Future Proof

How do you produce radio in lockdown? When you have committed to keep broadcasting 24/7? Kantar’s Jane Ostler spoke to Steve Parkinson, MD of Bauer Media’s national radio brands in the UK, about the steps they’ve taken, the technology they’ve relied on, and what happens next for the commercial radio stations that are now broadcasting from people’s homes. Steve touches on some of the challenges – like reconsidering obituary procedures, and helping advertisers get the tone of their campaigns right – and the important role of radio during difficult times. With consumption on the rise, how has their approach (to programming, scheduling, news and music rotation) augmented to fit our new daily routines? And what changes (to this very resilient media format) are likely to persist? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walker Smith speaks to Joel Benenson, founder and CEO of the Benenson Strategy Group, a leading political and corporate strategist, and formerly American ‘Pollster of the Year’. As the US enters election season, and faces the huge challenge of a global pandemic, how is the relationship between politics and business changing? Joel talks about the state of US politics and levels of polarisation, the affect on brands and the changing nature of customer demand, and the importance of employee sentiment – and measuring that accurately – in building strong brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How much would you tell a chatbot? Tara Prabhakar interviews David Wright and Karlien Kriegler, innovation specialists at Kantar, about the work they’ve been doing around conversational AI and the fascinating results of some client projects in this space. Describing the (fast) evolution of chatbots, David and Karlien explain how new approaches to research – featuring chat, AI, natural language processing and some human insight – can bring together the best of qualitative and quantitative research methods, and gives us richer insights into consumer behaviour, sentiment and reasoning. What’s the right persona? Why does context matter? How do you get the right balance of friendly and probing? And what’s next? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you create content that people really need, and want to read? The smartest route is to start with search data, and use the insights to write engaging evergreen articles. This is what Sergey Lesnikov, Senior Global Digital Marketing & Ecommerce Manager at Philips, did with his team and partners Mavens of London in order to create the Male Grooming Experience Center, a digital hub for useful content around male grooming. Tara Prabakhar asks Sergey what inspired the idea, how it was done, what made it so successful, and the role of AI in the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Professor Andrew Stephen chats to Jane Ostler, Daren Poole and Andy Brown, media and creative experts from Kantar, to find out what the coronavirus means for media and advertising. What happens if brands stop advertising? How are our consumption habits changing? And what makes a good piece of creative at this time?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you measure the conversation around your brand, and what can you do with that information? Walker Smith talks to Ed Keller, CEO of Engagement Labs and Kevin Moeller, Head of Media Insights & Analytics, PepsiCo North America, about the role of word-of-mouth marketing, the importance of measuring both online and offline conversation (and how you can do that) and the applications of these insights. How do you separate the signals from the noise? How can positive (and negative) conversation about your brand or product feed into your strategy? And can you put a dollar value on word of mouth, and show its impact on ROI? Please note: This episode was recorded prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the pandemic changes how people deal with businesses (and each other), Walker Smith and Barbara Cador discuss the possible responses when it comes to customer experience, particularly in the banking sector, as people worry more about their financial situation. Will this speed up digital transformation in financial services, or reinforce the importance of a human touch? What differences and similarities are we seeing in various markets around the world when it comes to consumer needs and preferences? And how will this change our relationships with banks, and our feelings about the ways they use our data? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Data from years of Kantar and BrandZ research indicates clearly that the best way to survive an economic downturn (and to bounce back more quickly when it's over) is to have a strong brand. But what does that mean? How can you achieve it? Does purpose play a part? And what can brands do right now to ensure that they remain salient and meaningfully different? Chief Global Analyst Nigel Hollis and Head of Research for BrandZ Martin Guerrieria tell Jane and Felipe what matters most at a time like this... and it certainly isn't cutting prices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The spread of coronavirus is disrupting brands from every industry, across the world. But we’ve been through disruption before, says Walker Smith, Chief Knowledge Officer at Kantar, and can learn some lessons from the past. We can also learn from China, where research shows the promise for certain categories, channels and marketing strategies, in the face of this global pandemic. Oceanne Zhang, Director of Consulting at Kantar in China, talks us through some of her team’s findings: new consumer attitudes and mindsets, product innovation by the more agile businesses, and creative approaches to retail. They discuss the importance of staying close to customer needs, building relationships, and the areas your brand should be focused on if it wants to see growth in the longer term. Hosted by Felipe Thomaz, Associate Professor of Marketing, Saïd Business School Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the pandemic changes lives across the world, how are healthcare systems responding? Where are consumers going for information and advice, and what does that mean for the future of delivering health and aftercare services globally? We ask Jade Cusick, Oliver Bone and Julia Liu to share their insights from the US, Europe and of course China, to see where the challenges and opportunities are emerging. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.