Do you need this book?
One of the key questions any business, brand or book needs to be able to answer is – “who is your audience?”
Just Evil Enough was written by two serial entrepreneurs who have, between them, launched (and sold) businesses, conferences, festivals and events. They have worked closely with accelerators, VC funds and government organisations all over the world with a focus on business growth. For the past 20 years they have driven success while working with constraints.
What do we mean by constraint?
When something is in short supply, it is a constraint. In most business scenarios the clearest constraint is budget. It may also be time, or human resources. Subversive thinking is a way to not just mitigate limitations but to turn them into strengths.
This book is for the underdogs. It is for those who are looking to challenge the status quo, who need to be heard and who want to rewrite the rules that are keeping them down.
Many of the case studies referenced in the book look at brands that have invested heavily in order to achieve success. There is a high number of consumer brands, because their efforts are more visible than marketing activities of niche verticals – but we have also included B2B and startup examples too. Often the exploits we examine are from the earliest days of that brand, before they cut through, because we have examined what exactly drove their success.
Some of these brands hired a creative agency, spent huge sums on campaign assets, and more again on media spend across multiple channels to ensure audiences get to appreciate just how clever and good their campaign was. This book has always looked for the insight and the learnings behind the campaign, so that you can benefit from it, no matter what your own budget is.
Alongside ‘big’ brand examples, we have drawn upon our work with startups, government agencies, social platforms, researchers and data scientists. We have ploughed through history books, business theory and more to build a case for subversive thinking for the modern world.
We do not assume that the audience for this book has access to multi-million brand budgets. We do not assume that you have agencies lined up to do your bidding. Though you may well have both of those things and still be the underdog in your market. Just Evil Enough will help you think subversively, no matter how big, or small your budget.
It’s your mindset that matters most.
A note on resources
We are, however, going to assume that you have committed reasonable resources to the challenge of growing your business. That might mean hiring the right people, dedicating a reasonable amount of time and investing in some basic tools. Time is certainly the one resource that you can commit that can make a difference. But – no matter what end of the spectrum you sit, from innovative startup, to established SMB to marketing leader for a global brand, the stories, insights and frameworks in this book are applicable to anyone who wants to better capture attention and convert it into profitable demand.
