The Purple Cow: How to Stand Out in Modern Marketing
If I had to choose one book that transformed my view of marketing (and more) more than any other, it’s Seth Godin’s Purple Cow. And by the end of this article, it will probably have transformed yours too.
Anyone who has ever dealt with marketing through study, work, or simple passion knows well that it’s formally defined as the science that creates, communicates, and delivers value to the customer. And then comes the marketing mix, also known as the 4 Ps of marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion). Yes, I know, I’m getting old—back when I was in university, there were four, then they multiplied like mushrooms until the good Seth Godin decided to add his own and made them six… the Purple Cow.
The Concept of the Purple Cow: An Analogy for Everyone
One could write a book about the concept of the purple cow (and indeed Seth did), but I’m more down-to-earth and want to simplify the concept so much that I could explain it to my 8-year-old son. I want to start exactly from the book’s example…
Imagine: “You’re sitting in a car traveling through the French countryside… let’s make it Irish, I prefer that. A road teeming with grazing cows… all identical, brown. Initially, you’re fascinated, but as the miles go by, the initial wonder turns into habit, and the transition to boredom and inattention is the natural consequence. But then, at a certain point, there she is… beautiful. The Purple Cow.”
Suddenly, a purple cow! You can’t help but stop, fill your smartphone’s memory with photos and 4K videos, and share them immediately on your social media. But the surprise doesn’t end there…
When you return home from your trip and go to visit grandma Maria, the one thing you’ll remember and tell her is that on a boring trip among brown cows, you got to enjoy the extraordinariness of a purple cow.
But back to us mere mortals, who need to bring home the bacon and sell our products before wandering through the Irish countryside. What is the message Seth is trying to give us?
Beyond Tradition: The Era of Extraordinary Marketing
In a market full of similar products, quality (in a broad sense, from material quality to skill) is no longer enough. Our product must be extraordinary and stand out.
The days of selling products just by buying television advertising spots during prime time are over. You want and need to sell your products to people who have little time, the attention span of a 3-year-old, and who watch Netflix series before falling asleep while waiting for the next marathon (take kids to school, go to work, grocery shop, dinner… pass out on the couch) the next morning.
Consumer attention today is a precious and rare commodity, and you can only earn it if your product is extraordinary and stands out from the crowd.
That’s all very nice, but I sell sandwiches in a small suburban town and I just don’t understand how I can “use a purple cow” unless it’s ground into my hamburger. Wait, I’m getting there…
The Starbucks Example: Creating a Unique Experience
First, let’s start by saying that one of the best examples of a company that managed to tame the purple cow is Starbucks. Come on, you might sell sandwiches in a suburban town, but they sell coffee… colored water (with a lot of sugar). And yet… 38,000 locations and a turnover of 36 billion dollars. They focused on creating an experience for the consumer… and indeed, those who go to Starbucks certainly don’t go there just for the coffee.
So you too, “suburban sandwich man,” bar owner living on breakfasts, florist, or professional (accountant, lawyer, architect, dentist… I’ll write an article about you too), must try to stand out and become extraordinary. I’m not saying you’ll open 38,000 locations scattered around the world, but you can certainly achieve great satisfaction.
And so you could invent your “challenge sandwich”—a 1.5kg sandwich free for whoever finishes it, which then goes viral on social media—or a “dinner in the dark” to enhance other senses, or a discounted breakfast for cyclists (even if they can be annoying on the road, I assure you that when they stop at a bar, they’ll eat everything in sight).
From Theory to Practice: Find Your Purple Cow
Your “purple cow” is waiting to be set free. Don’t settle for the usual “brown herd.” MarfCode offers you the strategies and tools to stand out. Contact us for a personalized consultation and let’s start creating something unforgettable together.
We know very well what our purple cow is and we put it at your service.
