The one-sentence summary
Do the opposite of everyone else and you will be more distinctive.
WHAT THE BOOK SAYS
· There is absolutely no point in being just like everybody else. The most successful businesses stand out because they do something different.
· A Purple Cow is remarkably different from any other product.
· The old ways of marketing are dead, and being safe is now too risky.
· An Ideavirus is one that spreads vigorously, similar to the point made by Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point.
· Sneezers are the spreading agents – experts who tell everyone about new products on which they are a perceived authority.
· Otaku is a Japanese word for something that is more than a hobby but less than an obsession. This causes people to pursue remarkable products to a level that is beyond the reason of most normal people.
· Compromise is the boring slot in any market, and all of them are filled.
· Old-fashioned mass TV-based marketing doesn’t work any more.
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT
· The book is short and pithy – you can dip in easily.
· There are hundreds of examples.
· It goads the reader into looking for remarkable products in their industry and beyond. These are the places where decent, original ideas will come from.
WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH
· Many of the things he proposes are probably easier said than done.
· All the examples are American, so have less resonance in the UK.