meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX

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

The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX

The Agile Brand

Business, Marketing

4.9113 Ratings

🗓️ 27 May 2026

⏱️ 40 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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 the creator of the Lean Startup method, and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Lean Startup; The Leader’s Guide; and The Startup Way. As a founder, he has put his own ideas into practice with The Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE); Answer.AI, an AI R&D lab; the Lean Startup Co, which teaches and supports the implementation of Lean Startup; Virgil, a legal services startup; and IMVU, where the ideas that became the Lean Startup method were forged. On his podcast, The Eric Ries Show, he talks to guests including world-class technologists, thought leaders, and executives working to build profitable companies for the long-term benefit of society. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children.

Eric Ries on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eries/

---------- Resources ----------

The Lean Startup: https://www.leanstartup.co

The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://aglbrnd.co/r/2868abd8085a9703

Get Incorruptible by Eric Ries: https://amzn.to/4dERCRy


Drive your customers to new horizons at the premier retail event of the year for Retail and Brand marketers. Learn more at CRMC 2026, June 1-3. https://aglbrnd.co/r/d15ec37a537c0d74


We’re proud to be a media partner for #MAICON26 - Oct. 13-15! Learn how AI can power your marketing and business and help you grow smarter. Use code AGILE150 to save! https://aglbrnd.co/r/7fe458ced0f04658


Reach your customers with Reddit. Spend $500 in ad spend, get $500 back in ad credit! Learn more: https://advertalize.com/r/491818c79fb1873f


Don't miss We Make Future - the International Festival of Innovation in AI, Tech, and Digital Marketing, June 24-26 in Bologna. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/c80991afff416bb2


The most influential minds in software, AI, and engineering leadership will be at WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America, September 23-25 in San Jose. Learn more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/60a7299222a7bcf1

Enjoyed the show? Tell us more at and give us a rating so others can find the show at: https://aglbrnd.co/r/faaed112fc9887f3


Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom


Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://aglbrnd.co/r/35ded3ccfb6716ba


Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com


The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

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 value is just an inevitable part of achieving scale?

0:11.0

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 games.

0:24.9

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.

0:36.3

We're going to explore how the very systems designed to measure success

0:39.4

can sometimes corrupt a company's purpose

0:41.4

and how a new definition of value can create a strategic advantage

0:45.4

that outlasts fleeting market trends.

0:50.9

Welcome to Season 8 of the Agile Brand Podcast.

0:54.0

This season, we're going all in on expert mode MARTEC, AI, and customer experience,

0:58.7

talking with the people and platforms behind the brands you know and love.

1:02.2

Again, I'm your host, Greg Kilstrom, and I help Fortune 1000 companies make sense of MARTEC, AI, and marketing ops.

1:08.6

Hit subscribe or follow to make sure you always get the latest episodes and leave us a rating

1:12.7

so others can find us as well.

1:15.7

And make sure you check out our sponsor Tech Systems, an industry leader in full stack

1:19.5

technology services, talent services, and real world adoption.

1:23.7

For more information, go to TechSystems.com.

1:26.7

Now let's dive in.

1:31.5

Tell me discuss this topic.

1:36.7

I'd like to welcome Eric Reese, author of the Lean Startup and the new book, Incorruptible.

1:38.3

Eric, welcome to the show.

1:39.8

Hey, thanks for having me on.

1:46.7

Yeah, really looking forward to definitely a huge fan of your other book that people might have heard of Lean Startup.

...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 20 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Agile Brand, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Agile Brand and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.