How Permission Marketing Works? A peek into Seth Godin's tome Permission Marketing

"Permission Marketing" is a book written by marketing expert Seth Godin. The book was first published in 1999, and it presents a new approach to marketing that is based on gaining and maintaining the permission of the consumer, rather than interrupting them with unwanted advertising.

In the book, Godin argues that traditional forms of marketing, such as interruption-based advertising, are becoming less effective as consumers are increasingly able to ignore or avoid them. Instead, he advocates for "permission marketing," where businesses seek the permission of consumers to market to them through opt-in email lists, loyalty programs, and other forms of interactive marketing.

Godin argues that by gaining the permission of the consumer, businesses can build deeper and more meaningful relationships with them, which can lead to increased trust and loyalty. He also discusses the importance of providing value to the consumer through engaging content and personalized experiences.

The book also covers the importance of measuring and tracking the effectiveness of permission marketing campaigns, and the need to continually adapt and evolve to stay relevant to the consumers.

Overall, "Permission Marketing" is a thought-provoking and insightful read that provides a fresh perspective on how businesses can market to consumers in an age where people are bombarded with advertisements. It encourages marketers to shift their focus to building relationships with their audience and providing value to them, rather than relying on interruptive tactics.

What is your Purple Cow?

Purple Cow by Seth Godin, a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change - is deep purple. I love the colour purple. The book is binary – you are either a purple cow or not, or better said, you are remarkable or invisible. After the 4P's – the cardinal marketing rule of Product, Price, Promotion and Place, Seth Godin adds Purple Cow as the fifth element.

A Purple Cow, according to Seth Godin, is someone who doesn't stick to the rules, someone who stands out from the crowd, someone who creates their own niche. Being successful means being different. Purple Cow is nothing but a remarkable product or service. I specially liked Seth’s analogy of ‘IdeaViruses’ – an idea which spreads rapidly with minimum marketing effort, because of the remarkable aspect of the product. The Sneezers will help spread this ideavirus. Every market has these sneezers and it’s crucial to find and seek out such influencers.

Well, loosely compared, I found this chaiwala spreading IdeaViruses in train crossing this patch of Bihar, where he used to come with his popular tagline - ‘Pi lo Duniya ki sabse ghatiya chai’ – ‘take the world’s worst tea’ and passengers in the train would be a way too curious enough to order one for themselves. His way of selling tea would become a topic of discussion on trains. I had tasted his tea multiple times while on that stretch, and it was a really good, hot, creamy and perfect balance of sugar. I remember him even after 20 years, I guess, he was creating a purple cow for himself. Not sure, if he is still there.

I strongly recommend Purple Cow by Seth Godin.