The one-sentence summary:

Do the opposite of everyone else and you will be more distinctive.

WHAT THE BOOK SAYS

• A Purple Cow is remarkably different from any other product.
• The old ways of marketing are dead, and being safe is now too risky.
• An Ideavirus is one that spreads vigorously, similar to the point made by Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point.
• Compromise is the boring slot in any market, and all of them are filled.
• Old-fashioned mass TV-based marketing doesn’t work any more.

ELEMENTS OF THE BOOK I PARTICULARLY LIKE

• There is absolutely no point in being just like everybody else. The most successful businesses stand out because they do something different.

• Sneezers are the spreading agents – experts who tell everyone about new products on which they are a perceived authority (fanatics, bloggers, etc).

• The book is short and pithy – you can dip in easily.

• There are hundreds of examples.

• It goads the reader into looking for remarkable products in their industry and beyond. These are the places where decent, original ideas will come from.