What am I talking about? Purple snowflakes? Conjures up all kinds of rainbow images, doesn't it? Got your attention, didn't I? You are curious. Just where I want you.

"Purple Snowflakes" is a phrase coined by Richard Carlson, Ph.D. , from his book "Don't Worry, Make Money". He uses it as a metaphor for standing out in a crowd.

Don't ever be afraid to stand out and be different. It's amazing to me how many people recoil from being noticed. Maybe it's shyness, maybe insecurity. I've recoiled myself on occasion, but it didn't last long. That kind of humility doesn't work if you are a marketer. As good marketers, being different and standing out  is our friend.

If you have a good offer, at least as good as other people's offer, or better, how are you going to get folks to notice your offer? Carlson says, by offering purple snowflakes. He cites an example of that in how to get your snail mail letter offer opened by anyone, even Donald Trump or your favorite rock star. You, yourselves know how many letter offers you receive in the mail, and pretty nearly all of them land in the circular file without ever being opened. However, if you received that same letter via FedEx overnight, you would open it. Why? Because the sender attached importance to that letter, and made it "stand out". Would you open it? Of course you would. Fed Ex is now the marketer's purple snowflake.

All good promotion is creating purple snowflakes. Madonna trades on it. Show biz publicity agents and politicians use the media to create purple snowflakes all the time. But in the media, we are often, if not always manipulated. The veracity of the offer is another issue. The purple snowflake is that thing that you do to get the attention of your audience. It can be a headline. It can be a clever name. Real though, not phoniness, not misleading... just plain clever or imaginative.  It can be a unique approach to anything. It can be as natural as someone daring to be themselves. Now that's the best purple snowflake I can think of.

I don't know how many of you watch American Idol. I do, because I love talent. This season has produced a bumper crop of stars. I'm bringing up this show as an example of creating purple snowflakes, because the contest has expanded it's vistas to all styles of singing, not just pop, which has dominated that show in the past. This expansion has allowed some great talent to emerge. A wonderful example of a purple snowflake is an artist being him or herself. No compromise, therefore stands alone. Original.

Last night, I was blown away by one of the contestants. I mean chill bumps up and down my arms. It was a jazz musician whose name is Casey Abrams.  He did not succumb to the well intentioned mentoring that suggested he choose a more universally popular song. Instead he took a chance. He said this is who I am, here goes, and chose to sing "Nature Boy", a song made popular by Nat King Cole. It was inventive and breathtaking. Abrams created the best kind of purple snowflake ever. Originality.  He is indelible in my mind and I'm sure in many minds.

Think purple snowflakes.