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Seth Godin
justly criticized for being unprepared, sloppy, or thoughtless
Sure you will. But these errors have nothing at all to
do with the ups and downs you’ll experience as a result of
being associated with the Purple Cow. When you launch a
clunker, the criticism of the failure will be real, but it
won’t be about you– it’ll be about the idea. The greatest
artists, playwrights, car designers, composers, advertising
art directors, authors, and chefs have all had significant
flops – it’s part of what makes their successful work great.
Cadillac’s new CTS, in my humble opinion, is perhaps
the ugliest car ever produced outside the Soviet bloc.
Cadillac has been roundly criticized in car magazines, at
dealerships, and on countless online bulletin boards.
Guess what These cars are selling. Fast. It’s a rebirth for
a tired brand, the biggest success Cadillac has had in
decades. What difference does it make that the “official”
critics don’t like the car The people who are buying it love
it.
On the list of most profitable movies of 2002, right next
to Spider-Man and Goldmember, is a surprise: My Big Fat Greek
Wedding. Criticized by Hollywood for being too low-key (and
by the independents for not being original or edgy), this $3
million sleeper succeeded for exactly those two reasons. A
cheap, feel-good date movie was just exceptional enough to
stand out – and the market grabbed it.
Almost forty years ago, Bob Dylan, one of my favorite
Purple Cows, appeared at the Newport Folk Festival. He
was practically burned in effigy. The act of “going electric”
was viewed as treason. He had abandoned the cause, they
said, and they were angry. “They” were also wrong.
In 2001, billionaire Mike Bloomberg ran for mayor of
New York. He was criticized, shunned, booed, and worst
of all, dismissed as a dilettante. But he won. Go figure.
After the failure of the Apple Newton (wonderfully sati-
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