Godin

Seth Godin has introduced a trend in the retail business in his conclusion by reiterating two somewhat radical concepts, first, that design is free and that design rules, and second, that safe is risky because a product needs to be remarkable. Focus is given to these two ideas where the first tackles the need to be different. To make his point, Godin starts off by making an analogy of a purple cow. People are bombarded with choices that seeing something conventional would not arouse his curiosity. Thus, seeing a cow is nothing new and would not procure the attention of the buyer but seeing a purple cow is something different and would make anyone stop. A product which is out of the ordinary would grab the attention of the buyer. This has a direct correlation with the second conclusion. Being ordinary without introducing or representing anything new will bring the demise of a venture because being safe is the most damaging attribute a product can have.
Godin’s conception of the definition of remarkable elucidates what retail should adopt. Remarkable means something that is worthy of remark. These are “ ideas that spread” through what he calls idea diffusion. A new product should elicit remark which would compel others to talk about it. This means that the popularity of a product is no longer based on massive advertising where companies need to spend millions by availing of the conventional media such as television or radio. In this regard, Godin points out a Japanese word ‘ otaku’ which refer to some kind of constituency who care about a product. These people spread the word without compensation simply because they are willing to listen and they become enthusiastic with a particular item. Choices are important to people but the presence of too many choices could render them desensitized that the best way to go is to make a conscious effort to be different.
Reference:
Godin, Seth. ” Seth Godin: How to Get Your Ideas to Spread.” TED: Ideas worth Spreading. Apr. 2007. Web. 9 Sept. 2012. .