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Purple Cow by Seth Godin — illustrated cover

Purple Cow

by Seth Godin

Seth Godin opens with a simple picture. Driving through the countryside, you are charmed by cows at first. Soon they all look the same, and you stop seeing them. A purple cow, though, would stop you in your tracks. Godin argues that most products today are brown cows. The old formula of making something decent and buying lots of advertising no longer works, because people are flooded with choices and tune ads out. The answer is to build something remarkable, meaning worth making a remark about, right into the product itself. He explains why playing it safe is now the riskiest move, why very good is not good enough, and why you should design for the small group of eager early adopters who spread ideas to everyone else. Marketing, in his view, starts with the product, not after it.

7 narrated, animated lessons · about 15 minutes in total.

Play lesson 1

Purple Cow summary, chapter by chapter

  1. Lesson 1 · 2:01

    The Day the Cows Got Boring

    Things that are merely good become invisible, while something truly different, like a purple cow, demands attention.

  2. Lesson 2 · 2:10

    Why the Old Advertising Formula Broke

    The era of making an average product for the masses and shouting about it on TV is over, because people are overwhelmed and ignore ads.

  3. Lesson 3 · 2:08

    Remarkable Means Worth Talking About

    A remarkable product is one people feel compelled to tell others about, so the product itself becomes the marketing.

  4. Lesson 4 · 2:03

    Very Good Is the Enemy

    The opposite of remarkable is not bad but very good, because competent, familiar products blend in and get ignored.

  5. Lesson 5 · 2:03

    Safe Is Now the Risky Choice

    Playing it safe feels sensible but guarantees invisibility, so bold, edgy ideas are actually the lower-risk path to growth.

  6. Lesson 6 · 2:07

    Design for the Sneezers

    Aim your product at the small group of eager early adopters who love new things and spread ideas to everyone else.

  7. Lesson 7 · 2:10

    Milk It, Then Find the Next Cow

    Once a remarkable idea succeeds, profit from it while building the next one, because today's purple cow becomes tomorrow's brown cow.

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