Purple Cow

Purple Cow Plot Summary

Introduction

In today's overcrowded marketplace, being good is no longer good enough. Traditional marketing has lost its effectiveness as consumers have grown increasingly immune to advertising. What now separates successful businesses from the rest is not quality, price, or service alone—it's remarkability. This fundamental shift requires a new approach to marketing, one that puts innovation at the core rather than treating it as an afterthought. The central thesis presented in this work challenges conventional marketing wisdom by arguing that the only way to cut through market clutter is to create something truly remarkable—a Purple Cow. Unlike traditional marketing that focuses on promoting existing products, the Purple Cow concept suggests that remarkability must be built into the product itself. This framework explores how businesses can thrive by creating products worth talking about, why the old rules of marketing have become obsolete, and how organizations can transform themselves by embracing risk and innovation instead of safety and conformity.

Chapter 1: The End of the TV-Industrial Complex

The TV-industrial complex was a symbiotic relationship that dominated marketing for decades. Companies would build factories, create average products for average people, and then use television advertising to interrupt consumers and persuade them to buy. This system created a virtuous cycle—advertising led to sales, which funded more advertising, which led to more distribution and sales. For half a century, this approach was remarkably effective. However, this once-reliable marketing machine has broken down. Consumers have become increasingly resistant to traditional advertising. With thousands of commercial messages bombarding us daily, we've developed sophisticated filtering mechanisms to ignore most marketing noise. The rise of digital media, streaming services, and ad-blocking technology has further accelerated this trend. Today's consumers simply don't pay attention to advertising unless they're actively looking for something. The collapse of the TV-industrial complex has created a fundamental marketing challenge. Companies can no longer rely on interruption-based advertising to drive sales. Even well-established brands that pour millions into conventional advertising campaigns often see diminishing returns. This isn't just affecting television—newspapers, magazines, and any form of interruption-based marketing are struggling with the same problem. Instead of mourning the loss of this outdated paradigm, forward-thinking companies are embracing a new approach. They realize that the key to success lies in creating products that are inherently remarkable—products that consumers choose to pay attention to and talk about. The companies that understand this shift are the ones designing products that are themselves marketing vehicles, not just items that need to be marketed after the fact. This transformation requires a complete rethinking of the marketing process. Rather than developing average products and relying on advertising to create demand, successful companies now focus on developing remarkable offerings that naturally generate attention and interest. The old rule was to create safe products and combine them with great marketing. The new rule is to create remarkable products that the right people seek out.

Chapter 2: The New P in Marketing: The Purple Cow

The Purple Cow represents a powerful addition to the traditional marketing mix. For decades, marketers have talked about the various Ps of marketing—product, price, promotion, positioning, publicity, packaging, permission, and so on. These elements formed a checklist to ensure marketing effectiveness. However, in today's overcrowded marketplace, these traditional Ps are no longer sufficient. The new essential P is the Purple Cow—something remarkable. A Purple Cow is something exceptional, worth noticing and talking about. While a brown cow might initially capture your attention if you've never seen one before, after seeing a few dozen, they become boring and invisible. Similarly, a product that was once innovative can quickly become ordinary as competitors copy its features. A Purple Cow, by contrast, would stand out dramatically. It would be remarkable in the truest sense of the word—literally worth making a remark about. The concept extends beyond mere differentiation or uniqueness. Many products are different without being remarkable. A remarkable product addresses a real need in a way that creates genuine enthusiasm among its users. It solves problems in unexpected ways or delivers benefits that customers didn't even know they wanted. Most importantly, it inspires users to become advocates who spread the word to others. Creating a Purple Cow isn't about adding superficial features or clever marketing campaigns. Instead, it requires building remarkability into the very DNA of the product or service. Apple's iPod wasn't successful because of its advertising but because the product itself was remarkable—it transformed how people experienced music. JetBlue didn't succeed through traditional marketing but by creating a flying experience that passengers actually wanted to talk about. Implementing the Purple Cow approach requires courage. It means questioning industry norms and taking risks that competitors avoid. It means being willing to create something that some people might dislike in order to create something that others will love. In an age where being safe is risky, the Purple Cow provides a new framework for achieving success through deliberate remarkability.

