Do you need this book?

One of the key questions any business, brand or book needs to be able to answer is, “who’s your audience?” The short, glib answer any author might offer is: everyone.

The longer answer, though, is the constrained.

When something’s in short supply, it constrains the options you have. The most common constraint is a lack of a key resource such as money, time, or smart humans. Subversive thinking doesn’t just help you overcome constraints—it lets you turn them into strengths. That’s why this book is for underdogs who want to challenge the status quo, and fight against the norms that keep them down.

The book has over 150 case studies (each, it should be said, accompanied by a QR code that leads you to additional intel and updated knowledge, as well as links and rich media. Many of those examples feature household brands who’ve invested heavily in order to achieve success. While consumer brands feature prominently, in part because their marketing efforts are more visible, there are plenty from business-to-business companies, startups, and even politics. Most of the exploits we examine are from the earliest days of that brand, back when they were the underdog. It’s those subversive tactics that made them who they are today.

Some of these brands hired a creative agency, spent huge sums on campaign assets, and more again on advertising. We know you probably don’t have those resources (and if you do, please call us.) But our focus is on the underlying patterns: an awareness of the system they’re in, novel thinking, and a willingness to act where others can’t or won’t.

We don’t assume you, as a reader, have access to big budgets, or agencies lined up to do your bidding. Our goal is quite the opposite: we’ll help you think subversively, no matter how big, or small your budget, because it’s your mindset that matters most.

In short, Just Evil Enough is for challengers. Startup founders who disagree with the status quo. Upstart brands looking to unseat slow incumbents. Defiant activists, whose virtuous causes deserve to be heard. You.