Vibram five finger shoes: ever put on a Purple Cow?
Way way back in 2003 (2003!!), Seth Godin described a purple cow:
My friend Jose who is an ultra-marathoner was the real inspiration here. Eight months ago when I told him about my knee troubles he said, “that’s easy, just run barefoot” and
the idea stuck.
And then I started thinking about the Vibrams and I couldn’t shake the idea.
And finally, I bought them!
Running in these UGLY SHOES, I could actually feel the differences in the hardness of asphalt and stone driveways. I could feel my feet and ankles working and absorbing the shock of my leg hitting the ground, and could feel that my leg was hitting the ground in a different way that protected my joints and used my muscles.
True, my ankles are sore and my feet are tired, but my knee feels fine. I’ve got a feeling this is going to work out fine, and I may be able to run again.
I’ve also got a feeling that I have to read up on Vibrams and barefoot running, because it is literally impossible to wear these things and not get questions about them.
Books about UGLY SHOES:
Tim Ferris of "Four Hour Work Week" fame has the most detailed and well-researched explanation of Vibrams that I’ve been able to find (Tim says that 10 years of back pain vanished in a few weeks for him).
And I’m reading Born to Run for a combination of information (so I can answer all the questions I’m getting) and inspiration.
Why Purple Cow:
My purple cow conclusion is that there’s no such thing as a little bit remarkable. There’s no adding on remarkable after you’ve made a bunch of compromises, or dressing up a brown cow with a word-of-mouth campaign to turn it purple.
Think about it: these are the UGLIEST shoes you can imagine.
Remarkable means creating rabid fans and people who are appalled.
Remarkable means your customers will have no choice but to research your product/service/company after they buy so they can become more effective evangelists.
These horrible, ugly Vibrams are so remarkable that they might change your life.
The next time you share something you find remarkable with some colleagues – a video or a product or an idea you’re creating – and it’s really polarizing (“I love it!!!”versus “This is awful!”), that may be a sign that you’re finally on to something.
And so the story spreads. I bet Vibram never once has to take out any mass media ads. Why would they bother when their product markets itself?
The essence of the Purple Cow – the reason it would shine among a crowd of perfectly competent, even undeniably excellent cows – is that it would be remarkable. Something remarkable is worth talking about, worth paying attention to. Boring stuff quickly becomes invisible…The world is full of boring stuff – brown cows – which is why so few people pay attention. Remarkable marketing is the art of building things worth noticing right into your product or service.Experience a Purple Cow:
My friend Jose who is an ultra-marathoner was the real inspiration here. Eight months ago when I told him about my knee troubles he said, “that’s easy, just run barefoot” and
the idea stuck.
And then I started thinking about the Vibrams and I couldn’t shake the idea.
And finally, I bought them!
Running in these UGLY SHOES, I could actually feel the differences in the hardness of asphalt and stone driveways. I could feel my feet and ankles working and absorbing the shock of my leg hitting the ground, and could feel that my leg was hitting the ground in a different way that protected my joints and used my muscles.
True, my ankles are sore and my feet are tired, but my knee feels fine. I’ve got a feeling this is going to work out fine, and I may be able to run again.
I’ve also got a feeling that I have to read up on Vibrams and barefoot running, because it is literally impossible to wear these things and not get questions about them.
Books about UGLY SHOES:
Tim Ferris of "Four Hour Work Week" fame has the most detailed and well-researched explanation of Vibrams that I’ve been able to find (Tim says that 10 years of back pain vanished in a few weeks for him).
And I’m reading Born to Run for a combination of information (so I can answer all the questions I’m getting) and inspiration.
Why Purple Cow:
My purple cow conclusion is that there’s no such thing as a little bit remarkable. There’s no adding on remarkable after you’ve made a bunch of compromises, or dressing up a brown cow with a word-of-mouth campaign to turn it purple.
Think about it: these are the UGLIEST shoes you can imagine.
Remarkable means creating rabid fans and people who are appalled.
Remarkable means your customers will have no choice but to research your product/service/company after they buy so they can become more effective evangelists.
These horrible, ugly Vibrams are so remarkable that they might change your life.
The next time you share something you find remarkable with some colleagues – a video or a product or an idea you’re creating – and it’s really polarizing (“I love it!!!”versus “This is awful!”), that may be a sign that you’re finally on to something.
And so the story spreads. I bet Vibram never once has to take out any mass media ads. Why would they bother when their product markets itself?
Foot Facts:
"The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. finger shoes are like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised."
Vibram five finger shoes on the web:
See Harvard professor Daniel Lieberman on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jrnj-7YKZE&feature=fvw
and another good video in slow motion at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgaxkcvsmv8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jrnj-7YKZE&feature=fvw
and another good video in slow motion at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgaxkcvsmv8
Source:
Vibram five finger shoes: ever put on a Purple Cow? | Sasha Dichter's Blog
http://sashadichter.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/measure-more-than-distance-and-speed/
