The Power of Unpopular

by Erika Napoletano

Every successful brand in history is inherently unpopular with a specific demographic. Somewhere along the way, people felt they had to be popular in order to be successful, when in fact, the opposite is true. The brands playing in the space you want to dominate have already figured out the inherent power of being unpopular. In The Power of Unpopular, you'll discover the difference between flash-in-the-pan brand tactics and those designed to place you miles above the competition.

Brand Personality: What's yours? Explore the importance of taking a stand and why brands become road kill without a distinct personality.
Community: It's the number one thing that unpopular brands have figured out—learn how to build yours.
Brand Advocacy: It knows no scale and your fans don't care how big you are. A guide for businesses on the proper care and feeding of their biggest asset.

Erika Napoletano's irreverent yet never insincere tone takes readers on a colloquial and actionable journey, producing concepts that readers can immediately graft onto their existing business strategies. Complete with case studies of businesses from across the country, this is the book that couples theory with practice, creating pathways for business owners of any size and age. Change the way you do business and live your life—become unpopular.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Self Help, Social Media

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2012

About the author

Erika Napoletano was never the prom queen, but that's never stopped her from doing whatever the hell she set her mind to. She's the Head Redhead at RHW Media, a digital strategies consultancy based in Denver, Colorado. The voice behind RedheadWriting.com (a destination for unpopular thoughts and blunt advice), she's also a columnist for Entrepreneur magazine and was recognized by both the Denver Post and 5280 magazine as one of Colorado's top Twitter personalities.

Reviews

[Gisela Hausmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read about "The Power of UNPOPULAR" in a blog. No doubt it's a good book, however, the book does not contains as much "new" information as the mentioned blog made me believe. The book merely sorts many known business strategies into the system of "UNPOPULR," meaning "FOCUS ON YOUR SPECIFIC AUDIENCE" and grow with them.

There were things about this book I didn't like, for instance - Please don't present "Harry Potter' as an example for "The Ultimate Unpopular Brand" as in "It's not popular to follow your gut."

Like author Erica Napoletano I too never read 'Harry Potter' even though my kids were young teenagers at the time. I read nonfiction (like this book) and I don't care about any wizards in any imaginary worlds; I also didn't read Lord of the Rings' or any other fantasy books. The simple truth is that Harry Potter was extremely popular because after having worked their way throughthe Hardy Boys's stories, Nancy Drews' stories and Lemony Snicket's, children were ready for a "new kind of hero." The fact that wizard stories had been ranked as "off-topic"-stories by people who considered religious groups' considerations was irrelevant. Kids wanted a new kind of hero. The End!

I am never impressed when authors quote 'Harry Potter' or '50 Shades' as examples for any theories. These are off-the-charts phenomena that should be quoted as examples for anything.

The book's strong suit are examples of popular businesses (e.g. surveymonke.com, gitcheckit.com, getsatisfaction.com, etc...) I was specifically impressed with "Celebrity Ducks", Craig Wolfe on Entrepreneurship, his quack of a business concept.

The particular example starts out with Craig Wolfe having an entrepreneur thought, "Who would/could buy hand-drawn animation of Mickey Mouse?" - That's exactly the thought many entrepreneurs have at the beginning of their careers, hence it is an illustrative example for readers. Napoletano takes the reader step by step through Craig Wolfe's business story, ending on "Takeaway tips for any business."

Extremely useful!

I was also impressed with her elaborations "You're still a local business." It seems to me that this thought might have gotten lost with the development of ecommerce stores.

All in all a good book. If you are a frequent reader of business books you will have heard quite a bit of the content in are contexts but appreciate Napoletano's perspective.

Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger

[Ken Deshaies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erika Napolitano is a brash, forthright arbiter of decency in the business world. I was first captivated by her blog, and decided to take on her book. It reads clearly and linearly, with advice that I felt was poignant and relevant. Basically, she points out that it is important to understand that you should never try to be all things to all people. No matter what you do, how good your product or service is, you will be demonized by those who either just don't get it or who are threatened by your competition. You will always be unpopular to many - and that's great.

So, it's important to understand who your true audience is and build on their loyalty. In fact, a step to success is identifying those who are passionately loyal and who will sing your praises to anyone they encounter. This is very similar to what I learned in real estate, where the inclination is to work with anyone who had a pulse. But smart agents learned to divide their customers and clients into A, B, C and D categories. The As were those who were passionate. The Bs were those who enjoyed working with you, but might take more time to make a decision and were more passive. And you just didn't waste time on Cs and Ds. This can be a difficult process, particularly when your livelihood relies on sales and commissions (and you're hungry that week).

There have, of course, been zillions of books written on how to succeed in business. I've read enough of them to know that there is a lot of formulaic bullshit out there. But this book resonated for me. It not only takes you through a process, but it also provides a good number of real-time resources.

If you're put off by writing that mimics the sometimes off-color language of day to day conversation, you may be offended. But, frankly, I find it refreshing. It's like slapping yourself upside the head and saying, "I coulda had a . . ." Oh, yeah, I don't much care for V-8.

Get the book today. It's an eye opener.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book because it was written by Erika freaking Napoletano a/k/a Redhead Writing. Erika is hands down my favorite blogger because of her exquisitely and uniquely colorful language along with her ability to understand exactly what's in my head. Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a disappointment for me because it just didn't sound like Erika. I wasn't looking for gratuitous use of the f-bomb, mind you, but something that really sounded like her. Here's one example from a recent blog post "Boy shorts, thongs, boxers, or briefs — doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you put on your Big People Britches and pull them the hell up. And if you’re one of those freaky go commando people (I don’t get you…that shit is drafty), find something to put on and pull up." I love it when she says stuff like this and it was mostly missing from the book. As a result, I felt like I didn't really want to read what she had to say. I pushed myself through the book and picked up a few good tidbits, but it wasn't quite the experience I had been looking for.

