--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cheap is the last refuge of a product…" description: "\"Cheap is the last refuge of a product developer or marketer who is out of great ideas.\" — Seth Godin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/seth-godin-152_cheap_cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-de_2538204.png" --- # Cheap is the last refuge of a product developer or… ![“Cheap is the last refuge of a product developer or marketer who is out of great ideas.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/seth-godin-152_cheap_cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-de_2538204.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/seth-godin-152_cheap_cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-de_2538204.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/seth-godin-152_cheap_cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-de_2538204.png) > “Cheap is the last refuge of a product developer or marketer who is out of great ideas.” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When ideas run dry, marketers resort to cheap tactics, indicating a lack of genuine creativity. **In simple terms:** Cheap solutions signal a shortage of great ideas. Key Takeaway Prioritize originality over easy fixes. Themes creativity marketing innovation Mood cautious inspired Type marketing business When to use this quote - product development - advertising campaigns - brand positioning Key Concepts resource scarcity strategic shortcuts Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster fresh ideas under pressure? - What alternatives exist to cheap shortcuts? A Different Perspective Cheap fixes may damage brand credibility over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Developers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developers/) [Great idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-idea/) [Great ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-ideas/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Marketer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketer/) [Marketers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketers/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Refuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuge/) ## Related quotes > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. 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If you choose your thousand ideal customers or readers properly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-always-point-people-to-the-article-1-000-true-fans-by-kevin-kelly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Good marketers measure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/good-marketers-measure/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Cheap quotes > [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/) [Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/) > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [The only way to learn on a zero dollar budget is to talk to people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/the-only-way-to-learn-on-a-zero-dollar-budget-is-to-talk-to-people/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [There's a whole generation of women who never really heard the word investment before, when it came to fashion. They've been buying things because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/there-s-a-whole-generation-of-women-who-never-really-heard-the-word/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [If cheap immigrant labor is made unavailable, employers can hire Americans at a higher wage, or replace low-wage immigrant workers with technology and automation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-c-ting/if-cheap-immigrant-labor-is-made-unavailable-employers-can-hire/) [Jan C. Ting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-c-ting/) > [“Many great opportunities are not cheap; but some cheap opportunities are so great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iveta-cherneva/many-great-opportunities-are-not-cheap-but-some-cheap-opportunities/) [Iveta Cherneva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iveta-cherneva/) > [“Sorry is so cheap.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/sorry-is-so-cheap/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [There would be weeks when I'd just go to Paris on a cheap ticket, sleep on my friend's floor, and just do a show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skepta/there-would-be-weeks-when-i-d-just-go-to-paris-on-a-cheap-ticket/) [Skepta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skepta/) > [Never buy what you do not want, because it is cheap; it will be dear to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/never-buy-what-you-do-not-want-because-it-is-cheap-it-will-be-dear-to/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The United States has the best, deepest, widest, and most transparent capital markets in the world which give you, the investor, the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/the-united-states-has-the-best-deepest-widest-and-most-transparent/) [Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/) > [Justice is not cheap. Justice is not quick. It is not ever finally achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/justice-is-not-cheap-justice-is-not-quick-it-is-not-ever-finally/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [This MeToo is bothering me much, making me shun TV and newspapers. They are making such wild charges for cheap publicity, claiming something happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sowcar-janaki/this-metoo-is-bothering-me-much-making-me-shun-tv-and-newspapers-they/) [Sowcar Janaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sowcar-janaki/) > [I'm sad that my childhood came just slightly before the lithium-ion-battery boom, because I would've killed for the cheap radio-controlled helicopters they have now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-munroe/i-m-sad-that-my-childhood-came-just-slightly-before-the-lithium-ion/) [Randall Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-munroe/) > [Grace is free, but it's not cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/grace-is-free-but-it-s-not-cheap/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [I was a cheap criminal; I did many, many wrongs. I admit that. Of course, if I could tell each person I'm sorry, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hunt/i-was-a-cheap-criminal-i-did-many-many-wrongs-i-admit-that-of-course/) [Mark Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hunt/) Browse all 618 Cheap quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Cheap is the last refuge of a product developer or marketer who is out of great ideas.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Godin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-developer-or-marketer-who-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cheap" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-developer-or-marketer-who-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/seth-godin-152_cheap_cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-de_2538204.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/seth-godin-152_cheap_cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-de_2538204.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/341/seth-godin-152_cheap_cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-de_2538204.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Cheap is the last refuge of a product developer or marketer who is out of great ideas.” — Seth Godin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Seth Godin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Cheap is the last refuge of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-developer-or-marketer-who-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/cheap-is-the-last-refuge-of-a-product-developer-or-marketer-who-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```