Shift Ahead: How the Best Companies Stay Relevant in a Fast-Changing World by Allen Adamson and Joel Steckel
Allen is a branding expert, a Forbes.com columnist, and the author of other books including BrandSimple and BrandDigital.
Allen is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Metaforce , a marketing and product consultancy which takes a multi-disciplinary channel-agnostic approach to marketing challenges.
Prior to this Allen was Chairman of Landor Associates, a global communications and brand strategy consultancy.
Before leading Landor, Allen worked on both the agency and the “client side” of the industry. At Unilever he was a marketing executive across a number of major packaged goods brands. He also held senior management positions at Ogilvy & Mather and DMB&B.
The Host’s Perspective:
Sort of like eating kale or other vegetables you tend to avoid but know you should eat, ongoing disruption and innovation is the lifeblood of the survival of any business.
In business you either innovate or die, right?
The challenge for innovators, however, is how to keep an eye on the future and an edge on the competition while remaining focused on their company’s unique strengths.
And with the velocity of change increasing, for business leaders it can feel like a dizzying balancing act.
Based on extensive research and decades of experience working with iconic brands, the authors present a simple framework for maintaining the balance and flexibility essential to surviving and thriving in a marketplace where change is the only constant.
My favorite part of the book is about the seven red flags that companies should watch for because if any one of them is present, the chances are not good for a company’s ability to innovate and shift ahead.
But the central premise of the book is that to remain relevant, businesses must indisputably know why they matter to their customers.
Listen to the Interview:
Show Notes
Writing That Works; How to Communicate Effectively In Business by Ken Roman
CMO Today: P&G Cuts More Agency Fees; Agency-Client Harassment Lawsuit; Super Bowl Ad Ban (Wall Street Journal)
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Shift Ahead (Book Website)
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