Marketing
Issue No. 25 - October/November 2005
Are purple cows the answer?
by Dr David Corkindale
How different should you be to stand out from the herd?
Seth Godin, in his recent book (1), proclaims that the world is changing ever more rapidly and the rules of marketing are no different.
“Face it, the checklist of tired 'P's marketers have used for decades — Pricing, Promotion, Publicity, to name a few — aren't working anymore,” Godin says.
“There's an exceptionally important 'P' that has to be added to the list. It's Purple Cow.”
His assertion is that in today’s world marketing should be about creating differentiated products or services, something that has a ‘point of difference.’
His book title makes his point: cows, after you've seen one, are boring. A Purple Cow, though...now that would be something.
Godin suggests that if you ensure that your product is always differentiated you will not need to waste your money on advertising as those who notice and care about your ‘purple cows’ will spread the word, like an idea virus.
He is not alone in preaching that differentiation or uniqueness of a product is necessary to win business and loyalty — it is the conventional marketing wisdom.
Is it right, though?
Does this book offer anything new? Not really, and even the symbolic title’s worth is questionable.
Suppose you paid attention to his purple cows in a field; do they offer any greater value than ordinary cows? Do gimmicks sell products for long?
The other problem with such books is that they rarely explain how to implement the principles they espouse.
It is like saying that companies that are successful have loyal employees without telling you how to get them.
So the vital question remains: is differentiation important?
Don’t be unique: be better!
The humble Toyota Corolla has sold 30 million units since its introduction and 90 million people have owned one.
Most people...
