The New Abnormal

Series OneThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal featured Gideon Wilkins, Head of Research at McCann Central.  (Part of McCann Worldgroup, who have an integrated network of advertising agencies in over 120 countries). Prior to joining McCann's, Gideon was the Global Brand Guidance Director at Kantar Millward Brown, based in Shanghai. In this podcast, he discusses the findings and implications of some fascinating natural language analysis that the agency has been conducting. In doing so, Gideon explains the insights gained via integrating multi-source and AI-analytics in conversational data, regarding the present and future self. We debate issues such as clarifying meaningful roles for brands in the context of C19, leveraging a 5C's ethos; and the vital role that disruption plays for legacy and challenger brands, for instance regarding System 1 & 2 thinking.

Series One In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Kate Shepherd, Director and Co-founder of The Future Collective. She specialises in strategic design direction and cultural intelligence, based on 25+ years experience in the design industry where her clients ranged from Rolls-Royce to adidas to P&G. After working for leading agencies inc Imagination, Checkland Kindleysides, and Fitch, she then co-founded The Future Collective - an alternative consultancy specialising in brand identity and experience design. Crucially, their collective approach offers clients a means of commissioning world-class freelance talent, instead of simply using the standard and more expensive agency model. That collaborative ethos is replicated in different guises in markets and sectors around the world, but it's one in which there is still much to learn from, and of course give back to, in a spirit of 'pass it on' open-source generosity.  Therefore, Kate explains why the Future Collective's approach to collaboration seems to have worked so well, and what the practical lessons are for both client-side marketers and freelance creatives & strategists who may be interested in utilising this dynamic approach.

Series OneIn this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I speak with a truly inspiring individual, Kevin Braddock; who has 25 years' experience as a writer-editor and consultant, leading storytelling projects from conception into reality. He was Features Editor of The Face, Contributing Editor (GQ, Esquire) and Editor-in-Chief (Sleek) and well as being the founder & publisher of Torchlight System: Storytelling For Recovery. In addition, he's author of the renowned "Everything Begins With Asking For Help".In this interview, we discuss his despatches from the cutting-edge of youth culture, hanging out with 'drifting creative dreamers', reaching burnout in Berlin and his hugely impactful writings about dealing with depression / anxiety. He also gives hugely insightful perspectives about his cultural & social observations during the C19 lockdowns, and his considered thoughts about the road ahead. If you ever need kind, actionable and progressive advice about mental illness: Kevin Braddock's insightful viewpoints are a great resource. And as a cultural observer, he's as sharp as he ever was, when uncovering the #FreestyleWheelbarrowScene. Ever seen that hashtagged before?

Series OneThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features a deeply interesting individual... Michael Cohen, based in New York, is a developmental psychologist and the President of MCG NYC, He has a great international reputation, partly due to his immense experience at dealing with crises: ranging from Chernobyl to 9/11.For example, in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks, he counselled the New York City Mayor on the effects of public trauma and advised on the hugely impactful actions that were then taken.So, in the context of C19, we discussed his theory and approach to society/individuals coping - as different from society/individuals recovering.  Along the way we cover everything from Confucius to McDonald's. As you do. Finally, Michael had a cold when we spoke, so he sounds a little rough... 

Series OneIn this early episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Katrina Dodd, Editor at Large, Head of Trends and a writer at the mighty Contagious. She's also a former consultant at Contagious Insider, and has worked on diverse projects for clients inc BBC Worldwide, Universal Music, Louis Vuitton and Diageo. Katrina was also the launch editor of Contagious FEED, a bespoke intelligence service delivering targeted news and insights to a wide range of agency and brand clients. In this interview, we discuss her views on authentic brand behaviour, conscious consumerism, the accusation of 'complicity' towards adland from Extinction Rebellion, and why asking 'Heretical Questions' is so important. 

Series One In this reposted episode, I interview Carsten Beck, who heads up research at the famous Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS). I've known him for years, and we've given speeches together in various parts of the world over the last decade. He also kindly gave highly insightful quotes for my books. CIFS specialises in scenario planning, trend analysis and risk management for clients in a wide number of countries inc: the US, Norway, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, The Czech Republic, Dubai, China and Japan. In the podcast, recorded soon after the Covid crisis began, we discussed 'tech optimism', why trust is of such paramount importance, and his career in H3 scenario planning and strategy development...

