The Underdog Advantage

“This fabulously entertaining and healthily subversive book will give you a black belt in corporate jiu-jitsu. Although technically it’s a red belt in jiu-jitsu.” 
Rory Sutherland, TED GLOBAL SPEAKER, AUTHOR, AND VICE CHAIRMAN OGILVY UK 

“Packed with fascinating stories, eye-opening case-studies, and lateral advice, this book will give you an advantage that sheer scale and money can’t buy.” 
Andy Nairn, FOUNDER OF LUCKY GENERALS, AUTHOR, SPEAKER 

“The Underdog Advantage is a manual for the unorthodox - a carefully curated collection of ideas to inspire the underdog in all of us, packed with stories of human courage, boldness and smart opportunism. Highly useful, hugely entertaining, full of wisdom.” 
Orlando Wood CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, SYSTEM ONE. AUTHOR, LEMON AND LOOK OUT. 

“Being an underdog is easy to like but hard to endure - and even harder to choose. Meikle and Temple don’t just explain why we root for the underestimated; they hand you the blueprint to become dangerously underestimated yourself. A rare book that turns disadvantage into strategy and underdogs into leaders of the pack.” 
Antonis Kocheilas, GLOBAL PRESIDENT STRATEGY & SOLUTIONS, WPP


“At a time when the advertising industry can seem in thrall to automated commodification, this book entertainingly and powerfully restates the case for human ingenuity and the relationship between risk and reward.” 
Tom Knox, CHAIRMAN, HISTORY OF ADVERTISING TRUST, FORMER IPA PRESIDENT 

“The Underdog Advantage did something rare for me for a ‘business book’ and it lit a fire under my own thinking. You come away not just understanding the underdog mindset, but with real strategies you can put to work in your own marketing toolkit. It’s a sharp, energising read for anyone who’s ever felt like they’re playing catch-up which to be honest is most of us most of the time.” 
Leanda Trethewey FORMER MARKETING DIRECTOR, FREEMANS, SKYBET 

“This is a great book for any marketeer. It shows the importance of challenging yourself and your brand and proves so well how an underdog can win and be dangerous to those who follow convention.” 
Trevor James FORMER MANAGING DIRECTOR, SEKONDA UK

“For too long being underdog has been seen as lacking advantage, guile and achievement. But there are hundreds of successful underdogs in our industry - many who’ve maintained that success over many years, others who started out that way and are now defined as something else. And now, we have a book that celebrates what a successful underdog really means - and helps leaders of these businesses capitalise on that position. Read it, learn from it, share it - used wisely, the lessons in this book will become your unfair advantage”. 
Becky McKinlay, MANAGING DIRECTOR, OYSTERCATCHERS 

“In theory we all root for the underdog. But in reality too many businesses make the short journey from underdog to dead dog. What Meikle and Temple do in this provocative and entertaining book is show not only how brands facing dominant competition can avoid the trip to the vet, but how by embracing the opportunities to think and act differently like an underdog, they can unlock real competitive advantage to flip the odds in their favour.” 
John Crowther ADVERTISING, BRAND AND MARKETING CONSULTANT AND AUTHOR. 

“The best campaigns aren’t usually won by the biggest budget in the room; they are won by the sharpest thinking, the most stubborn belief, and the willingness to fight the battle on different terms. Conviction. Endurance. Asymmetrical thinking. This book takes the traits every great underdog brand shares and turns them into a repeatable system. So, whether you’re a challenger brand, a scrappy start-up, or a market leader who’s forgotten how to think like one, The Underdog Advantage is essential reading. Read it immediately before your competitors do.” 
Aimee Luther MANAGING DIRECTOR, LIBERTY GUILD


“Clear. Inarguable. And timely. If enough business owners, their marketing departments and people working in every department of the agencies read The Underdog Advantage, then we should be able to expect a big improvement in the quality and effectiveness of the marketing we’re bombarded with (and mostly ignoring). Fingers crossed.” 
Nigel Roberts EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, THIRTY6