Future Proof

In this episode, Jane Ostler and Andrew Stephen speak to Mark Read, the CEO of WPP, the world’s largest marketing and communications company, operating in 112 countries. Discover how it was affected by COVID-19, and what has changed in the media and marketing landscape as a result of the pandemic. How has WPP been helping clients to “react, recover and renew”? What is really going on with the “digital acceleration”, and are all companies really ecommerce companies? As we move into 2021, will we see a move from activism to action, or a new approach to social media as context becomes ever more important to advertisers? And why do brands need to figure out their “data story”?  Read our Media Trends & Predictions for 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As brands have had to adapt their media plans during COVID-19, some changes might be temporary – but some represent an acceleration of more fundamental trends, says Huw Griffiths, Chief Product Officer at UM Worldwide. So what is going on? And where will marketers invest more next year? Including findings from the latest Kantar Media Reactions study, this episode looks at the relative importance of targeting, receptiveness, cost, attention and proving ROI; the right time to invest in advertising within new media environments (and the smart questions to ask first); and why it’s crucial to account for the uniqueness of every channel in your media mix… while keeping your campaign creative integrated. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you think your business doesn’t need a purpose, you are wrong. Customers (and top talent) expect companies to advance society and make the community stronger – to have a purpose that transcends profits. But you don’t have to singlehandedly change the world. According to CMO Frank Cooper III, BlackRock found its purpose through listening to employees, and understanding what defined “BlackRock at its best.” By looking inward, rather than outward, they were able to come up with a purpose people could connect with... and find myriad ways to act on it. Sustainable investing, for example, is now a central pillar of their operating model. In this episode, Frank tells us about the BlackRock journey, how you can find your purpose as an employee, and some of the ways to bring environment and sustainability into the heart of a business. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“Purpose” is discussed a fair bit in marketing circles, but Larry Weber – founder of Weber Shandwick and more recently communications agency Racepoint Global, and author of six books on marketing – has something new to say. In this episode, and in his latest book Authentic Marketing: How to Capture Hearts and Minds Through the Power of Purpose, Larry covers the connection between corporate and moral purpose, the meaning of ‘authentic marketing’, and the role of technology and innovation in bringing purpose to life. Larry argues that moral purpose sits at the intersection of corporate mission (which should be a verb, not a noun); customer engagement programmes (a better way to think about ‘marketing’); and the technology you use as a business. Touching on measuring purpose, the responsibilities of social media platforms and advertisers, and the evolution of computing, Larry illustrates a vision of authentic marketing based around action – storydoing not storytelling.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Making gains of 24% in its brand value (2020 BrandZ™ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands), JD.com is well placed to offer advice on building and maintaining a successful brand – even during a global pandemic. The company’s VP of Corporate Brand, Major Zhu, tells us how the company has pivoted, the crucial competitive advantage of deep customer knowledge, and the role of brand at JD.com. He looks at some of the ways technology was able to help them better serve customers during the COVID-19 outbreak, and discusses their global expansion – with some advice for ‘foreign’ companies looking to enter the Chinese market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UN Women, in partnership with Unstereotype Alliance, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Kantar, launched the results of the Gender Equality Attitudes Study in June 2020. In this episode, we learn more about this project from Dan Seymour, Director of Strategic Partnerships at UN Women, and Rosie Hawkins, Chief Offer and Innovation Officer, Insights Division at Kantar. Discover how the study was conducted across 10 markets, the surprising (and less surprising) results in terms of attitudes across the world, the likely impact of such work – and how it can be applied to government and NGO work as well as brand, marketing and insights.  The guests also touch on the impact of COVID-19 on women and equality, and the underlying perceptions and hidden biases that continue to block our progress towards a fairer society, unless we take decisive and progressive action. Hosted by Andrew Stephen, Associate Dean of Research, L’Oréal Professor of Marketing and Director of the Oxford Future of Marketing Initiative at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“With great purpose comes great scrutiny.” How do you bring brand purpose to life through advertising? And how do you do so in a way that is still creative, and effective for the brand in question? We speak to Mike Watson of Wunderman Thompson, the agency responsible for the fantastic localised advertising campaign for HSBC where stats around homelessness where put front and centre. As this was the top ad in our Creative Effectiveness Awards this year, we ask Mike: how did it come about? Where do you start when it comes to purpose-led advertising? And what are the secrets of building good campaigns that capture our attention, and move us to action? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we last spoke to Nick Lawson in Cannes in 2019, the media world looked quite different. In this conversation, recorded in July after Nick’s appointment as Global CEO of MediaCom, he tells Kantar’s Jane Ostler the most common client questions that have been asked during the coronavirus outbreak, and how they are being answered. They discuss the media trends that have been or will be accelerated, the need for more dynamic creative messaging, and the renewed focus on proving marketing ROI. They also talk about how media channels have weathered the COVID-19 storm, changing media usage patterns, and how agency employees are coping with working from home. With so much change in the last 20 years, notwithstanding the current economic crisis, what are the main challenges to marketers, and how can they work better with agencies to achieve increasingly complex goals? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens next? What will change? Of the changes we’ve experienced already, what will persist? One thing is certain: our views on the impact of the pandemic are changing by the day. Looking at pessimistic, optimistic and realistic angles, Rohit Talwar (Fast Future) and J Walker Smith (Kantar) explain their thinking on what the critical shifts are likely to be, what’s going to happen around society and policy, the role of governments in the economy, and of course the implications for business, brands and marketers. The future will depend on decisions and actions taken now (and how quickly they are made), and how long the pandemic lingers; some industries – like some countries – will feel the effects more deeply. But all businesses should be planning for worst-case scenarios, looking at their supply chains and organisational models, and embracing that well-worn marketing buzzword: agility. Our ability to adapt, innovate and learn will be a key factor in resilience and recovery… even if some consumers are left scarred by this ‘Black Swan’ event for many years to come.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Co-founder of the Sleeping Giants campaign, and now brand safety consultancy service Check My Ads, Nandini Jammi was a tech marketing generalist until she stumbled into the murky world of online adverts – more specifically, the kind of sites where they could end up. While she admits it’s hard for all marketers to be ad tech experts, she has spent the last 4 years campaigning for brands to proactively check where their ads are placed, and stop supporting websites that promote hate or disinformation. Nandini tells Jane and Felipe about the pitfalls for advertisers when they focus solely on reach, how her campaigning has changed consumer culture, and the “win-win” of clearly aligning your marketing – and online advertising placement – with your brand values. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.