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Purple Cow
Purple Cow
Apr 25, 2025 7:30 AM

Author:Seth Godin,Seth Godin

Purple Cow

Brought to you by Penguin.

You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice.

What do Apple, Starbucks, Dyson and Pret a Manger have in common? How do they achieve spectacular growth, leaving behind former tried-and-true brands to gasp their last? The old checklist of P's used by marketers - Pricing, Promotion, Publicity - aren't working anymore. The golden age of advertising is over. It's time to add a new P - the Purple Cow.

Purple Cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat-out unbelievable. In his new bestseller, Seth Godin urges you to put a Purple Cow into everything you build, and everything you do, to create something truly noticeable. It's a manifesto for anyone who wants to help create products and services that are worth marketing in the first place.

© Seth Godin 2005 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Reviews

There are many ... stories in this wonderful book, all of them directed at the transformation of the global map of power and wealth that has happened in the 21st century. Don't waste your time on Boris or Trump, Covid or novichock, just read this to find out what is really happening.

—— Bryan Appleyard , The Sunday Times

Daniel Yergin won a Pulitzer in 1992 for The Prize, an acclaimed history of petroleum and political power ... In The New Map he turns his talents to what might be called geopolitical cartography ... Fans of the author's previous books will appreciate the snappy prose and plethora of well-told anecdotes ... revealing and apposite ... The book brings the general reader admirably up to date on the many subjects it covers.

—— Edward Lucas , The Times

The direction of travel in the global energy system seems clear: a historic shift away from the fossil fuels that have shaped the fat of nations for more than a century is under way. Who better to chart it than Daniel Yergin, the prizewinning US author and energy expert whose advice is sought by ministers and chief executives world wide? ... deftly told ... Yergin writes with the flair for dramatic detail [and] offers sprightly insights for any general reader seeking to understand the tensions in the South China Sea and the strife-torn Middle East

—— Pilita Clark , Financial Times

Yergin is the most respected chronicler of energy history and politics today. Yergin has enviable talents. He writes fluently in a style that brings to life the arcane dynamics of the energy business. He is deeply knowledgeable and analytically prescient... The New Map is an excellent read because, through multiple interconnected storylines, it pulls together the transformative occurrences that have shaped the energy world in recent years into a cogent framework from which the reader can discern the future pathways of the next energy transition.

—— Vikram S Mehta , Indian Express

the book breezily takes the reader through the developments of the past few decades in the oil business and energy more generally, with an eye to political repercussions. With sections on America, Russia, China, the Middle East, the car industry and climate politics and policy, at its best it is both brisk and authoritative, an impressive combination.

—— The Economist

"Yergin said our response to climate change will 'bring continuing changes in how energy is produced, transported and consumed; in strategies and investment; in technologies and infrastructure; and in relations between countries'."

—— Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia

Netflix's unique culture of freedom and responsibility and its flexibility to adapt are fuelling its remarkable rise around the world. In No Rules Rules, Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer reveal the fascinating story of Netflix's success, while providing actionable lessons for leaders on how to attract top talent and unleash their creative energies to drive excellence.

—— Susan E Rice, former US national security adviser and permanent representative to the United Nations

Eleanor approaches the emotional side of redundancy with honesty and then backs it up with simple actionable steps. Now has never been a better time to make the most of losing your job! And if you're going to do that then do it with dignity, grace and positivity - which is given in spades in this book

—— Robin Waite, Founder, Fearless Business

Woe to the unprepared! If you have the proper training, support and advice in advance, you can suffer any redundancy and reclaim your life and career. This book is a must read for today's working force

—— James Victoire, author of Feck Perfuction

Life has a way of smacking us in the face when we least expect it. Where before there was certainty, there is now worry and sleepless nights. Thankfully there's no need for you to struggle alone any longer. With this brilliant book and Eleanor Tweddell as your trusted guide, you'll be armed with the belief and tools to navigate this path with confidence and a swagger. Eleanor's personality shines through in this book and she provides some tough love to edge you towards a more fulfilling future that you probably can't even imagine right now

—— Laurence McCahill, The Happy Startup School

The combination of lived experience, empathy and practical advice is a powerful thing. Eleanor very thoughtfully and carefully takes the reader through all aspects of redundancy with a focus on the biggest question of all...'what next?' With large doses of clear forward-facing advice, reassurance and encouragement, this book is an immensely positive read

—— Alex Mahon, CEO, Channel 4

Frank and supportive advice for anyone going through what is a shitty time, and filled with strategies on how to emerge from it

—— Steven Haines, author of How to Go to Work

Highly recommended

—— Vishen Lakhiani, ‘The Mind Valley Podcast’

Inside the darker side of Instagram

—— EVENING STANDARD

Instagram has reshaped how we eat, shop, talk and present ourselves. In No Filter . . . Sarah Frier offers a rare glimpse into how the company came to be a formidable force in the tech industry.

—— BEST TECH BOOKS OF 2020 , MASHABLE

A lively and revealing account of how the world came to see itself through [Instagram founder] Mr Systrom's lens . . . The tale of nerds who struck gold offers glimpses of Silicon Valley's weirdness.

—— THE ECONOMIST

No Filter offers an engaging account of how tech founders' ideals inevitably have to be squared with making profits.

—— WALL STREET JOURNAL

A fascinating business story - but also much more than that . . . Frier is a skilled reporter and an astute and sensitive cultural observer. No Filter is a vital read for anyone seeking to understand the incredible power Silicon Valley executives exercise over us, and the opaque, unpredictable and undemocratic mechanisms by which they do so.

—— New Statesman

A vivid portrait of clashing Silicon Valley egos

—— Best Books of the Year: Business , Financial Times

Officially, this is the tale of the photo-sharing app Instagram, but it's also a wider story of Silicon Valley - the fragile egos, the feuds, the deals done around fire pits . . . Mark Zuckerberg is the book's sometimes cartoonish villain, ending staff meeting with the cry: "Domination!"

—— Business Books of the Year , SUNDAY TIMES

No Filter is a topical and well-reported account of the rise of Instagram and its takeover by Facebook. But it also tackles two vital issues of our age: how Big Tech treats smaller rivals and how social media companies are shaping the lives of a new generation.

—— Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FINANCIAL TIMES

Bloomberg reporter Sarah Frier chronicles the rise of photo-sharing social network Instagram, from when it was still a location-based app named "Burbn" to the ad-driven juggernaut it is today . . . Frier deftly streamlines from multiple interviews with some of the most high-profile executives, venture capitalists, and most-followed celebrities on Instagram

—— The 10 Best Business Books of 2020 , Fortune

Congressional documents may have told us why Mark Zuckerberg thought he needed to buy Instagram, but No Filter is the inside story of the company that Facebook actually bought. Sarah Frier's book is the definitive account that bridges the gaps between the company Instagram was born as, the company that eventually sold to Facebook for $1 billion, and the company we know today. The intrigue of this origin story will only grow as the status of Instagram - as a brand within Facebook and a player in our daily lives - is sure to change in the decade ahead.

—— Favourite Business Books of 2020 , YAHOO FINANCE

Utterly brilliant . . . It is so fascinating because it works at two levels: there's the personal story of these two founders making it up as they go along . . . and then there's the bigger story of Silicon Valley itself, and the unstoppable pressure to grow and go viral . . . [Frier] explores how Instagram changed society in terms of influencers, and also in terms of what it does to us, when we see these heavily filtered images of perfection in other people's lives - and this is really worth thinking about.

—— Extraordinary Business Book Club

Examines the all-pervasive impact of Instagram and what it says about today's society.

—— Independent.ie
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