From Purple Cows to Tribes and Free Prizes – Seth Godin Has Mastered Edgecraft
August 6, 2009
Cover of Free Prize Inside
In his book, Free Prize Inside, Seth Godin points out that innovation is cheaper than advertising. He defines the “free prize” as that extra, edgy product feature. His examples include swatch watches, frequent flyer miles, Tupperware parties, and portable shredding trucks. Design and style matter, he says.
One chapter describes how brainstorming can become boring. His alternative, “edgecraft,” involves analytical thinking to add something remarkable to a product. His laundry list of edges includes safety, invisibility, and hours of operation. Much of the book deals with how to sell great innovative ideas to the VIPs of any given company.
Purple Cow taught marketers the importance of standing out from the crowd. But it left readers wondering how to come up with new purple cows.
Free Prize Inside delivers answers.
Godin says that if a product satisfies and gets consumers to tell other people what you want them to tell other people, it’s not a gimmick. It’s an experience worth talking about. It’s a soft innovation.
Anne Fisher of Fortune has told that Godin is a “guru you’d love to discount because he seems so cocky, but it’s hard to do because he’s so rarely wrong.”
I love Seth Godin’s books, as they are always thought provoking, insightful,
unusual, edgy, non-academic and inspirational.
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3 Responses to “From Purple Cows to Tribes and Free Prizes – Seth Godin Has Mastered Edgecraft”
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What a nice review.
Thanks!
I think I would add to what Anne Fischer said by saying that it’s so obvious that he believes so much in what he does that it’s impossible not to be infected by that enthusiasm. I’m a big fan of his work as well!
I agree with you, Steve. Seth’s enthusiasm keeps infecting me!