How Alysa Liu Became Marketing's Ultimate Purple Cow
- Winnie Chan
- Feb 25
- 2 min read
The Gold Medal "Tree Rings": How Alysa Liu Mastered Remarkable Marketing on Ice
Alysa Liu just broke a 24 year drought for US women's figure skating by claiming gold at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games. While the win is impressive, the way she achieved it is a masterclass in being what Seth Godin calls a Purple Cow.
In a sport built on rigid traditions, Alysa delivered something unforgettable.
Why being very good is boring
Most industries are full of brown cows. In my world of performance marketing, I see it every day. These are the campaigns that hit the benchmarks and follow every best practice but never actually break through. They blend into the feed until they become invisible.
Figure skating usually follows a similar script. Classical music, perfectly coiffed hair, and stoic grace. It produces champions, but they often look and sound exactly like the person who skated before them.
Enter the Purple Cow
Alysa Liu took a different path after 2022. She walked away from the sport at 16 to find herself. She went to university and trekked to Everest Base Camp. When she returned for the 2026 Games, she brought a personality that the ice hadn't seen before.
Her performance was full of remarkable choices. She traded the usual orchestral piano for a Donna Summer disco suite. Instead of a traditional bun, she showed up with blonde stripes in her hair. She calls these her Tree Rings, with a new one added for every year she spent growing away from the rink.
She didn't just skate. She waved to her mates and grinned through the entire routine. She wasn't trying to be the perfect ice princess. She was just being Alysa.
Performance Marketing: How to stop paying the boring tax
As performance marketers, we often get stuck in the trap of incremental gains. We tweak bids and refine targeting, which is important work. However, if the creative has no soul, we are essentially paying a boring tax. We are spending money just to be ignored.
Alysa Liu’s journey is a reminder that being different is a massive competitive edge.
Authenticity beats a manufactured sheen every time.
The Tree Rings and disco vibe felt human and magnetic.
Taking a risk on being yourself is how you get the breakthrough rewards.
You can have a flawless bidding strategy, but if your brand doesn't have a Purple Cow element, you are leaving impact on the table. In 2026, the real goal isn't just hitting a KPI. It is being remarkable enough to actually be seen.
About the Author
Winnie Chan is a Performance Marketing Lead and Strategist based in Melbourne, Australia. With over a decade of experience across Agency and In-House roles, she specialises in bridging the gap between creative brand building and commercial targets. She is currently on an "Involuntary Sabbatical" (ask her about it) and writing about the future of marketing.
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