Chapter 3: The Death of Safe: Why Remarkable Wins

Traditional business wisdom has long promoted safety and risk avoidance. Companies are encouraged to study their competitors, follow best practices, and make incremental improvements to existing products. This mindset assumes that the safest path to success is avoiding anything too different or controversial. However, this conventional wisdom has been turned upside down in today's crowded marketplace. Playing it safe has become the riskiest strategy of all. The paradox of the modern market is that safety leads to invisibility. When every company in an industry follows the same playbook, their products become increasingly similar and unremarkable. Consider the restaurant industry—a fourteen-block stretch of Amsterdam Avenue in New York contains seventy-four restaurants, most of them completely forgettable. They're not bad; they're just boring. Restaurant owners, after investing significant money and time, are afraid to take additional risks. They prefer being unremarkable because it feels safer. This fear of standing out is deeply ingrained in our culture. From early schooling, we're taught that being noticed is usually bad—it gets us sent to the principal's office, not to Harvard. We learn to color inside the lines and follow the rules. These lessons carry over into business, where many professionals avoid taking risks that might lead to criticism. But this approach overlooks a crucial truth: the only way to succeed in a crowded market is to be remarkable, and being remarkable inevitably attracts criticism. The companies that understand this new reality are thriving. Cadillac released the CTS, widely criticized as one of the ugliest cars ever produced—yet it became their biggest success in decades. The passionate customers who loved it didn't care about the critics. Similarly, when Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival, he was practically burned in effigy by folk purists. Today, that decision is recognized as a pivotal moment in music history. The key insight is that criticism is not failure—it's often a sign you're doing something right. Truly remarkable products polarize people. They won't appeal to everyone, and that's precisely the point. Being safe is risky, and the riskiest thing you can do today is to play it safe. Companies that embrace this paradox and create products worth talking about—even if they also attract criticism—are the ones positioned to succeed in a post-advertising world.

Chapter 4: Idea Diffusion and Finding Your Target Sneezers

The success of any remarkable product depends on how it spreads through a population. This process, known as idea diffusion, follows a predictable pattern across almost every market. Understanding this diffusion curve is essential for effectively marketing a Purple Cow. The curve begins with innovators, moves to early adopters, then to the early and late majority, and finally reaches the laggards. Innovators are the people who actively seek out new products and experiences. They represent a small percentage of any market but play a crucial role in discovering new ideas. Following them are early adopters—individuals who recognize the benefits of new solutions and are willing to take risks to gain an advantage. The key insight is that these initial groups, particularly the early adopters, often include what the author calls "sneezers"—people who enthusiastically spread ideas to others. These sneezers are the essential link between a remarkable product and market success. They don't just purchase products; they evangelize them. When JetBlue launched with leather seats and personal TV screens at every seat, early adopters didn't just fly JetBlue—they told everyone about their experience. Similarly, Starbucks didn't grow through advertising but through early customers who spread the word about this new coffee experience. The challenge for marketers is that the largest segments of the market—the early and late majority—are almost impossible to reach directly. These people are skilled at ignoring marketing messages and rarely respond to advertising for new products. They do, however, listen to early adopters whom they trust. This means that the path to reaching the majority passes exclusively through the innovators and early adopters. This understanding transforms marketing strategy. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, smart companies focus on creating products that will delight their potential sneezers—even if those products might seem too extreme or unusual for the mainstream. They concentrate on building something remarkable for a small group that can influence a much larger one. Google didn't become dominant by advertising to everyone; they created a remarkably simple search engine that early adopters loved and evangelized to others. The diffusion model reveals why so many marketing campaigns fail: they target the wrong people. Mass marketing to an indifferent majority is ineffective. The key is to find and delight the sneezers in your market—the passionate early adopters with influence—and give them something remarkable enough that they can't help but spread the word.

Chapter 5: Creating Purple Cows That Spread

Creating a Purple Cow is not about random innovation or mere novelty. It requires a disciplined approach to developing products that are truly remarkable and designed to spread. The most successful Purple Cows emerge when companies identify unmet needs or problems that matter deeply to a specific audience, then solve those problems in ways that inspire conversation. The process begins with identifying what would be genuinely remarkable in your category. This often involves examining the edges rather than the center of your market. Remarkable products typically push boundaries in some dimension—they might be the fastest, simplest, most expensive, cheapest, or most controversial in their category. Herman Miller's Aeron chair succeeded not by being slightly better than other office chairs but by being radically different in both appearance and function. Dutch Boy transformed paint sales not through advertising but by redesigning the paint can to make it easier to carry, pour, and close. Product development and marketing must be integrated rather than treated as separate functions. In traditional organizations, engineering invents, manufacturing builds, marketing markets, and sales sells. This division no longer works. In Purple Cow companies, marketing is the process of designing remarkable features into the product from the beginning. When Krispy Kreme opens in a new town, they begin by giving away thousands of donuts, creating an event that people naturally talk about. The marketing isn't added later—it's built into the experience. The best Purple Cows are engineered specifically to attract sneezers who will spread the word. This requires deeply understanding what motivates your target audience. The Japanese have a word for this—otaku—which describes an obsessive interest in a particular subject. Finding markets with otaku is crucial because these passionate consumers are more likely to notice and spread remarkable ideas. The hot sauce market thrives because there's a community of "chili-heads" with otaku about finding the hottest possible sauces. By contrast, few people have mustard otaku, which is why that market is less dynamic. Successful Purple Cow creators also recognize that remarkability has a half-life. What's remarkable today becomes ordinary tomorrow. This is why companies like Palm, Yahoo!, and AOL initially succeeded but then struggled—they failed to create new Purple Cows after their original innovations became commonplace. Smart companies like Pearl Jam understand this and continually develop new remarkable offerings for their core audience, maintaining enthusiasm and word-of-mouth even after their initial success.

