"You're gonna run up a hundred wrong hills, and you're still not gonna get a good understanding of the map."

Alexander Osterwalder, co-author of Value Proposition Design and founder of Strategyzer, returns for Part 2 of our series. Last week: which projects to retire. This week: value proposition design in the age of AI — why generative AI can formulate a brilliant value proposition, but only if you've done the homework it cannot do for you.

In this conversation, Alex reveals:

Why building fast with AI without validated customer jobs, pains and gains is "running up a hundred wrong hills"
The four foundations of an irresistible value proposition — and why even world-class brands can't show quantitative evidence for the first one
Why teams differentiate against competitors instead of through the customer's eyes
The Value Stack, Strategyzer's new tool for prioritising the benefits customers actually care about
Should you feed your secret formula into enterprise AI? Alex's two answers to the data-privacy dilemma
Why the fear of AI handing your value proposition to competitors is — for now — irrational
Why marketing teams "shouldn't be writing a word" — and how to turn Gen AI into rocket fuel instead of a shortcut
The B2B trap: designing for users when decision-makers sign the cheque
How a solo inventor should ABC-test differentiators and pricing with three landing pages
The Roger Federer analogy: why e-learning alone will never make you world-class
Why growth is a profession you learn, not a creative gift

00:00 Building Fast Up the Wrong Hill

00:25 Validate Customers with Evidence

01:07 A Word from Our Sponsor, Kyndryl

01:45 How Teams Misuse AI in Value Proposition Design

02:59 Why a Value Proposition Is Not a Writing Exercise

03:55 The Four Ingredients of an Irresistible Value Proposition

05:59 Benefits Backed by Proof

06:50 Differentiate Through the Customer's Eyes

07:58 The Process and the Playbook

10:06 AI Only Works After the Homework

11:55 The Data Privacy Dilemma

13:04 Safe Models and Why Your Value Proposition Is Unique

16:41 Stop Wordsmithing, Start Iterating

17:05 The Gen AI Playbook, Step by Step

18:58 Inside the Playbook Library

19:52 B2B: Users vs Decision-Makers

22:05 Listener Discount and Webinar Details

23:07 Advice for Builders and Entrepreneurs

26:11 Discipline Beats Creativity

27:02 The Roger Federer Coach Analogy

30:07 The Party Trick: Evaluating Business Ideas

31:51 Wrap Up and Thanks to Kyndryl

Explore the Strategyzer playbook library at https://www.strategyzer.com — Innovation Show listeners get 20% off with the code INNOVATIONSHOW20.

This series is brought to you by Kyndryl, who run and reimagine the technology systems that drive advantage for the world's leading businesses. With a unique blend of AI-powered consulting built on unmatched managed-service capability, Kyndryl helps leaders harness technology for smarter decisions, faster innovation, and lasting competitive edge. Learn more about Kyndryl and the Kyndryl Institute at https://www.kyndryl.com.

Sign up for the Kyndryl Institute at https://www.kyndryl.com/institute and send us a screenshot for a chance to win a copy of Value Proposition Design, with thanks to Kyndryl.

About The Innovation Show: the Thinkers50-recognised podcast where square pegs find their place in a world of round holes. Hosted by Aidan McCullen, author of Undisruptable, it brings you conversations with world-class authors, scientists and practitioners on disruption, innovation, change, transformation and leadership.

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Alex Osterwalder — Value Proposition Design in the Age of AI (Part 2)

The Innovation Show

Alex Osterwalder — Value Proposition Design in the Age of AI (Part 2)