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The Purple Cow

Seth Godin

SUMMARY

While traveling through France with his family, Seth Godin came up with the concept of the Purple Cow. During the ride through the countryside, he was amazed by the scenic beauty but then that he had lost sight of all the cows. He knew that they were all still there, but they no longer stood out. According to Godin they became boring and common. He asked himself the question, “what would make a cow stand out?” He believed a purple cow would differentiate itself from the other cows not only because it was different but because it was “remarkable.” This theory opened Godin’s mind into the business world. How can you make your business stand out from the competition and become the leader?

This book offers examples from well known and marketable companies (e.g., JetBlue, Starbucks, Motel 6) to a few that are emerging as leaders that are top of consumers’ minds. Godin’s principles remind business owners that they can keep up with the fast paced marketing trends without getting in the shuffle along the way – you can be the one that is noticed.

RECOMMENDED READERS:

Any business owner or marketer who wants to turn their business or practice around by taking it from ordinary to “remarkable “– to stand out from the rest! 

TOP TAKEAWAYS

  • Godin states that “Today, the one sure fire way to fail is to be boring. Your one chance for success is to be remarkable”
  • Make certain to take steps to become a leader: “You can’t be remarkable by following someone else who’s remarkable.” Be the one others want to follow.
  • Add the concept of the Purple Cow to the “4 P’s” of marketing (i.e. Pricing, Promotion, Product, and Placement) and apply them to everything you build, do and create – to make it noticeable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Seth Godin is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change. His latest book, Purple Cow, was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. It's all about how companies can transform themselves by becoming remarkable. Seth is a renowned speaker as well. 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 industry's leading interactive direct marketing company, which Yahoo! acquired in late 1998. He holds an MBA from Stanford, and was called "the Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age" by Business Week.

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