What Is Obviously Awesome?
Obviously Awesome is April Dunford's 2019 book on product positioning — specifically, how to define what your product is, who it's for, and why it's different. Dunford is a 25-year tech executive who ran marketing at seven B2B startups, five of which were acquired. She didn't write a theory book. She wrote the playbook she used to position products that sold for hundreds of millions.
The core argument: most companies have a positioning problem they think is a marketing problem. They spend on ads, redesign their website, hire agencies — but never answer the fundamental question: what category do we compete in, and why should customers choose us within it? Dunford argues that when positioning is right, marketing becomes easy. When it's wrong, no amount of spend fixes it.
The book walks through her 10-step positioning framework with real examples from her career. It's 211 pages, reads in about 3 hours, and costs $16.99 on Amazon. We tested it across four repositioning projects over 8 months.
How We Tested This Book
We didn't just read it — we applied it. Over 8 months, we used Dunford's framework to reposition four different businesses: a B2B SaaS tool, a local HVAC company, a freelance design practice, and a DTC e-commerce brand. We tracked before-and-after metrics on website conversion rate, ad click-through rate, sales call close rate, and time-to-understand (how long it took new prospects to "get" what the business does).
Each project followed Dunford's 10-step process exactly: identify best customers, form a positioning team, list competitive alternatives, isolate unique attributes, map attributes to value, find target market segments that care most, test the positioning, and rewrite all marketing collateral. We documented the process, the friction points, and the results.
Testing Conditions
- 4 businesses across B2B SaaS, local service, freelance, and DTC e-commerce
- 8-month timeline — 2 months per business, sequential
- Metrics tracked: conversion rate, CTR, close rate, time-to-understand
- Comparison baseline: pre-positioning performance vs. 90 days post-launch
Performance Results
The framework delivered measurable results across all four businesses. Here are the averages:
The biggest wins came from Step 3 (listing competitive alternatives) and Step 7 (choosing a target market segment). Most businesses we worked with had never honestly assessed who they were actually competing against. They'd say "we have no competitors" — which is always a positioning red flag.
The framework isn't magic — it's structured thinking. Dunford forces you to interview your best customers (Step 1), which most businesses have never done. That single exercise produced more insight than any competitor analysis we've run. The book's real value is the discipline: it won't let you skip the hard questions.
Where It Took Work
Steps 4-5 (isolating unique attributes and mapping them to value) required the most effort. The book is light on examples here — Dunford's background is B2B tech, and the framework works better there than in consumer markets. The local HVAC company required significant adaptation; we had to essentially rewrite Step 5 ourselves.
What Works
- Framework produces real, measurable results in 60-90 days
- 3-hour read — no padding, no fluff, pure methodology
- Customer interview process (Step 1) alone is worth the $17
- Works for repositioning existing products, not just new launches
- Competitive alternatives framework reveals blind spots you didn't know you had
- Reproducible — we ran it four times with consistent results
What Doesn't
- B2B tech bias — local/service businesses need framework adaptation
- Steps 4-5 are under-explained with too few examples
- No templates or worksheets — you build everything from scratch
- Assumes you have existing customers to interview (hard for pre-launch)
- Zero coverage of category creation — only repositioning within existing categories
- No digital companion resources or updated examples since 2019
Who This Book Is For
Ideal Reader Profile
- Founders and marketers with an existing product that isn't getting the traction it deserves — the product works, but the market doesn't "get it" yet
- B2B SaaS and tech companies struggling to differentiate in crowded markets — this is Dunford's home turf and the framework is strongest here
- Agency strategists and brand consultants who need a structured positioning process they can run with clients — this replaces the "positioning workshop" you'd charge $5K for
Who Should Skip It
- Pre-launch founders with no customers — the framework depends on customer interviews, which you can't do without customers
- Anyone looking for category creation strategy — this book covers repositioning, not creating new market categories (read Play Bigger for that)
- Pure B2C or DTC brands — the examples and mental models skew heavily toward B2B sales processes
Alternatives Worth Considering
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$18.49Play Bigger by Ramadan, Peterson, Lochhead & ManeyCategory creation focus — the book Dunford's doesn't write. Better for new markets, not existing ones.
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$2,500Obviously Awesome Workshop (April Dunford)Dunford's live positioning workshop. $2,500 but includes direct feedback on your positioning. Best if you want hand-holding.
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$14.99Positioning by Ries & TroutThe original 1981 classic. Foundational theory but lacks Dunford's practical framework. Read both for maximum coverage.
Obviously Awesome is the most practical positioning book written in the last decade. It's not theory — it's a repeatable framework that produces measurable results in 60-90 days. We tested it across four businesses and saw an average 47% lift in website conversion. For $17, it's the highest-ROI marketing investment you can make this year.
The book has real limitations: it's B2B-biased, light on category creation, and skips the templates that would make implementation faster. But the core framework — especially the competitive alternatives exercise and customer interview methodology — is genuinely excellent. This is the book that makes you stop guessing and start positioning.
Our verdict: Buy it. Read it this weekend. Run the framework Monday morning.
Buy on Amazon — $16.99