Lean Startup author Eric Ries on building a brand for the long term

Lean Startup author Eric Ries on building a brand for the long term

From The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® | What CMOs Need to Know About Marketing Technology, AI & CX by The Agile Brand

May 27, 2026 · 40 min · Season 8 · Episode 866

About this episode

Eric Ries discusses the challenges of maintaining a brand's core mission amidst pressures for short-term growth.

In an era of relentless pressure for quarterly growth, is it even possible for a large brand to stay true to its core mission, or is compromising a brand’s values just an inevitable part of achieving scale? Agility requires more than just reacting quickly to market changes. It requires a resilient, long-term mission that acts as a north star, ensuring that every pivot and experiment builds enduring value, not just short-term gains. Today, we're going to talk about the tension that every marketing leader feels: the conflict between the relentless demand for measurable, short-term results and the need to build a brand with a durable, long-term mission. We’ll explore how the very systems designed to measure success can sometimes corrupt a company's purpose, and how a new definition of value can create a strategic advantage that outlasts fleeting market trends. To help me discuss this topic, I'd like to welcome, Eric Ries, Author of The Lean Startup, and the new book, Incorruptible. About Eric Ries Over the last two decades, Eric Ries’s ideas about continuous innovation, long-term thinking, governance, and market reform have reshaped company building and management practices. He is…

People in this episode

Host: Greg Kihlström

Guest: Eric Ries

Topics covered

  • brand building
  • long-term mission
  • agility in marketing
  • measurable results
  • value creation
  • continuous innovation

Keywords

  • Lean Startup
  • brand values
  • long-term strategy
  • marketing leadership
  • agility
  • innovation
  • value measurement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Lean Startup, The Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE), Answer.AI, Lean Startup Co

Books & works: The Lean Startup, Incorruptible

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