Monday, April 16, 2007

Book Recommendation

Purple Cow
by Seth Godin

When my monthly issue of FastCompany shows up one of the people whose contributions I look for to and enjoy is Seth Godin. He is a regular contributor to this cutting * edge publication and the author of 3 (now soon to be 4) best selling books about marketing. You could summarize his thinking and writing as clearly out of the box.

There was an offer in his article that allowed you to order and receive prior to general release his next book, Purple Cow. All one had to do was pay for shipping and handling. Being the information junky that I am, I figured that I had really enjoyed and benefited from his other books and his monthly contributions to FastCompany, I would invest under $10.00 to see what he had to say.

The link provided in the article took me to a brief (single page if memory serves) web site where I could enter my contact information (and credit card, of course). The page was simple, direct and uncomplicated. The web site managed my expectations by telling me when to expect the book to be delivered.

Two things to note here: 1) the investment of $10.00 covered his cost of printing and mailing, a Jay Abraham maxim. But that is another story. 2) You can bet that the date given for the delivery was very clearly achievable as the book had been written, printed and was ready for shipping.

So not to my surprise earlier than the expected date which I (like you) had forgotten, a purple and white 1/2 gallon milk carton showed up in my mail. And it contained the book. The book’s complete title is: “Purple Cow, Transform your business by being remarkable” Do you suppose that receiving a book in a milk carton not a brown cardboard shipping box would be considered “remarkable.” You bet.

One page one of the book, Godin talks quickly and interestingly about the “P’s” of marketing. Over the last many years, the marketing practitioners have touted that there are 5 P’s that each business needs to pay attention to. Unfortunately for us mere mortals, each marketer has there own set of P’s. Some that are included:

* Product
* Pricing
* Promotion
* Positioning
* Publicity
* Packaging
* Permission
* Pass-along

Now Godin would have us believe that there is now another P, Purple Cow.

From the product description on Amazon.com:

“What do Starbucks and JetBlue and KrispyKreme and Apple and DutchBoy and Kensington and Zespri and Hard Candy have that you don't? How do they continue to confound critics and achieve spectacular growth, leaving behind former tried-and true brands to gasp their last?

Face it, the checklist of tired 'P's marketers have used for decades to get their product noticed -Pricing, Promotion, Publicity, to name a few-aren't working anymore. There's an exceptionally important 'P' that has to be added to the list. It's Purple Cow.

Cows, after you've seen one, or two, or ten, are boring. A Purple Cow, though...now that would be something. Purple Cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat out unbelievable. Every day, consumers come face to face with a lot of boring stuff-a lot of brown cows-but you can bet they won't forget a Purple Cow. And it's not a marketing function that you can slap on to your product or service. Purple Cow is inherent. It's built right in, or it's not there. Period.“

I read business books with a highlighter. Purple Cow by Seth Godin is full of turned down pages and many, many highlights. Your copy will be too. Order today: Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin.