The Subversive Go-to-Market: Why Legitimacy Beats Features

Ian Bergman sits down with entrepreneur and author Alistair Croll, Founder of Fwd50 a to unpack ideas from his new book Just Evil Enough: The Subversive Marketing Handbook. They explore why product-market fit is no longer enough, how product-market-medium fit wins today, and why legitimacy—not features—decides who gets chosen in crowded markets.

Croll shares a builder-friendly approach to go-to-market: crafting “zero-day” marketing moves, spotting weak signals, and exploiting asymmetries competitors can’t or won’t match. From Dropbox’s built-in virality to IKEA’s customer-assembled value chain and Taylor Swift’s “Taylor’s Version” legitimacy hack, Ian and Alistair map the playbook for standing out when anyone can “vibe-code” a product.

You’ll hear a timely framework for the era of a million tiny horses (niche winners), the shift from an attention economy to an outcome economy, and a clear ethical line—Don’t Actually Be Evil—for running bold, subversive campaigns without crossing into fraud or harm.

Takeaways

• Think in mediums: Aim for product-market-medium fit; platforms have norms, mechanics, and governance you must design for.

• Compete on legitimacy: Make your offer incomparable so you’re chosen, not just compared.

• Hunt weak signals: Look for early indicators that, if true, unlock outsized advantage.

• Exploit asymmetry: Build plays rivals can’t respond to without breaking their own model.

• Disrupt the value chain: Merge, split, reorder, or reassign steps (à la IKEA, Talk) to create a new reason to choose you.

• Ship zero-day GTM: Treat distribution like product—engineer referral, incentives, and narrative into the build.

• Stay ethical: Subversive ≠ sinister. Set rules like “don’t assume consent” and “don’t commit fraud.”
  

If this conversation sparks ideas, check out Just Evil Enough, and explore more resources at justevilenough.com. Subscribe and share with the innovation agitators on your team.

For full show notes and resources visit: https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts