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Synopsis

So what is a purple cow? A purple cow is anything that stands out from the crowd. As the author, Seth Godin puts it, "...picture driving down a country road, with hundreds of cows, scattered across the fields. As you're driving, you notice one cow. One cow standing out from all the rest, for one reason. It has purple spots. Wouldn't that grab your attention?" Once readers understand what a purple cow is, they will see that the complete title of the book, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable says it all. Using case studies and personal observations of successful and failed marketing efforts, the book makes a good argument that traditional marketing is dead.

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Summary

What is remarkable?

The traditional 5 Ps of marketing, product, pricing, promotion, placement, and people, just aren't working anymore. The new "P," Purple Cow, teaches readers that being remarkable is what gets them noticed. Traditional marketing is the Brown Cow, boring and typical. This new approach to marketing is the Purple Cow, exciting and remarkable. Standing out in an overcrowded marketplace is something that all businesses struggle with, and once they learn how to be remarkable, they will never go back to being a Brown Cow.

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43 questions and answers
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Adopting the Purple Cow approach can have significant long-term effects on a business's market position. It can help the business stand out in an overcrowded marketplace, which can lead to increased visibility and recognition. This can, in turn, lead to increased customer interest and sales. Over time, this can improve the business's market position and make it more competitive. It can also lead to a shift in the business's marketing strategy, as they move away from traditional marketing methods and towards more innovative and remarkable approaches.

The Purple Cow approach can significantly impact customer loyalty and retention by making a business or product stand out in an overcrowded marketplace. By being remarkable and different (the Purple Cow), customers are more likely to remember and stay loyal to the business or product. This approach can also lead to positive word-of-mouth promotion, further enhancing customer retention.

The Purple Cow approach significantly impacts brand identity and perception by making them stand out in an overcrowded marketplace. It encourages businesses to be remarkable and unique, which can enhance their brand identity and positively influence how they are perceived by consumers. This approach moves away from the traditional and typical, symbolized by the Brown Cow, towards the exciting and remarkable, symbolized by the Purple Cow.

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What makes a product or service worthy of remarks is what makes it remarkable. New. Different. Exciting. These are just some of things that make a product stand out. As Godin puts it, "Being safe is risky." By clinging to traditional marketing, most companies may feel safe, but they are at risk. This book teaches that taking the risk to be remarkable is the safest way to succeed. Godin gives some good examples of products and services worth talking about. Sam Adams, Jet Blue, and Starbucks are all remarkable. They are exceptional and worth noticing.

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46 questions and answers
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Companies can measure their 'Purple Cow' status by evaluating how much their product or service stands out in the market. This can be done by assessing the uniqueness, novelty, and excitement that the product or service brings. They can also measure it by the amount of risk they are willing to take to be remarkable, as being safe is considered risky in this context. Examples of companies with 'Purple Cow' status include Sam Adams, Jet Blue, and Starbucks, which are all exceptional and worth noticing.

Being remarkable can significantly affect a company's market share. When a company offers a product or service that is new, different, or exciting, it stands out from the competition. This uniqueness can attract more customers, leading to an increase in market share. Companies like Sam Adams, Jet Blue, and Starbucks are examples of businesses that have succeeded by being remarkable.

The concept of a 'Purple Cow' relates to customer loyalty in the sense that it encourages businesses to create products or services that are remarkable, new, different, and exciting. These unique and standout products or services are more likely to attract and retain customers, thereby fostering customer loyalty. Companies like Sam Adams, Jet Blue, and Starbucks are examples of businesses that have successfully implemented this concept.

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In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is failing. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.

Why be remarkable?

Remarkable products and services get noticed. They are worth talking about and sharing. Being remarkable fits right in with the explosion of social media and the changing face of information sharing. Being different gets you noticed. Customers just don't have the time to pay attention to advertising, but they will pay attention to remarkable.

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46 questions and answers
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Businesses can maintain their remarkable status over time by continuously innovating and improving their products and services. They should also stay relevant and adapt to the changing market trends and customer needs. Engaging with customers and getting their feedback can also help in maintaining their remarkable status. It's also important to keep up with the latest technologies and use social media effectively for promotion and customer engagement.

The success of a remarkable product or service can be measured in several ways. These include the level of customer satisfaction, the number of repeat customers, the amount of positive feedback and reviews, the level of brand recognition, and the overall sales and profit margins. Additionally, the extent to which the product or service is shared and talked about on social media can also be a good indicator of its success.

Businesses can keep up with the changing trends in information sharing by creating remarkable products and services that are worth talking about and sharing. They should strive to be different to get noticed. In the era of social media, being remarkable can help businesses stand out. Customers may not have the time to pay attention to advertising, but they will pay attention to something that is remarkable.

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How to be remarkable?

Purple Cow explains what remarkable means and why businesses need to be remarkable. But it also teaches how to pull it off, with plenty of case studies and stories. Brown Cows focus on the masses. Purple Cows focus on making products and services that Godin calls "idea viruses." Readers will learn that if they create something remarkable aimed at early adopters, or as Godin calls them "sneezers," their product or service will be shared and talked about.

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48 questions and answers
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Some alternative strategies to becoming a Purple Cow could include focusing on creating unique and innovative products or services that stand out in the market. This could be achieved by targeting a niche market, offering exceptional customer service, or by creating a strong brand identity. Another strategy could be to focus on creating 'idea viruses', which are ideas that spread and are shared widely. This could be achieved by targeting 'sneezers', or early adopters, who are likely to share and talk about the product or service.

A business can measure its success in becoming a Purple Cow by the level of remarkability it achieves. This can be gauged by the extent to which their products or services are shared and talked about, especially by early adopters or 'sneezers'. The more their offerings spread like an 'idea virus', the more successful they are in becoming a Purple Cow.

Some potential criticisms of the Purple Cow approach could be that it may not be suitable for all types of businesses or industries. It heavily relies on the concept of being 'remarkable' or 'different', which might not be feasible or desirable for some businesses. Additionally, focusing on 'early adopters' or 'sneezers' might overlook a larger, more stable customer base. Lastly, the approach assumes that all remarkable products or services will be shared and talked about, which might not always be the case.

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"It is useless to advertise to anyone except interested sneezers with influence."

That means making something that the "right" people notice and share because that Purple Cow is just so awesome! Godin admits that there is no guarantee that a Purple Cow will work because it may not be remarkable enough or it might be too risky. But that's the whole point. It's the unpredictability that makes the Purple Cow work. That's what makes it remarkable.

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