What would you do if you came across a purple cow? That’s the underlying question in Seth Godin’s early-2000s marketing book, aptly named Purple Cow. Would you tell your friends? Would you rave about what you’d seen? A purple cow stands out from the crowd.
I read the book two weeks ago and have not been able to shake it. The book’s premise is simple and pure: Remarkable products and ideas sell themselves. They don’t need aggressive marketing campaigns. I moved into product management not too long ago and I’m finding applications for this everywhere I look.
Godin lists out many purple cow examples, but I’ve been thinking of my own list. A Blender Bottle is a purple cow for gym rats. So is an Apple Watch. My standard Jansport backpack is one, as is the Moleskine notebook where I’m writing the first draft of this newsletter. The East River ferry and the best bagel spots in New York are definitely purple cows. So are Teslas.
These things inspire delight. They sell themselves through word of mouth. They work well at exactly the thing you need them for. Shaker bottles are ubiquitous in gyms everywhere, but no one actually shops around for one. They just buy a Blender Bottle! It’s the only legitimate contender in the space. Purple cows stand out from everything else vying for your attention.
Now think of all the regular cows out there. The fifty types of interchangeable shampoos in the drugstore. All the dri-fit clothing that’s just okay for working out. The cars that look like all other cars. Checking and retirement accounts, insurance policies – how likely are you to tell a friend about those?
Run through this exercise for yourself. Find the purple cows in your life. There shouldn’t be many. If you could only hang on to remarkable things, what would you be left with?
The next step is to expand your search to purple cow thinking and purple cow actions. Where are you just blending in with the crowd? Where could you stand out?
I’ve spent time during these same last two weeks coaching some new hires on our company’s year end process, in which we’re rated against our peers. Each time, my advice is this: Be essential. Another way to phrase that is to be a purple cow. As Godin puts it: “In your career, even more than for a brand, being safe is risky. The path to lifetime job security is to be remarkable.” Organize events you think would be helpful for your team. Take on projects that aren’t part of your job description. Learn something useful – it doesn’t have to be glamorous – and teach it to others. Operate with that mindset throughout the year, and you’ll have nothing to worry about. You’ll be a purple cow, and purple cows are rated higher than their black and white friends.
This same framework is useful throughout our lives. What can we do to inspire delight in others, to attract copycats, to spread our actions through word of mouth? Here are some ideas inspired by the people in my life:
- Run a marathon – as your first, to set a PR, or to help someone else finish. Which really means: Challenge yourself to do something big.
- Throw pottery and make a beautiful object. Which really means: Dive headfirst into a cool hobby you care about.
- Take your grandfather to lunch. Which really means: Set aside your needs for someone else’s.
- Send a note of encouragement to someone who doesn’t expect it. Which really means: Share positive feedback when you can.
In short, ask yourself: How can I be a purple cow? This is a new dominant question in my life.
Two great, related quotes before I go:
“Optimism is a tool that permits us to solve problems more effectively. If used wisely, it brings enthusiasm, inspiration and hope to projects that benefit from them.”
Seth Godin
“People who look for reasons why things won’t work, struggle to take action. People who look for reasons why things will work – and solve problems as they arise – make things happen.”
James Clear
Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching, and in the spirit of this Seth Godin-fueled newsletter, I encourage all of you to check out his Thanksgiving Reader. A very cool resource I will be bringing to my dinner table this year.
– Emmett
What I’m Reading:
My Friend Says It’s the Greatest Race In the World – Brendan Leonard, Semi-Rad
“I have never left my house to go cheer for people running any sort of footrace, and I don’t know if I understand what motivates people to do it, but I am thankful that they do it. I don’t know why they care if perfect strangers feel encouraged and/or even loved for a few hours as they struggle through the streets—all I can say is that I have never felt so supported doing anything in my entire life as I have in New York during the marathon.”
What I’m Listening To:
Eric Schmidt: The Promises and Perils of AI… – The Tim Ferriss Show
“My favorite smart self-driving car problem is here in New York, eventually, all the cars are self-driving, because it’s such a crowded grid and traffic moves perfectly… It’s a perfect computer science solution. So now we’ve got a woman who’s going into labor who needs to get there faster. Now, is there a button in the car that says I’m pregnant, I’m about to give birth and I need to get there faster? Okay. So she presses the button and somehow it works. How do we make sure that a gentleman who’s lying cannot press the same button?”