Johan Snällfot, Partner at Lynxeye, suggests how AI can truly be a strategic tool for business and brand growth.
Opportunities ahead
AI + strategy = true
The rise of AI has sparked countless conversations in boardrooms and strategy sessions. But one question keeps coming up in discussions I’ve had with clients: Can AI truly be a strategic tool for business and brand growth?
My answer is yes—but with a big IF. Success doesn’t come from generic solutions. To make AI a competitive advantage, it must be tailored to your organization’s unique challenges, goals, and ecosystem.
AI often misses the mark
When speaking with clients, one challenge I hear repeatedly is that off-the-shelf AI tools just aren’t built for their specific needs or strategies. Many of these systems rely on foundational models designed for general use cases, which means they’re not equipped to adapt to the nuances of your business or industry. Worse, these models are often built on outdated data, making them less relevant for today’s fast-changing markets.
Another frequent concern is that using the same AI tools as everyone else produces the same results. I’ve seen companies struggle to differentiate themselves because they’re drawing insights from the same systems as their competitors. If everyone is relying on the same approach, finding unique opportunities—and standing out in the market—becomes nearly impossible.
A final challenge I’ve encountered is that AI tools can feel disconnected from the rest of the organization. Clients have told me about sophisticated AI solutions that generate great insights but struggle to integrate with their operational systems.
A truly strategic AI tool needs to fit seamlessly into your ecosystem, helping you set rules, delegate tasks, and align with your business processes. Without this integration, even the best AI tool can feel like an isolated experiment instead of a driver of real impact.
What to prioritize
Look for tools that offer deep, up-to-date market insights
AI can only guide strategy effectively if it’s built on a foundation of real-time data. The best tools provide insights into market trends, customer behaviors, and industry shifts, helping you stay ahead of the curve.
Prioritize tools that can incorporate your own, high-quality data
Your proprietary data is one of your biggest competitive advantages. By using an AI tool that leverages your unique information, you can generate insights tailored to your specific context, rather than relying on generic assumptions.
Choose tools built specifically for strategy and innovation
AI tools that focus on operational efficiency won’t necessarily help you refine your business strategy, enhance your brand, or innovate your products. A purpose-built tool ensures that insights align with your strategic goals and are actionable for your team.
Demand actionable and relevant recommendations
A tool is only as good as what you can do with it. The best AI tools don’t just generate data—they provide clear, practical recommendations that help you turn insights into impact.
What’s next
Making AI work for you
The future of AI lies beyond being a productivity enhancer—it can be a growth engine for your business and brand. Your organization can achieve differentiation and thrive in a competitive market, if you invest in well-designed tools that integrate seamlessly with your ecosystem.
This way, AI becomes an opportunity to lead. We see that the organizations that embrace this potential are unlocking new growth paths, creating standout experiences, and setting the pace for their industries.
If you’re grappling with how to make AI work for your strategy, let’s talk. I’d love to share what we’ve learned and explore what we can do for you.
Johan Snällfot, Partner
Johan is passionate about providing businesses with resilient competitive edge by connecting insights to strong strategies and customer-centric ways of working. He has international experience from a wide variety of industries and geographic markets, and heads up Insights skills development at Lynxeye.
