A Retail Reality Check: Insights from Edelman’s Global Chief Brand Officer Jackie Cooper

Welcome to the The Voice of Retail , I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, and this podcast is brought to you in conjunction with Retail Council of Canada.

Heading into the third year and 5th wave of the pandemic, facets of the retail landscape continue to play catch-up with rapidly evolving consumer behaviour and brand strategy.

So, in this episode, let’s take a moment to refresh our look at the latest trends that are influencing consumers and brands in the ongoing COVID era.

Jackie Cooper, Global Chief Brand Officer and Senior Advisor at Edelman, joins me from across the pond in London for today’s deep dive on The Voice of Retail.

Jackie stands on years of entrepreneurial experience in global brand, creative and business strategy and calls on her work to guide us through a reality check on the evolution of retail marketing in the post-pandemic world.

Thanks for tuning into this special episode of The Voice of Retail.  If you haven’t already, be sure and click subscribe on your favourite podcast platform so new episodes will land automatically twice a week, and check out my other retail industry media properties; the Remarkable Retail podcast, the Conversations with CommerceNext podcast, and the Food Professor podcast.  Last but not least, if you are into Barbeque, check out my all new YouTube barbecue show, Last Request Barbeque, with new episodes each and every week!

I’m your host Michael LeBlanc, President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company & Maven Media, and if you’re looking for more content, or want to chat  follow me on LinkedIn, or visit my website meleblanc.co!  Have a safe week everyone!

About Jackie Cooper

Entrepreneur, brand and reputation strategist, protector and promoter for noteworthy individuals, business and causes.  Special interest in the intersection of brand, culture, entertainment, and impact.  NED for Jamie Oliver, Trustee for Grow, a children’s teaching programme on food & nutrition, Advisor for start-up brand business.

Jackie currently oversees the business of brand at Edelman, a global communications firm that partners with businesses and organizations to evolve, promote and protect their brands and reputations. With over 6,000 people in more than 60 offices delivering communications strategies around the world, she leads a global brand network that creates integrated campaigns for commercial and purposeful impact.

In 1987 she co-founded PR & Marketing agency JCPR,  awarded for cultural impactful campaigns including the launch of O2, Wonderbra, Mary Kate & Ashley, PlayStation, Wembley Stadium and the final flight for Concorde. JCPR was acquired by Edelman in 2004 and Jackie served as Creative Director on campaigns including Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, Dirt is Good for Omo/Unilever and the Halo launch for Xbox. She then became Global Creative Chair, joining the Executive Committee and establishing the firm’s formal creative offering, building a global community of 650 creatives, planners and production talent. She led Edelman’s debut at Cannes and overseeing the firm’s first foray into entering the Lions, garnered 65 awards within the first 3 years.

Jackie ensures that brands nail their potential via seamless multi-stakeholder, omni-channel campaigns, driven by the agency’s extensive resource across data, insight, innovation & creative ideation. She continues to work with high profile names who have achieved fame, ensuring they are protected, while helping them establish the foundations for a compelling business and legacy.

Jackie became the first woman to be inducted into the PR Week UK Hall of Fame in 2018 and is an industry mentor.  She is married with two grown up daughters.

About Michael

Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated on thought leadership panels worldwide.  Michael was recently added to ReThink Retail’s prestigious Top 100 Global Retail Influencers for a second year in  2022.

Michael is also the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts, including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus the Remarkable Retail with author Steve Dennis, Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois.  Most recently, Michael launched Conversations with CommerceNext, a podcast focussed on retail eCommerce, digital marketing and retail careers - all available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and all major podcast platforms.   Michael is also the producer and host of the “Last Request Barbeque” channel on YouTube where he cooks meals to die for and influencer riches.

Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur.  He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. 

Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google.  He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.

Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fifth year in a row, the National Retail Federation has designated Michael as on their Top Retail Voices for 2025, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer.  If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.

Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.