Preparing Your Brand for Wilderness Survival with Jonathan David Lewis
b'\\u201cResearch shows that our psychology is very similar in situations where we\\u2019re struggling with branding and marketing challenges and when we\\u2019ve crash-landed on a mountain.\\u201d Today\\u2019s marketplace is chaotic. Jonathan David Lewis, partner at McKee Wallwork + Company, calls this new normal we find ourselves in \\u201cthe wild.\\u201d This is the focus of his new book, Brand vs. Wild: Building Resilient Brands for Harsh Business Environments. We chatted about survival, leadership, and how your brand can avoid walking in circles on this week\\u2019s episode of the On Brand podcast.\\xa0\\nAbout\\xa0Jonathan David Lewis\\nThe author of Brand vs. Wild: Building Resilient Brands for Harsh Business Environments, Jonathan David Lewis is an engaging and authoritative speaker on shaping a brand that can survive\\u2014and thrive\\u2014in today\\u2019s tough, uncertain world.\\nAs 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.\\nA branding and business strategist, Jonathan honed his skills during the lean years of the Great Recession, helping brands navigate today\\u2019s unforgiving new business paradigms. Jonathan\\u2019s 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.\\nEpisode Highlights\\nWhat happens when we find ourselves and our businesses in this chaotic wild? \\u201cWe\\u2019re overwhelmed. There are seven factors that affect business growth. Three are external \\u2014 the economy, aggressive competition, and industry disruption. The other four are internal factors.\\u201d These can be especially damaging for brands today.\\n\\u201cThe wild turns brands wild.\\u201d We get erratic and inconsistent. \\u201cWhat used to work \\u2014 things like size \\u2014 are a vulnerability today. And when you\\u2019re lost, you lose your confidence and increase your fear.\\u201d\\nWhat do most of us do when we\\u2019re lost in the wild? Lewis pointed us to the research of Dr. John Leach, one of the world\\u2019s leading experts on survival psychology, noting the 10-80-10 theory. This states that in survival situations, 10% are prepared, 80% are paralyzed, and 10% panic. \\u201cFight, flight, and freeze. You see this in brands too \\u2014 especially recently with United and Pepsi.\\u201d\\nSo, what do you do when you discover that you\\u2019re lost as a brand? \\u201cSTOP. It\\u2019s the hardest thing to do. It\\u2019s an acronym survivalists use \\u2014 Stop, Think, Observe, Plan. Take the time to orient yourself. That\\u2019s how you avoid walking in circles.\\u201d\\nWhat brand has made Jonathan smile recently? \\u201cI\\u2019d have to say Carls Jr.\\u201d Lewis cited their abandonment of their previous sex-focused strategy. Go Daddy has done something similar as well, trading the axiom of \\u201csex sells\\u201d for telling better stories about small business websites.\\nTo learn more, go to jonathandavidlewis.com and you can check out the book on Amazon.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'