Series One In this episode, I interviewed the dynamic Joanna Catalano. Her cv is daunting - President of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific / Board Member of WGI Worldwide / Advisor to Enrupt / the D&AD Impact Council / and President of the Female Founders - Singapore Chapter. Previously, she spent several years as a Regional Head at Google, and she has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. In the podcast, we discuss her views on issues ranging from leadership in our contemporary social / business environment, HR and spiral dynamics, values communication, the future of work, brand authenticity, sustainability and the power of community. (Please note: following our interview, she became Chief Growth Officer at Piano, the analytics & activation platform).

Series OneIn this episode of The New Abnormal, I interviewed Stephen Hayward, an anthropologist and historian. After completing his PhD at the Royal College of Art, he's worked as a consultant on a number of exhibitions, and has been published widely on design history and theory. For nearly twenty years, he's been responsible for the critical context element of MA design programmes at Central Saint Martins.In this podcast, we debate widespread attempts to write history in real time and indeed what the quotes and icons of the future may be, as society looks back to the pandemic. Along the way, we cover surveillance capitalism, social capital, critical thinking, progress & modernity, tech time vs real time, and a range of contemporary media narratives. We also discuss why Stephen would like to write an updated version of Camus' The Plague, and, of course, remind ourselves of Bowie in 'The Man Who Fell to Earth'. So, while I'm dying my hair orange and watching multiple TV's, you can enjoy your coffee while listening! 

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast was recorded soon after the Russian attack on Ukraine, and features the serial social entrepreneur Mark Hanis, who co-founded the Ukraine Corporate Index, which tracks corporate stance re: Putin's Russia in the aftermath of its invasion. He also co-founded two startups: Inclusive America (a nonprofit to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in government) and Progressive Shopper (a technology company to harness conscious consumption). Previously, Mark has helped found several social impact organizations: to engage global leaders to drive social change at scale; to address the unnecessary deaths due to a shortage of transplantable organs; and to empower citizens and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide. He also served as a White House Fellow working in the Office of VP Joe Biden as the National Security Affairs Special Advisor for South America, Africa, and Human Rights. Named as a 'Young Global Leader' by the World Economic Forum, Mark and his colleagues have been covered by media outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC and NPR.So, in this episode, we discuss all of the above, but naturally the main focus is on the activity undertaken by the Ukrainian Corporate Index, which  asks 'on which side of the war do your brands stand?' 

Hi there – this is an introduction to ‘The New Abnormal’ regarding me (your host), the sponsors and the background to the series. I’m Sean Pillot de Chenecey from the independent foresight/strategy /innovation consultancy Brand Positive, who specialise in #NowNextWhy projects for clients ranging from corporates to agencies to NGO’s, on a national and international basis.My podcast was set up at the start of the first Covid lockdowns, and features dynamic conversations with guests including activists, creatives, writers, philosophers, strategists, artists, investors, psychologists, lecturers, futurists, researchers, etc.The series focuses on ‘understanding today and anticipating the future’ – themes which (as a foresight strategist) I’ve spent over 20 years working on via catalytic projects around the world. I’m also the author of ‘The Post-Truth Business’ which focused on trust, empathy and ethics, and that went to No1 in the Business Charts, and ‘Influencers & Revolutionaries’ which focused on innovation re: sustainability and AI, and that was shortlisted for the ‘Business Book of the Year’ awards. (My next book will focus on applied foresight, and will be published in 2024). I’m a frequent public speaker, and have given keynotes at events in the US/EU/MENA/Asia for over a decade, speaking at venues including boardrooms, congress halls, stadiums and festivals. I've also been a university lecturer (on brand strategy / applied foresight / disruptive comms) for twenty years - and am proud to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.Now, in an exciting move #TheNewAbnormal is bought to you in partnership with The Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, a global leader in applying futures studies to solve strategic challenges within organisations. (The podcast will also dig deeper into topics explored in their quarterly issues of FARSIGHT magazine).The Institute’s core offerings include megatrend analysis, scenario planning, risk assessment, innovation processes, and strategic foresight. Clients use these services to help them be #FuturesReady.So, I hope you enjoy listening to ‘The New Abnormal’ and that the series will also help you to understand today and anticipate the future!(As a final note, the episodes are divided into Series One  [2020-21] Series Two [2021-22) and Series Three [2022-23], which are indicated at the top of the info about each interview. I reloaded all of the early episodes, starting on 1st Dec 2022, the day after ChaptGPT was launched...)