Purple Cow

Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

By: Seth Godin

Narrated by: Seth Godin

Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice. What do Starbucks and JetBlue and KrispyKreme and Apple and DutchBoy and Kensington and Zespri and Hard Candy have that you don't? How do they continue to confound critics and achieve spectacular growth, leaving behind former tried-and true brands to gasp their last?

Face it, the checklist of tired P's marketers have used for decades to get their product noticed - Pricing, Promotion, Publicity, to name a few -aren't working anymore. There's an exceptionally important P that has to be added to the list. It's Purple Cow. Cows, after you've seen one, or two, or 10, are boring. A Purple Cow, though...now that would be something.

Purple Cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat-out unbelievable. 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. And it's not a marketing function that you can slap on to your product or service. Purple Cow is inherent. It's built right in, or it's not there. Period.

In Purple Cow, Seth Godin urges you to put a Purple Cow into everything you build, and everything you do, to create something truly noticeable. It's a manifesto for marketers.

©2002 Do You Zoom Inc. (P)2009 Gildan Media Corp

Critic reviews

"Take Leo Burnett,David Oglivy, Bill Bernbach and Mark Twain. Combine their brains and shave their heads. What's left? Seth Godin." (Jay Levinson, author of Guerrilla Marketing)
"Godin's style is punchy and irreverent, using short, sharp messages to drive his points home. ....[H]is wide-ranging advice - be outrageous, tell the truth, test the limits and never settle for just 'very good' - is solid and timely." ( Publishers Weekly)

Short and Made Excellent Points

It is a good book if you have a product to sell and sell nationally. It did not have relevant examples of service industry selling locally. For example - insurance or Real Estate sales people who may be licensed with a national name brand but must sell themselves for local business.

Possibly Seth's best work to date

I am a big fan of Seth Godin. I am on Tribes on Ning, I have interviewed him in my blog, and I read most things he posts or publishes.

And for me, this is probably his best work to date. The entire concept of the purple cow is simple - be remarkable. But as always he supports this with many layers of examples, tactics and case studies.

I am a consultant and for me this book has helped a heck of a lot.

All VERY True, but...

I bought this book because I wanted to understand the reference Seth made to it in other, newer books. However reading (listing to) more than one of mr. Godin’s books is causing his message to become rather repetitive. He tends to take a very narrow story line and make a book out of what could have been covered in a chapter or two.

Along those same lines, though, the lesson presented is very digestible for a very large audience- most likely his intention.
—
DeAnn

marketing RIP

the way i saw marketing and most of us do is really outdated .
To find ur purple cow and reinvent ur self is the only thing that can help u survive.

I want to be the next purple cow!

Great ideas to follow. You always hear about your need to set yourself apart and this books gives you some great views of how to do that.

Strive for perfection and end up with exceptional

This book is awesome, it reminded me that I should not be scared to be different. I shouldn't be scared to stand out and I shouldn't be scared to fail. I am remarkable, but I tend to give in to peer pressure. This book brought about my once lost confidence and now I can remind myself everyday that my hard work and exceptional effort will pay off in the long run. My brand is a purple cow in the making. Thanks for the inspiration Seth!

Purple is for powerful

I am new to Seth Godin, but couldn't resist this title. Thankfully, my introduction to the world of Mr. Godin was this insightful piece of work. It is something I will listen to repeatedly to absorb the information for my own benefit, but also to help me guide my clients.

great book. would love to see more from you.

good job. keep it up. would love to see more from him. good points for upcoming businesses.

What an amazing book

this book gives you the mindset to transform any business or industry. it was all in your head but this book just shifts your perspective a bit. simply amazing

Great book

Is helping me to think outside of the box. Not limit thinking, always and try everything.