Semi Finalist
Assessment:
Plot: Creating Superfans is an incredibly relevant, on-point guide applicable to a wide array of business models. Readers will find it full of manageable advice, useful tips, and handy follow-up summaries that break down the information into bite-sized pieces.
Prose: Deviating from similar guides, Hodak uses informal prose that perfectly matches her book’s tone. Readers will find the writing style makes the information understandable and enjoyable.
Originality: Hodak manages to combine serious business know-how with a lighthearted, accessible atmosphere, creating a fully original—and contemporary—guide.
Character/Execution: Hodak perfectly executes her goal through rich, meaningful guidance presented in an entertaining way. The graphics serve a purpose as much as they are visually appealing, and Hodak’s real-life examples simplify her model.
Date Submitted: January 17, 2023
Hodak’s star player is the customer experience, and she notes that regardless of what a business says about its brand, the customers’ word of mouth is the most efficient way to spread brand awareness, even in the social-media age. Hodak continually emphasizes that a brand is molded “in every interaction with every customer,” debunking, in persuasive examples, the notion that it’s the end products themselves that speak the loudest. She writes with the authority and enthusiasm of a coach. Practical tools include her Ladder to Superfandom, which clearly lays out seven key steps businesses should endeavor to guide their customers through: apathy, awareness, attraction, action, adoption, affinity, and finally advocacy.
Organized for clarity and quick reference, and boasting a host of graphs, diagrams, and catchy acronyms, Creating Superfans is an easy-to-follow guide packed with general knowhow, real-world examples, and telling personal anecdotes relating to customer experience and brand building. Hodak closes each chapter with a bite-sized, comprehensive overview of that chapter’s information in the "Superquick! Rewind" infographic, offering snapshots for quick reference. Readers will be entertained by this aesthetically pleasing, informative reference guide that they will be able to refer back to for multiple uses, plus a motivational refresher when branding and growing their businesses.
Takeaway: A savvy guide to turning customers into loyal advocates.
Great for fans of: Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles; Heart and Hustle by Patricia Bright
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
