The Purple Cow in the Algorithm Trap
Back in 2003, the brilliant Seth Godin wrote a slim book that woke up an entire generation of marketers and product creators. Purple Cow is a powerful little piece of work that still packs a punch more than 20 years later. If you haven’t read it yet – read it.
Godin sparked a movement devoted to creating truly remarkable products. Products that are actually worth marketing.
His message was radically simple: In a world full of brown cows, a purple cow stands out. Period.
»Your only chance is to market to people who like change, who like new stuff, who are actively looking for what you’re selling,« he wrote.
That was 2003. Google was still a startup.
Today, two decades later, we’re all trapped in the algorithm.
Standing out has never been harder. We’re all looking at the same data, following the same trends, optimizing for the same platforms. And with AI, it’s only going to get worse.
The Purple Cow has become mass-produced – and invisible.
Taste is becoming homogenized.
Social media is flattening culture and making us dull. Instagram shows us what others like. TikTok boosts what’s already viral. YouTube rewards what has already worked.
The result? We’re all designing for the same tastes. Same colors. Same formats. Same hooks. Optimized to death until everything looks the same.
To be fair, there’s a huge market for sameness. Millions of people crave the ordinary, the familiar, the safe. They don’t want to stand out. They want to belong. And that’s perfectly okay.
But here’s the catch: competition in this mainstream segment is brutal. When everyone’s doing the same thing, everyone’s fighting for the same customers with the same tools. And that’s a battle with few winners.
Purple Cow vs. Purple Cow
This is the flaw in Godin’s original idea. He said: Be remarkable. But what happens when remarkable becomes the norm? When everyone tries to be a Purple Cow?
Then we end up with a field full of Purple Cows. And suddenly, the brown one looks interesting again. We see it everywhere: maximalism as a reaction to minimalism. Minimalism as a reaction to overload. The real Purple Cow today does the opposite – of everyone. Even the opposite of all the other Purple Cows.
Here are a few anti-homogenization strategies:
The Anti-Trend: When everyone is on TikTok, build a newsletter. When everyone’s going video-first, start a podcast. When everyone’s personalizing, go deliberately impersonal. Skip the product reels, build a mini-series with an actual storyline. When the world entertains, you educate.
The Micro-Focus: Instead of designing for “young people,” design for “architects under 30 who live in old buildings and ride skateboards.” Make your audience so specific it’s easy to miss – but they’ll feel perfectly seen.
Time-Lag Tactics: Bring back ’80s aesthetics when everyone’s chasing future-core. Slow down when everyone’s speeding up. Go analog when everyone’s digital.
Aesthetic Disruption: Radically rethink form, color, format – and load those aesthetic breaks with brand meaning. Combine the familiar with the unexpected and turn surprise into identity.
B2B with B2C Energy: Just because B2B has different KPIs doesn’t mean it has to be boring. In transformative times, safe is not a growth strategy. Who says B2B can’t be fun or inspiring?
Resolving the Purple Cow Paradox
Godin was right: innovation is the only way through the chaos of oversupply and advertising noise. But “remarkable” has changed.
Today, you’re not remarkable just because you’re loud or weird. You’re remarkable if you resist the algorithm – and still know your audience.
If you develop a visual language instead of copying the feed. If you take creative risks instead of playing it safe.
The new Purple Cow isn’t purple. It’s invisible to the mainstream, but impossible to miss for the right people.
Escaping the algorithm trap
The way out is to stand elsewhere. Not where everyone else is looking.
Godin once wrote: »The best way to create Purple Cows is to constantly explore the edges or fringes.«
He was right then. And today, the fringes are our last escape from cultural uniformity. If you want to design a Purple Cow today, ask yourself: Where is no one looking? Where am I unexpected?
What would I make if Instagram, TikTok – or the internet – didn’t exist?
That’s your Purple Cow.