[Chris Craddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power of Unpopular, the book, begins with this dedication:

For every entrepreneur who's ever wanted to let a freak flag fly.

And for my parents--who not only always let me fly mine
but who also took me shopping for fabric so I could make my own.

It is kind of funny to hear Jimi Hendrix's "If Six Were Nine" in this context; after all, this is where Jimi taunts and admonishes business men who point their plastic fingers at him. But that is how Napoletano rolls. Though this tattooed fiery redhead proudly flies her freak flag high, the bottom line is that Erika Napoletano is all about the business. The book is about building a brand that may be unpopular with most people, but those who do like you will be fiercely loyal, and anxious to share with others.


Letting Her Freak Flag Fly, a review by Chris Craddock of Erika Napoletano's The Power of Unpopular: A Guide to Building Your Brand for the Audience Who Will Love You

[Zengarden · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the age of modern technology we now have awareness of our many choices, if not all of them, for any given desire. With so much to choose from, how do you know what's right for you? Niche marketing. Being unpopular means finding you distinct niche and selling the hell out of it to the people who care. The rest won't know you from all the fish swimming in your pond, and that's ok. You can't please everyone all of the time and you needn't try. I enjoyed the book, its colorful language and in your face attitude but in terms of advice, it was good but unless you really like the attitude and the language, you'd do better picking up a more straightforward book on niche marketing. In essence, the book plays on words like "Unpopular" to mean "niche" and a host of other reconfigurations that at some point can get a little tedious to maintain in your mind map. As for marketing strategies, the book really didn't put out anything new or novel.

[Taylor Ellwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books I'm always going to recommend to my clients. The author concisely expresses the problems that many businesses have and offers solutions which aren't necessarily a quick fix (there never is one), but are ones that if followed will have an impact on your business. I know that by just following the advice in the personality chapter I'm already getting more interaction and more distinctiveness for my brand. She also provides some useful resources on the website for the book. If your business is floundering or you just want to see how you can make your business more distinctive, pick this book up and discover the power of unpopular!

[Sherrie Rohde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you're an entrepreneur or community builder, this book is straight up brilliant. Erika is crazy transparent and real and speaks in a language I completely understand and relate to. Identifying your audience, having a personality and building approachability are such key elements of a brand. As someone who has had to always narrow down an invite list, it's hard for me to remember things like "No company should bend to appease every customer that walks through the door. It’s a matter of responsibility and integrity for both your audience and your brand." Thank you, Erika.

[Damien Franco · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about Erika that hasn't been said before? Her honesty and hold-nothing-back persona has earned her a legion of fans and it's all well deserved.

Her writing style is friendly and informative.

Honest. This book is honest. And it's probably not for everyone but that's kinda the point.

We live in a crowded world. You're trying to get your business noticed. Stand out. Be different. Embrace the fact that not everyone is your target audience.

Recommended reading for all marketing professionals, entrepreneurs and startups. Do it!

[Anita Ashland · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best parts of this book are the case studies of businesses. In fact, you could skip the rest of the content in the book and just read the case studies. The businesses featured in the case studies are Lehman's in Kidron, Ohio; BetterRide mountain biking instruction company in Colorado; Marination Mobile Hawaiian fusion food truck business; Mrs. G's TV & Appliances in New Jersey; Narragansett Beer in New England; CelebiDucks, publishes of animation artwork; Freestyle Capital, investors in entrepreneurs; GoodBelly Probiotic Juice Drinks in Colorado.

[Rick Bavera · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a first reads book that I started a while ago, and got "misplaced" when I moved to a new home.

Good advice for business owners, on building a company and its brand....no matter what the "business" is, and being true to yourself and your principles, while doing the best possible for your clients.

Now to go out and implement it.

[Cassandra Greenwald · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the premise, and I think the book started out strong, but I got bored toward the middle and didn't finish. I'm probably missing some valuable pieces to the puzzle, but I am hoping I got the gist. I like her writing, though, and will continue to follow her on various social media channels.

[Helen Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful little book if you're starting your own business. Tips on branding, audiences and hiring policy. Outspoken and witty, it's a quick but engaging read. Covers the basics but doesn't go much further. A 101 for a quirky start up for sure. Coffee shop owners would love it.

[Theo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really love Erika Napolitano's blog and her idea behind the book. While I strongly believe in her message and find her to be a compelling writer, this book was too basic. I wanted more of a 202 than 101 experience.

[Laura Belgrave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sage advice

In real speak and often blunt speak, the author encourages businesses often regarded as unpopular to seek ways to stand out, anyway. Yes. It's clear there's a place in this techno-frenzied world for every company to be heard--if you dare. Quite a thoughtful read.

[Andrew Rangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far its an inspiring tale of doing what you want for the people who you want to reach. I would recommend that anyone that is a business owner, small or large, look into this book.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you own a small business this is a book you must read. It is likely that you have preconceived notions on marketing and they are wrong.

[Ace Le · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way Erika approached the problem is interesting, but really the whole book is all about things that most marketing books already mention.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a very good book on building brands, finding your audience, charging what you're worth, and making money. Nice.

[Clint WalkingStick ᎤᏓᎸᏄᏍᏘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent advice about how to start.

[S.J. Reisner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It's about brand and audience building, suitable for everyone from shop owners to writers if you're able to put everything in proper context. Highly recommended.