Chapter 6: The Risk of Not Being Risky

The greatest barrier to creating Purple Cows isn't a lack of creativity or resources—it's fear. Most organizations and individuals are deeply afraid of standing out and inviting criticism. This fear manifests in countless meetings where truly remarkable ideas are systematically watered down until they become safe, boring, and invisible. However, this seemingly prudent approach has become the riskiest strategy in today's marketplace. The corporate mindset that values conformity and risk avoidance creates a dangerous blind spot. When a big company lays off thousands of people, most of those employees were simply following instructions, staying within boundaries, and avoiding risks. They believed they were making the safe choice by being anonymous cogs in the machine. Yet this supposed safety is an illusion. In a turbulent economy where industries can be disrupted overnight, the truly risky position is following the crowd. This fear of standing out extends to entire industries. The major record labels have similar pricing, policies, and products because each company avoids criticism by sticking with the pack. But when technology reshuffled the market through digital downloads, they all suffered together. With no practice taking risks or trying the unknown, they were collectively unprepared for change. The companies that survive market transformations are those that have practiced being remarkable. The pressure to conform is particularly strong during challenging economic times. When budgets are tight, managers often argue that the company can't afford to be remarkable or take risks. Conversely, during good times, the same people suggest there's no need to rock the boat. This circular logic ensures that remarkable products never get created. Jon Spoelstra calls this the catch-22 of the Purple Cow—there's always a seemingly rational argument against taking the risk of being remarkable. The ultimate risk paradox appears in product development meetings. Companies conduct extensive market research and focus groups to ensure new products will succeed. But this process inherently screens out truly remarkable ideas because remarkable products often seem strange or unnecessary until they create their own demand. The iPhone would likely have failed in focus groups, as would most breakthrough products. Things that are guaranteed to work are rarely remarkable. The uncomfortable truth is that safety is now the risky position. The companies that thrive are those willing to embrace risk, understanding that the occasional failure is an inevitable part of creating something truly remarkable. The riskiest thing you can do is play it safe.

Chapter 7: The Process of Becoming Remarkable

While there's no guaranteed formula for creating a Purple Cow, there is a process that increases your chances of developing something truly remarkable. This process isn't about following specific tactics but about embracing a fundamental shift in thinking about product development and marketing. It begins with accepting that making safe, incremental improvements is now the highest-risk strategy. The first step is to understand your current market position and competitive landscape. This means mapping the edges of what's possible in your industry—examining not just what exists but what could exist. For each aspect of your product or service, ask what would happen if you went to the extreme. What would be the fastest, cheapest, most exclusive, most accessible version? What industry rules are never broken that could be? These questions help identify potential areas for remarkability. Once you've identified potential directions, the next step is testing which edges are most likely to deliver results. This isn't about focus groups asking hypothetical questions. It's about creating low-cost prototypes or small experiments to see how actual customers respond to truly different offerings. Google routinely tests new features with small segments of users before wider rollouts. This approach minimizes risk while maximizing learning. Successful Purple Cow creators also recognize the importance of focusing on a small, attainable market segment first. Rather than trying to please everyone, they identify a specific audience with a genuine problem and create something remarkable specifically for them. When Chip Conley opened the Phoenix hotel in a rough San Francisco neighborhood, he didn't try to appeal to all travelers. He created a funky, rock-and-roll motel that specifically attracted musicians and their fans. By dominating this niche, he created a successful business that couldn't have existed as a mainstream offering. The process also requires organizing your company around remarkability rather than treating it as a marketing department function. At Purple Cow companies, everyone is responsible for remarkability—from product designers to customer service representatives. Howard Schultz built Starbucks around his passion for coffee, not just as a business opportunity. This authentic enthusiasm pervades the entire organization and shapes every customer interaction. Perhaps most importantly, becoming remarkable requires permission to fail. Launch ten products with $10 million each rather than one product with $100 million. When several inevitably fail, you've learned valuable lessons without betting the company. This portfolio approach acknowledges that remarkability cannot be guaranteed but can be cultivated through persistent, intelligent risk-taking focused on solving real customer problems in unexpected ways.

Summary

At its core, Purple Cow offers a transformative insight: in today's oversaturated markets, being safe is risky and being risky is safe. The key to business success no longer lies in crafting perfect advertisements for average products, but in creating remarkable products that market themselves through word-of-mouth and organic enthusiasm. This paradigm shift extends far beyond marketing tactics—it represents a fundamental rethinking of how businesses create value in the modern economy. As markets fragment and attention becomes increasingly scarce, the companies that thrive will be those brave enough to abandon convention and create Purple Cows that stand out. By focusing on delighting a specific audience rather than appeasing everyone, and by incorporating remarkability into products rather than adding it afterward, organizations can achieve breakthrough success even as traditional marketing approaches continue to decline. The challenge for every business is not just to understand this new reality intellectually, but to develop the courage to act on it consistently—to make remarkability a process rather than an accident.

About Author

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Seth Godin

Seth W. Godin, also known as "F. X. Nine", is an American author and a former dot com business executive.

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