High Tech Marketing: Are You Still Remarkable?
Are you being purple?
Seth Godin coined the idea in his 2003 NY Times bestseller “Purple Cow.” He was referring to a product or service that is truly remarkable, truly noticeable. In Seth’s own words:
“The old rule was this: Create safe products and combine them with great marketing. Average products for average people. That’s broken. The new rule is: Create remarkable products that the right people seek out.”
Why bring this up now? I had the privilege of spending the afternoon with the far-seeing marketing director of a brash software company. While executing under the pressure of many project deadlines, he and his team have trained themselves to stop and ask: “Are we being purple?”
In this grueling economy, so many electronics firms are feeling forced to play it safe. The marketing teams need to watch every penny, retrenching around only those programs that have shown the most ROI in the past. That’s a sensible thing to do. But what often falls by the wayside is the great idea that helps a company break out from the pack and capture the imagination of the market.
I believe we need to rededicate ourselves to being purple. With the so many companies pushing “safe, cost-effective” products and services, the industry is primed for exciting new ideas. Through the power of social media, these ideas can go farther, faster than in any previous business cycle, making it easier for the right people to seek you out. Companies that deliver standout products have the best chance of breakout performance as the economy recovers.
Starting today, commit yourself once again to being remarkable.
Photo attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yodelanecdotal/ / CC BY 2.0
Tags: marketing, recovery, Seth Godin, software