Marty Neumeier wrote a business thriller

Within the branding community, Marty Neumeier needs no introduction. But just for good measure, here’s a quick rundown: - Director of Transformation for the Liquid Agency - Author of The Brand Gap, hailed as one of the best 100 Business Books of All Time - Also wrote Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands, and Brand A-Z   Marty and I kicked things off talking about his latest book Scramble: A Business Thriller, which launches today on Amazon. What makes Scramble different from Marty’s previous books is that it’s a fictional story. It tells the tale of a CEO and leadership team in peril, with five weeks to turn things around. The story becomes a vehicle for the two core themes of the book: 1. Agile strategy; and 2. Design thinking. Marty and I talked about what inspired him to try out a different format and how the book explores the branding process in a realistic and deeper way than most traditional business books. So, what is agile strategy? Marty uses five strategy Qs (questions) and five design-thinking Ps (principles) to break it down: The five Qs of strategy - What is our purpose? - Who do we serve? - Where should we compete? - How will we win? - How will we grow? The five Ps of design thinking - Problemizing - Pinballing - Probing - Prototyping - Proofing The design thinking principles can be used to help answer some of the strategy questions in a way that forces you to go beyond conventional thinking. I asked Marty about positioning and brand strategy frameworks., and he brought up a model he introduced in his previous book, The Brand Flip: the Brand Commitment Matrix. The Matrix features six boxes, each to be filled with the answer to one of six corresponding questions. To learn more about Marty and his work visit his website, www.martyneumeier.com. I suggest signing up for his newsletter while you’re there. Scramble is now available on Amazon as a paperback, audiobook, or ebook. Or, if you’re interested in a beautiful version with an embossed cover and French folds, visit 800ceoread.com. Even better, if you order two or more copies, you’ll receive a 40% discount! Below, you’ll find the full transcript of the episode (may contain typos and/or transcription errors). Click above to listen to the episode, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or elsewhere to hear every episode of How Brands Are Built.  Today’s episode is sponsored by Squadhelp. To begin a business name contest with hundreds of business naming experts, check out their services to get a fresh perspective on your company.