In this episode, Jane speaks to Daniel Todaro, founder and managing director of Gekko Group, the retail marketing agency specialising in consumer electronics. Dan talks about how brands and retailers can improve the experience for customers in an evolving marketplace, noting that while omnichannel and online shopping has increased in importance, shoppers are still very keen to touch, try and experience a product – so high street retailers have plenty to think about when it comes to satisfying pe...
May 03, 2021•24 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Essence is perhaps the original ‘digital-first’ media organisation – but how does it evolve with changing needs? CEO Kyoko Matsushita explains how the global business stays nimble, their shift towards measurement, and how they bring together media, creativity and analytics. She also tells Jane and Seth about what advertising can learn from gaming, what the world can learn from Asia, and how the industry is approaching gender balance and sustainability. Hosted by Jane Ostler and Seth Rogin . Read...
Mar 29, 2021•22 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Xaxis is known for programmatic media buying – or ‘transforming digital media into business outcomes’. But how is it managing to balance artificial and human intelligence? Short-term and long-term business outcomes? Brand-building activity and performance marketing? Smart targeting and winning creative? CEO Nicolas Bidon explains how they approach these challenges, as well as those around measurement (with the deprecation of third-party cookies), using first-party data in smart ways, brand safet...
Mar 15, 2021•21 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast With online platforms and audiences going through some big changes lately, it could be the ideal time to address or improve your influencer strategy. Karyn Spencer is Global Chief Marketing Officer at Whalar, a global tech-powered influencer agency, connecting brands with top social media creative talent. In this episode, she tells Jane and Felipe about Whalar’s work and mission, including its commitment to supporting Black talent with the Crib Around The Corner, and the huge business opportunit...
Mar 01, 2021•30 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast It wouldn’t be absurd to think a global pandemic would hit the ad industry. But predictions of 15 or 20% decline turned out to be pessimistic: This Year Next Year , by Brian Wieser, Global President of Business Intelligence at Group M, finds that advertising will end up at declining by “only” 5.8% on an underlying basis in 2020 (excluding-U.S. political advertising). So what HAS the impact of COVID-19 been on media budgets and allocations? Is EVERYONE using digital ads, and how should platforms ...
Feb 15, 2021•25 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast People listened to more radio during 2020, especially during periods of lockdown. Confined to our homes, we also saw less outdoor advertising. How did brands and media owners deal with the scenario, and make the most of a difficult situation? Oliver Deane, Director of Commercial Outdoor & DAX (Digital Advertising Exchange) at Global, the Media and Entertainment group, tells us what they have seen. He explains how listener behaviour and attitudes have changed, and how radio, OOH, and advertisers ...
Feb 01, 2021•21 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast We know from Kantar’s COVID-19 Barometer that social media usage grew during the 2020 lockdowns. But what changes did Snapchat see? We speak to Andy Pang, Head of International Measurement & Insights at Snap Inc., about media consumption habits and the demographics of the Snapchat user base. Andy also discusses how advertisers are using the platform, and the innovative augmented reality ad formats that help them grab attention… and even convert shoppers. Finally, we delve into a study Kantar did...
Dec 07, 2020•23 min•Ep 73•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Nov 23, 2020•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 advertisin...
Nov 16, 2020•28 min•Ep 72•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Nov 02, 2020•27 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast “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 bring...
Oct 19, 2020•24 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast 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 outbr...
Sep 28, 2020•25 min•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Sep 14, 2020•33 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast “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 ...
Aug 31, 2020•18 min•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast 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. The...
Aug 24, 2020•24 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast 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,...
Aug 17, 2020•34 min•Ep 65•Transcript available on Metacast 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 disinformat...
Aug 09, 2020•27 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast As a professional sailor, sailing round the globe, Ellen MacArthur made a revelatory realisation about the wasteful nature of our (centuries-old) linear economy. Ten years on, the Foundation seeks to connect organisations with the right resources to become “restorative and regenerative” rather than “consumptive and extractive”. But what is the economic argument, beyond the social and environmental ones, about moving to a circular economy? Where can brands get started, and how has COVID-19 chivvi...
Aug 03, 2020•26 min•Ep 63•Transcript available on Metacast What is the difference between being “color blind” and being “color brave”? Why does it matter? How can brands be braver when it comes to inclusion, diversity and equity? And what is it about this moment in time that has brought color bravery to the fore? Felipe Thomaz (Associate Professor of Marketing, Saïd Business School) speaks to Melissa Hansberry and Stephen DiMarco from Kantar, about this ongoing work – research into color bravery – and the role of brands in shaping and ultimately improvi...
Jul 19, 2020•22 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast As consumer preferences and brand promises shift towards a more sustainable approach – considering and minimising our environmental impact – what changes can we all make to reduce clothing and apparel waste? And how can brands get involved? Eshita Kabra-Davies set up fashion rental app By Rotation in 2019, to allow people to rotate their wardrobes, enjoy luxury brands cost effectively, and reduce their carbon footprint. As the app evolves and the renter and lender numbers grow, she has plenty of...
Jun 29, 2020•28 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast Jane and Andrew speak to Jorge Ruiz, Head of Marketing Science at TikTok, about why the app is seeing a surge in popularity, and why it’s ideal for these uncertain times. What is special about the short-form video platform? Why has it been particularly important during COVID-19 lockdown periods? And how can advertisers get involved? Kantar data shows that TikTok has broad appeal, and Jorge discusses why it’s so attractive to so many types of audience, gives examples of engaging campaigns, and ex...
Jun 15, 2020•19 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast With the fear and uncertainty posed by a global pandemic, Ascential – the company that runs Cannes Lions – this year made the difficult decision to cancel the festival. But what does that mean for the business, for the advertising industry, and for the world of events? We hear from Philip Thomas, Chairman of Cannes Lions and president of Ascential Marketing, on the difficult decision to cancel the event, and the awards. He discusses the digital events they will be running in June instead (Lions ...
Jun 08, 2020•21 min•Ep 59•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Jun 01, 2020•23 min•Ep 58•Transcript available on Metacast 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 sentime...
May 22, 2020•28 min•Ep 57•Transcript available on Metacast 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 researc...
May 11, 2020•28 min•Ep 56•Transcript available on Metacast 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, w...
Apr 27, 2020•26 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
Apr 20, 2020•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 a...
Apr 13, 2020•24 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast 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 prefe...
Apr 09, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 t...
Apr 03, 2020•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
