The Agile Consumer: Navigating the Empowered Economy and the Future of Customer Experience

Description

We are living in an agile world. What started with technologists and marketers has spread across entire organizations, and didn't stop there. Consumers are thinking agile as well. They are more willing to be part of product development and the process of building brands than ever before, due to a number of social, technological, and economic factors. Also, as employees, they are also more interested in sharing values with the companies they work for, and are looking for new types of management and work environments. All of this adds up to the makings of an Agile World led by newly-empowered consumers in an evolving economy.The book gives practical examples of how agile thinking and approaches, as well as a shift in consumer behavior, are changing the brand-consumer relationship with the opportunity for better outcomes for both. As brands become more sophisticated and consumers have an increasing amount of choices, the power dynamic in the brand-consumer relationship has shifted to giving consumers more control than ever before. While this is a shift from the early days of branding and marketing, it is one that provides new opportunities for consumers and positions brands as facilitators of an evolving creative economy. It provides examples of how companies like Procter & Gamble, ING, Google, Betabrand, LEGO, and others are shaping this new dynamic while achieving innovative and profitable outcomes.The book features a foreword from Lisa Nirell, Chief Energy Officer of EnergizeGrowth and author of EnergizeGrowth NOW: The Marketing Guide to a Wealthy Company and The Mindful Marketer: How to Stay Present and Profitable in a Data-Driven World.The Agile Consumer is the third book in Kihlstroem's Agile series, which started with 2016's The Agile Web, exploring how the agile methodology applied properly website design, can create dramatic improvements in their efforts. 2018's The Agile Brand explored how brands that embrace consumer feedback and create a "living" brand that evolves over time while staying true to their values.

Greg Kihlstroem is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and award-winning digital strategist who has worked with some of the world's top brands. He was the founder & CEO of Carousel30, a digital agency acquired by Yes& in 2017. He is an award-winning creative director and digital strategist who has worked with top brands, including AOL, Choice Hotels, Coca-Cola, GEICO, Marriott Hotels, MTV, Starbucks, Toyota and United Nations. He is currently serving as Vice President on the American Advertising Federation District 2 (Mid-Atlantic Region) Board of Directors, Chair of the American Advertising Federation's National Innovation Committee, and the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Marketing Industry Mentorship Board.Greg's latest book, The Agile Brand (2018) follows the evolution of branding from its beginnings to the authentic relationship with brands that modern consumers want, and gives practical examples of what you can do to create a more modern, agile brand while staying true to your core values. His first book, The Agile Web (2016), discusses the changing landscape of digital marketing and customer experience. His podcast, The Agile World, launched in early 2019 and discusses brand strategy, marketing, and customer experience. Greg was named a 2018 50 on Fire winner from DC Inno as one of the trendsetters in Media, Marketing and PR in Washington DC. He is a regular contributing writer to Forbes, Social Media Today, and Capitol Communicator and has been featured in publications such as Advertising Age, SmartCEO, Website Magazine, iMedia Connection, and The Washington Post. He's participated as a keynote speaker, panelist and moderator at industry events around the world including Internet Week New York, Internet Summit, EventTech, SMX Social Media, Social Media Week, Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit, ABA Bank Marketing Summit, and ADWKDC, among others. He has guest lectured at several schools including VCU Brandcenter, Georgetown University, Duke University, American University, University of Maryland, Howard University and Virginia Tech.