Remarkable marketing is the art of building things worth noticing right into your product. It’s a game-changing mindset that flips traditional advertising on its head, focusing on creating an inherently share-worthy product rather than just shouting about an average one.
Share Image Quote:Stop trying to market a boring product. Instead, build a product that is so inherently interesting, it markets itself.
Look, we’ve all been there. You spend months, a huge budget, crafting the perfect ad campaign for a product that’s… fine. It’s okay. It does the job. But then you’re stuck trying to convince people why they should care. That’s the old way. The hard way.
What Seth is saying—and I’ve seen this work firsthand—is that the real leverage, the real magic, happens before the marketing campaign. It’s in the R&D lab, the design sprint, the product meeting. You bake a “wow” factor directly into the user experience. You solve a problem in a way no one else has. You add a feature that is so unexpectedly delightful that people can’t help but tell their friends about it. Your product becomes the ad.
It’s the difference between a company that sells a decent vacuum cleaner and Dyson, who completely re-engineered the vacuum to be a piece of functional art. The product itself did the heavy lifting.
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Business (233) |
| Topics | innovation (32), marketing (21), product design (2) |
| Literary Style | analytical (121), clear (348) |
| Overall Quote Score | 85 (305) |
This is a core thesis from Seth Godin’s 2003 book, Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. It came out of the United States right as the internet was making traditional, interruption-based advertising less and less effective. And no, he didn’t say “build a better mousetrap”—that’s an old Ralph Waldo Emerson misquote. This is specifically about integrating remarkability into your core offering.
| 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) |
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
| Quotation | Remarkable marketing is the art of building things worth noticing right into your product or service |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2003; ISBN/Unique Identifier: 9781591843177; Last edition: 2010; Number of pages: 160. |
| Where is it? | Chapter 23: Built-In Remarkability, page 132/160 |
Godin was pushing back against the “TV-Industrial complex,” the idea that you could just make average stuff, buy a ton of ads, and win. He argued that in a crowded, noisy marketplace, being safe is actually risky. The only way to stand out is to be a Purple Cow—something remarkable and unusual. This quote is the “how.” It’s the practical application of that philosophy.
So how do you actually use this? It’s not just for tech startups.
This is for founders, product managers, and creators who are tired of the grind of marketing a “me-too” product.
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Theme | Principle (838) |
| Audiences | consultants (70), entrepreneurs (1006), leaders (2619), marketers (166), product designers (4) |
| Usage Context/Scenario | branding workshops (8), innovation bootcamps (1), marketing strategy talks (1), product development meetings (2), startup summits (3) |
Question: Isn’t this just about making a “viral” product?
Answer: Not exactly. Viral is often a happy accident. Remarkability is a strategy. You’re engineering shareability and word-of-mouth directly into the product’s DNA. It’s intentional, not accidental.
Question: What if my product category is inherently boring, like B2B accounting software?
Answer: Perfect! That’s where this shines most. Your remarkable feature could be an incredibly simple, one-page onboarding process in a sea of complex setups. Or a AI-powered anomaly detector that saves your clients from a costly mistake. Find the pain point everyone ignores and solve it in an elegant way.
Question: How is this different from good old-fashioned quality?
Answer: Quality is table stakes now. It’s expected. Remarkability is about being exceptional in a way that is both noticeable and worth talking about. A car that doesn’t break down is quality. A Tesla with its silent acceleration and giant touchscreen is remarkable.
You must design a product that is remarkable enough… it’s the core of modern marketing. Stop interrupting people and start building things worth talking about. It’s the only way to…
If your product needs advertising to succeed… you’re probably playing the wrong game. It’s a gut punch, but it gets to the heart of what truly builds a lasting business…
When you are remarkable, your customers become… well, they do your marketing for you. It’s the ultimate unlock for growth, turning satisfaction into genuine advocacy. Table of Contents Meaning Explanation…
Remarkable products don’t appeal to everyone—and that’s the entire point of standing out. If you try to be for everybody, you end up being for nobody. This is the core…
Your most loyal customers are the ones who… become your unpaid evangelists. They don’t just buy from you; they believe in you. And that belief is the most powerful marketing…
You know, when Kiyosaki said, “In the Information Age, the most valuable asset you can…
You know, "The richest people in the world look for and build networks" isn't just…
Your days are your life in miniature is one of those simple but profound truths…
Discipline is built by consistently doing small things well is one of those simple but…
You know, the more you take care of yourself isn't about being selfish. It's the…
You know, that idea that "There are no mistakes, only lessons" completely reframes how we…
This website uses cookies.
Read More