketplace
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Aim for the early adopters. They are the ones that will tell their friends about these products. Look for the customers most likely to 'sneeze'.
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Ideas on building a Purple Cow are expanded upon a lot in “Free Prize Inside” but some ideas are suggested here, including:
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Try to change your customer's behavior is some subtle way – make it more personal, or more convenient.
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Map yourself and your competitors along various parameters like the 4 P's, and from that, look for a niche where you can find the right customers. Go where your competitors are not.
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Don't play it safe, compromise, or stick to the middle ground to try and impress the broad spectrum of customers. Stick to your niche and serve it well. Have at least one extreme attribute.
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The Purple Cow is only part of a product's life-cycle – eventually it gets tired and boring. Be prepared to move on.
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Don't put all your eggs in one basket. You will have to try out a few products, or angles or strategies to ensure you get one that sticks.
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It is not about being weird or ridiculous, it is about being irresistible to the right niche.
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Build a permission marketing asset. This is key to marketing and spreading the word on your product.