Saturated markets often have several brands offering nearly identical products or services. In these situations, customers tend to base their decisions on price, availability, or brand familiarity. Marketing becomes more difficult as traditional messages struggle to stand out. This is where the concept of the “Purple Cow” comes into play.
Coined by Seth Godin, the “Purple Cow” refers to something that grabs attention because it’s different from everything else around it. In a market where everything looks the same, something even slightly unusual can get noticed. The idea is not about gimmicks or loud promotions, but about creating a product or experience that people notice and remember.
Let us explore how this concept works in saturated or commoditized markets and what makes it an effective strategy.
Why Traditional Differentiation Struggles in Saturated Markets
In commoditized markets, most competitors offer similar features, quality, and service. Consumers may not have a compelling reason to choose one brand over another. This situation leads to increased price competition, where the lowest cost often wins. Over time, profit margins shrink and brands lose identity.
Conventional marketing methods that highlight features, pricing, or brand history often fail to make an impact in such environments. Every brand says it offers the best quality or excellent service. As a result, these messages fade into the background, and customers find it harder to distinguish one product from another.
This is where businesses must reconsider how they present themselves and what they offer.
What Makes Something Stand Out
Standing out doesn’t require extravagant innovation. It involves offering something that customers haven’t seen before or presenting a familiar idea in a new way. For example, packaging that solves a problem, a customer service experience that surprises, or a product that addresses a minor but real pain point can all help differentiate a brand.
In short, it’s about finding an angle that hasn’t been overused.
The focus should remain on what people value and what they are likely to remember. A strong point of difference doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, but it should be relevant to the user. Small adjustments in how a product is made, delivered, or supported can give it a fresh position in the market.
Examples of Purple Cow in Action
Several companies have managed to create their own version of the Purple Cow in saturated spaces. Here are a few ways that brands have used this approach effectively:
- Reframing the Product Use: A cereal company packaged their product in single-serve cups with an attached spoon for office workers. The cereal itself wasn’t new, but the packaging made it more convenient for a specific audience.
- Simplifying a Service: A financial service provider created an app with only three main buttons, removing all complicated forms and filters. Their service wasn’t different, but the experience was.
- Unexpected Customer Interactions: A retailer included handwritten thank-you notes with each order. This small gesture built stronger customer relationships and made buyers remember the brand.
These aren’t high-cost efforts. They come from understanding what the customer expects and doing something slightly different from that expectation.
How the Purple Cow in Marketing Influences Decisions
The core principle behind the Purple Cow in Marketing is that people notice what surprises them. They share what interests them. They remember what feels different. And over time, this difference influences decisions and preferences.
In markets where features and pricing don’t vary much, perception plays a major role. A product that people talk about has better chances of staying relevant. Even if the difference is subtle, the ripple effect in conversations, reviews, and recommendations can help a brand grow without relying heavily on ad spend.
However, this approach also needs consistency. If a product gets noticed once but fails to deliver value, the attention fades. The long-term gain comes from doing something different and doing it well. The difference gets people through the door, and the experience keeps them there.
Is This Approach Sustainable?
Creating a Purple Cow effect once is not the end of the journey. Markets continue to absorb and adapt. What was once rare becomes common. Therefore, the method needs to stay flexible. This doesn’t mean constantly reinventing everything but listening to the audience and adjusting the small details that matter to them.
A business can’t rely on the same feature or style forever to stand out. Instead, it should keep looking for simple but meaningful ways to do things that are worth talking about. That could be in how products are made, how service is delivered, or how problems are solved.
Final Thoughts
In saturated markets, being better is often not enough. Being different, in a way that is relevant and noticeable, is what sets a brand apart. The Purple Cow in Marketing helps brands shift the focus from competing on price or feature lists to creating something that sparks interest.
Whether it’s through how something is packaged, explained, or supported, the goal is to leave a lasting impression. Small changes, based on real user needs, can make a product stand out even in the most crowded spaces.
