Anyhow, Godin's big thesis is that, for any new product to be successful, it must be intrinsically interesting, like the purple cow of the title, and cannot rely on subsequent marketing efforts to lend it a certain false notability. Even then, for a product merely to be interesting is not enough on its own: it must gain the attention of a particular group of innovators - those who are not merely open to adopting new ideas and products but those who also go on actively to evangelise them among the rest of the population, thereby seeding them among the early majority. Because of this adoption path, Godin avers, mass advertising can actually be counterproductive, as it effectively does the word-of-mouth brigade out of a job. And the innovators in any market, who like to discover products for themselves, are instantly turned off anything that is touted indiscriminately in the mass media.

I think he is generally right on most of this. Most of us in our businesses are naturally inquisitive, and it is healthy for us to be reminded of how tiny the appetite is for innovation among most consumers in most categories. Generally (and Godin is lucky being an American - try fostering innovation among elderly Frenchmen, say) people are not looking for new ways of doing things, not least because the mass market is already rather well catered for by the many established mass market brands. People do not wake every day looking for another formal airline, another refreshing soft drink, yet another breakfast cereal. This surely explains why so many of the successful "launches" (EasyJet, Red Bull, Fruit Winders, texting are four European examples Godin doesn't mention) were not launched at all in the conventional sense. They were adopted by a niche group of innovators, who eventually expanded their use.

Godin is also right in attacking the "TV-industrial complex" and the way it makes the mass media tail wag the NPD dog. Because it's assumed that mass media will launch Product X, it is duly assumed that Product X must be developed to appeal to the mass market of TV viewers. Because there is no instant appetite for new mass products, one launch after another fails. I believe this.

My chief complaint is as follows. In attacking the TV-industrial complex, I think Godin overlloks the fact that the principal use of mass advertising is not the launching of new brands but the maintenance of old ones. And I think he could pay more heed to the remarkable fact that the innovators of the last century (the Fords, the Kelloggs, the Guinnesses, the Amexes) have retained their positions remarkably well. Surely mass media had rather a lot to do with this?

I also know from experience that mass advertising can be vital in preventing a new innovation being stigmatised as something purely for geeky innovators (a risk that imperilled the speedy uptake of broadband for a time).

Lastly, I wish Godin had read the recent Y&R paper "You're Getting Old" before reading this book. A fusion of his idea, and the Y&R insight (that people's brand preferences become frozen in time once they hit 35) would have produced a still better book.

But never mind. All of you can gain one thing from sending bulk copies of this book to your clients. And that's the understanding that NPD might sometimes be better entrusted to the DM agency, with its understanding of segments, than to the Ad agency, with its obsession with mass.


Smart Thinking   February 4, 2004
 14 out of 16 found this review helpful

How many marketing books have you read that are actually enjoyable? Not just interesting. Or merely thought provoking. Enjoyable.

Seth Godin is one of the smartest marketing thinkers around and one of the most influential. His previous books (Permission Marketing, Idea Virus and Big Red Fez) have all caused waves through the marketing world and they are all a good read too.

His new one, Purple Cow, is no less challenging. And no less enjoyable. Based on the premise that the standard five Ps of marketing are no longer sufficient, Godin adds a new one - Purple Cow. Basically if your product isn't remarkable - as a purple cow is - you're going to have a big problem getting consumers to notice it. Simplistic as it sounds, Godin
backs up this idea with some smart thinking and lots of great examples.

Enjoyable it may be, but this is not a comfortable read as he believes that advertising (in the way we know it now) is basically dead. But there is an exciting role left to marketers; to make a big difference to their company by helping create products and services that are worth marketing in the first place.

He says "...you must develop products, services and techniques that the market will actually seek out"

If you're interested in where marketing is going, it's a must read.


A purple publication!   January 9, 2004
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

Seth Godin continues to provide inspirational work. This easy to read book puts together a thesis which we should all consider if we want to grow in this information overload world. Simply speaking, his argument states to win, our products/services/individuality must be remarkable: worth making a remark about. Will you be the best, the most different, the wackiest? The parody? Each of these approaches set you aside from the 50 percentile: those companies who are "justa", average, standard. If you are remarkable, you are talked about and remembered. Tie a quality product/service with this and you can improve success. Look at Yo Sushi!, Virgin Atlantic, The Geek Squad.

I had the pleasure of hearing Seth speak at a recent conference. This book shows he practices what he speaks. A purple performer. Recommend the book to your friends. Give a copy to your Marketing department. Give a copy to your Web designers. Give a copy to everyone. Being purple is inspiring.


Remarkable Marketing   May 6, 2003
 4 out of 10 found this review helpful

Remarkable!!! Marketing Innavation!!!! Power ideas !!!
Purple Cow by Godin give the innovation on remarkable marketing .It 's the new thinking on the Most powerful P"s Marketing Mix that never teach in B-school and will be sound practice in the real business world.


This book could well be a Purple Cow itself!   May 1, 2003
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Another fantastic offering from Seth Godin. He is the master of marketing, explaining things in easy to understand language, using well known examples.

With practical advice and tips, you could do much worse than read this. Hugely enthusiastic on the subject - it's infectious. I couldn't stop reading it, even missed my train stop!