Brand Management and Strategy

Do you have a Purple Cow?

Back in 2009, Seth Godin wrote a book about a purple cow. The essence behind the metaphor is that you generally won't notice a cow in a herd of other cows, but you would notice a purple cow.

A purple cow is remarkable.
Godin then stressed that in order to stand out in a sea of competition, you too must be remarkable.

A lot has changed since 2009
Search Seth Godin and his purple cow and you will see that a lot of people have elaborated on his concept and rightly so. Times change. Even Godin has updated his original idea, but the basic principle is still highly effective today. Search your competition. What do you see? Does it look a lot like your own website? Or when you read your own sales message?

We need to fix that.

3 Steps to Feed Your Purple Cow

(I never said it was going to be easy.)

Really Know Your Customer

Don't guess. Don't make assumptions. Talk to them. Learn what makes them tick. Find out what keeps them up at night. Discover their pain points. What motivates them? How do they react in the real world. Write down what you learn and be prepared to update it.

Figure Out Your Usefulness

Take the time to create the best solution to help your customer. Something they are not going to forget. Something that they will talk about. Something they must have to solve their problem. This is going to take time. A lot of time. Don't skimp. There is no purple cow without this step.

Do What You Say

Now that you have the solution - deliver it. Do it in the best way possible that customers will remember. Provide outstanding service and collect feedback from your customers to be certain that you are doing just that.

Smart Companies Invest in their Brand

A purple cow definitely stands out in a field of other brown or spotted cows. A purple cow demands attention.

What does your company do that demands attention?

You can't simply run down the street naked. Yes, that will garner attention, but will it bring you sales? This is a key point to understand about your purple cow. You can't just stand out in the crowd. You have to stand out in a manner that is relevant and meaningful to your customer.