Buying In - (Page 8) 8 rob walker increasingly minor differences to decide which one is the very best value of all, by however absurdly narrow a margin. And while we may feel otherwise sometimes, the simple fact is that there are probably more pretty good products being sold in America now than at any time in history. This is a tribute to progress, but it both complicates our decision-making as consumers and makes it increasingly difficult for one of those fifty-three ranges to stand out. While Schwartz approaches this problem from the point of view of the befuddled and overwhelmed consumer, Seth Godin is among those who look at it from the marketer’s perspective. Godin is the author of many marketing- and business-advice books, including one called Purple Cow. The title is explained in an anecdote about driving through France with his family; at first they were “enchanted” by the “storybook cows” they saw, but within twenty minutes, the sight of these animals had become familiar, and “boring.” If a purple cow were to come into view, however—“that would be interesting,” Godin wrote. His point was that “most products are invisible,” as is most marketing, and this means things must be made “remarkable” if they are to have a chance to succeed. There has to be something there for people to talk about. The first edition of Purple Cow, for example, included a limited number distributed in milk carton–like containers. It’s important to parse the metaphor closely: The cow is not remarkable because it produces more milk or requires less feed or also functions as an MP3 player and digital camera. Its purpleness is not an innovation, it’s a novelty. The cow—or the kitchen appliance or the garment—still functions much like all its marketplace rivals. Except that it’s purple. Which is “remarkable.”
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