Product Description

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 ten, 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 who want to help create products that are worth marketing in the first place.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1878 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05
• Released on: 2003-05-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The world is changing ever more rapidly, and the rules of marketing are no different, writes Godin, the field's reigning guru. The old ways-run-of-the-mill TV commercials, ads in the Wall Street Journal and so on-don't work like they used to, because such messages are so plentiful that consumers have tuned them out. This means you have to toss out everything you know and do something "remarkable" (the way a purple cow in a field of Guernseys would be remarkable) to have any effect at all, writes Godin (Permission Marketing; Unleashing the Ideavirus). He cites companies like HBO, Starbucks and JetBlue, all of which created new ways of doing old businesses and saw their brands sizzle as a result. Godin's style is punchy and irreverent, using short, sharp messages to drive his points home. As a result the book is fiery, but not entirely cohesive; at times it resembles a stream-of-consciousness monologue. Still, his wide-ranging advice-be outrageous, tell the truth, test the limits and never settle for just "very good"-is solid and timely.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Seth Godin is the worldwide bestselling author of Permission Marketing, Unleashing the Ideavirus, and Survival is not Enough. He is a renowned public speaker, has started several successful companies, and is a contributing editor at Fast Company Magazine.

Customer Reviews

This is a "must read!"
An easy, entertaining read, this book is full of valuable tips for anybody ready to make changes and truly impact your business by getting your brand noticed. Seth tells you you're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. Pick one! Definitely one of my all time favorites!

Instantly Transforming!
I read the PURPLE COW in one sitting and it changed my entire philosophy on how to build out SUCCESSFUL marketing for my new theater company. I have always held several of the book's concepts as core business values but it gave me complete perspective to know I am on the right path to becoming REMARKABLE! This is one book you simply can not pass up if you intend to survive TODAY in any market. Confused or discouraged about how to reach people with YOUR business? Then you need PURPLE COW!

The purple cow is a long time ago being
I apologize for my english because I'm a french reader(Paris).
"The purple cow" is a marketing easy reading book with lots of cases and success stories. I always wonder reading this kind of book if it was so easy to make a successful brand like to make a good cake. I'm sure it's not. The author seems to know all the keys of marketing and resume them in one idea : be remarkable. Isn't it too simplistic ? And what about be unremarkable by being always remarkable,think of United Colors of Benetton. The question is not approached. But the book is a good distraction for thoses who are interesting in funny and rationnal marketing short cuts. Anyway, remain to think in a singular way is always a good work to do in any job. Then, The Purple Cow is a useful training in this way. Enjoy your reading.