In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is failing. It’s a brutal truth from Seth Godin that flips traditional business thinking on its head. The goal isn’t to be the best at what everyone else does. It’s to be the *only* one who does what you do. This is the core of modern marketing.
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Meaning
The core message is that in today’s world, safe is risky. Blending in with your competitors is a surefire strategy for failure because you become irrelevant and invisible to potential customers.
Explanation
Let me break this down for you. For years, we were taught that the path to success was to find a proven market and then just execute a little better, a little cheaper, a little faster than the other guy. Right? That’s the old way. Godin is saying that game is over. That’s just fitting in. And when you fit in, you’re just another option in a sea of sameness. You’re not even on the radar for the people who are actively looking for a solution. You have to become the obvious choice by being fundamentally different. You have to be the Purple Cow—something remarkable that people feel compelled to talk about.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Business (233) |
| Topics | branding (15), competition (13), visibility (7) |
| Literary Style | assertive (142), direct (414), memorable (234) |
| Overall Quote Score | 83 (302) |
Origin & Factcheck
This quote comes straight from Seth Godin’s 2003 book, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. It was published in the United States and it fundamentally reshaped a lot of marketing conversation. You sometimes see the sentiment paraphrased, but the core idea is uniquely Godin’s from this book.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Seth Godin (100) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable (43) |
| Origin Timeperiod | 21st Century (1892) |
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Seth Godin writes and teaches about marketing, leadership, and creative work. After earning an MBA from Stanford, he founded Yoyodyne, sold it to Yahoo!, and later launched ventures like Squidoo and the altMBA. He has authored bestsellers such as Permission Marketing, Purple Cow, Tribes, Linchpin, and This Is Marketing. He posts daily at seths.blog and speaks globally about making work that matters. If you’re starting with the Seth Godin book list, expect insights on trust, storytelling, and shipping creative projects that change culture.
| Official Website | Facebook | X
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is failing. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2003; ISBN/Unique Identifier: 9781591843177; Last edition: 2010; Number of pages: 160. |
| Where is it? | Chapter 2: The TV-Industrial Complex, page 12/160 |