Creating Remarkable Products: Lessons from Seth Godin's Purple Cow

In today's crowded marketplace, being average is no longer an option. To succeed, you need to create remarkable products and services that truly stand out - what Seth Godin calls "Purple Cows". This article explores key lessons from Godin's influential book "Purple Cow" on how to develop products that get noticed and talked about.

The Problem with Being Average

For decades, businesses focused on creating efficient factories and processes to produce average products as cheaply as possible. But in today's world of abundance and choice, this approach no longer works. As Godin explains:

"For 100 years businesses in North America, Latin America, South America have been about one thing: how do you make an efficient factory to make stuff? If you have a coal mine, how do you get the coal out of the dirt as cheap as possible? If you're an insurance company, how do you make writing policies as cheap as possible?"

This mindset of efficiency and cost-cutting worked for a long time. But now we've reached a point where we can't make things much cheaper or faster. We won't win by being more average.

Instead, Godin argues we need to shift our focus to creating products that are more interesting and innovative - not more average. He gives the example of Apple vs Dell:

"If I look at the computer business - Dell computer: boring, average, cheaper. Apple computer: the most profitable, valuable tech company in North America. What's the difference? The difference is Apple doesn't worry about making it cheaper. They don't worry about their employees fitting in. They worry about innovating and they worry about going to the edges."

The lesson is clear - in today's world, remarkable wins over average.

What Makes a Product Remarkable?

So what exactly makes a product or service remarkable? According to Godin, it comes down to being worth remarking about. As he puts it:

"Remarkable means worth making a remark about. So it's not up to you, it's up to me if I'm going to talk about it."

Some key characteristics of remarkable products:

• They solve a real problem for customers in a unique way
• They stand out from competitors and aren't easily replicated
• They get people talking and generate word-of-mouth
• They polarize opinion - some will love them, others may hate them
• They push boundaries and take risks

Godin gives the example of a furniture store that installed a roller coaster and special areas for husbands to watch sports while their wives shop. This creates a remarkable experience that gets people talking, even though the core product (furniture) is fairly standard.

Another example is Little Mismatched, a sock company that intentionally sells socks that don't match. This simple twist on a commodity product created a viral sensation among young girls and grew from $1 million to $40 million in sales in just 5 years.

The key is to think beyond just the functional aspects of your product and consider how to make the entire experience remarkable.

Start Small and Find Your Audience

A common mistake is trying to create a product for everyone right from the start. Instead, Godin advises starting small and focusing on a specific audience:

"I am here to help who is enrolled in where I would like to go, needs what I do, and will pay money to have this problem solved."

He gives the example of podcasts, which all start with fewer than 100 listeners. It's only after those initial fans tell others that it starts to spread.

The goal is to create something remarkable for a small group of people who really care about solving a particular problem. As Godin puts it:

"You have to make unbelievable stuff for a few people who care."

Once you've created raving fans among your core audience, word will spread organically to a wider group.

Have the Courage to be Different

Creating truly remarkable products requires having the courage to be different and polarizing. As Godin explains:

"Part of creating something remarkable is that you will experience criticism and failure guaranteed. Remarkable products polarize people. When you create something that makes you or your company stand out, when you're the Purple Cow in a field of brown cows, people are going to stop and notice. Some will love it and some will hate it."

The natural tendency is to play it safe and create something that won't offend anyone. But that leads to average, forgettable products. To stand out, you need to be willing to be criticized.

Godin advises:

"Don't be afraid to stand out, to be remarkable, to be different. Get noticed."

He gives the example of craft chocolate makers who don't just make "very good" or even "extremely good" chocolate. The ones who stand out make "insane" chocolate that a small group of enthusiasts absolutely love.

Don't Compromise on Quality

A common pitfall is compromising on quality in order to launch faster or cheaper. But Godin warns against this:

"What often happens with entrepreneurs, because we have so much trouble with our mother-in-law and so much trouble with the money and so much trouble with everything else, is when it comes down to it we back off just a little bit at the last step. We said it's good enough. Actually, it's not."

He argues that it's that last bit of polish and perfection that makes the difference between a good product and a remarkable one. Cutting corners at the end undermines all the work that came before.

Recent examples like the Fisker Ocean electric vehicle and the Humane AI Pin show the dangers of launching before a product is truly ready. Negative reviews and word-of-mouth can quickly sink an otherwise promising product.

The lesson is to have the patience and discipline to get it right, even if it means delaying launch. As Godin puts it:

"You're not making something for everyone. You're making something for me."

Key Takeaways for Creating Remarkable Products

To summarize the key lessons from Purple Cow on creating remarkable products:

1. Don't settle for average - create products worth talking about
2. Start by solving a real problem for a specific audience
3. Focus on creating raving fans among early adopters
4. Have the courage to be different and polarizing
5. Don't compromise on quality - go the extra mile to make it remarkable
6. Build word-of-mouth and virality into the product itself
7. Think beyond features to create a remarkable overall experience

By following these principles, you can create products that truly stand out in today's crowded marketplace. The path isn't easy, but the rewards of building a remarkable product that people love are immense.

So ask yourself - is your product a Purple Cow? If not, how can you make it more remarkable? The world is waiting for the next product or service that will surprise and delight us in unexpected ways. Perhaps you'll be the one to create it.

Article created from: https://youtu.be/IySkIke_fxA?si=urN8UjnPw8CuK-w0