Brand vs. Wild: Building Resilient Brands for Harsh Business Environments

Jonathan David Lewis

Apr 2017 · Routledge

About this ebook

Today’s business leaders operate in an increasingly harsh environment. Uncertainty in the economy causes paralysis. Quarterly goals drive short-term and shortsighted decisions. Workforce mobility kills loyalty. Iconic products decline as fast as start-ups create new categories. And the pressure to do more with less, combined with the multiplicity of available marketing tools and technology, can be overwhelming.

Now more than ever, brands and the people who lead them need clarity and guidance. The good news is that people have found ways to thrive in harsh environments for millennia. Author Jonathan David Lewis, combining the lessons of group survival dynamics with more than a decade of proprietary research into the factors that cause companies to lose their way, shows leaders how to thrive in unforgiving business environments by learning to:

• Focus on navigating risk instead of trying to measure or reduce it.
• Cultivate your brand’s will to live by staying positive and asking the most important question: Are you worth it?
• Read the brand signs by observing the market, keeping an eye on performance measures, engaging your team, and listening to your gut.
• Develop a concept of "mission" to ensure internal alignment and reduce friction.
• Act with urgency rather than waiting for the right circumstance.

Brand vs. Wild helps readers understand the wilderness in which they find their companies and identify the specific steps they must take to thrive in the Brand Wilderness. There is hope in a harsh business world. And Brand vs. Wild is it.

About the author

Jonathan David Lewis is an engaging and authoritative speaker and author on shaping a brand that can survive—and thrive—in today’s tough, uncertain world. As partner and strategy director at McKee Wallwork + Company, Jonathan led his firm to be recognized by industry purveyor Advertising Age as a national leader in branding and marketing, winning the Southwest Small Agency of the Year, national B2B Campaign of the Year, and national Best Places to Work awards.

A branding and business strategist, Jonathan honed his skills during the lean years of the Great Recession, helping brands navigate today’s unforgiving new business paradigms. Jonathan’s opinions are highly sought by numerous business and marketing publications, including Forbes, Digiday, and Advertising Age, where he explores the factors that lead to stalled growth and the principles proven to help companies navigate the ambiguities and dangers of the brand wilderness.