Future Proof

By Kantar & Saïd Business School, Oxford UniversityBusiness Technology Marketing

Future Proof episodes

December 13, 2021 15. Was advertising better in the past?
Patrick Collister is non-exec Creative Director at Ad-Lib, and Editor of Directory Magazine. He is also one of the few people to have had serious Creative Director roles in adland (Ogilvy) as well as in digital organisations (Google). So what has changed over the course of his career? Why do people keep harking back to the good old days – and what has happened to the funny ad? Jane and Patrick talk about the importance of format, the definition of advertising ‘craft’, the emergence of new platforms, and the demise of the ‘big idea’. They discuss how creative and effective advertising (and the role of CMO) may look in the future… and whether any of the big UK Christmas ads this year hit the mark.
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27 min
October 18, 2021 14. What can we learn from Shell’s purpose journey?
Shell’s purpose is to "power progress together with more and cleaner energy solutions." But how did that come about? What were the challenges for global VP of the Shell brand, Dean Aragón? How is the purpose embedded in the organisation? Dean shares his advice for establishing a purpose that doesn’t just become a side project, and how you can ensure success through people, partnerships and the personal touch. Learn how UN Sustainable Development Goals feed into the purpose and strategy at Shell, and the specific actions they are taking to bring their purpose to life.
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21 min
October 04, 2021 13. Why is Mercado Libre such a good place to advertise?
In Kantar’s recent Media Reactions study, it was revealed that ecommerce giant Mercado Libre is one of the most effective places to advertise in Latin America: it was seen as delivering the most ‘relevant and useful’ ads of all media brands in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia. What is the marketplace doing to help advertisers, and still satisfy consumers?

Juan tells Jane Ostler and Alex Connock about smart targeting, the Direct Integration with Kantar for more effective measurement, the results of Brand Lift studies, and the opportunities they have in the Latin American market. They also discuss how ecommerce ads work with other channels, the importance of being present through the entire customer journey, the ad formats that work best, and the application of new technology – such as AI and machine learning – to help scale and optimise advertising.
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24 min
September 06, 2021 12. How does Walmart connect digital and physical retail experiences?
In this episode, we discuss the evolving world of advertising technology and digital retail with Alexis (Lex) Josephs, Vice President of Sales, Ad Tech Partnerships and Ad Operations at Walmart Connect. How does Walmart’s advertising business use the insights from their 150m weekly shoppers to deliver targeted advertising at scale?

Lex discusses how the pandemic has changed the retail experience (and accelerated digital trends), and what the future holds: Why is a clear data strategy important? How is Walmart embracing social commerce, or the ‘content to commerce’ experience? And what is the role of physical stores in the future of shopping?
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20 min
August 23, 2021 11. Why should advertisers embrace in-content advertising?
We speak to Tim Jones, Global Head of Research and Insights at Mirriad, an advertising platform that allows brands to seamlessly integrate with content. Tim tells Kantar’s Duncan Southgate about the current challenges for advertisers, including changing consumer viewing habits and limited reach via linear TV advertising, as well as targeting and measurement. He explains how the placement of product or signage within the right content can deliver strong results, in terms of brand and sales uplift – and from the perspective of the consumer. How do brands make the most of that receptivity? How does the process work? And what does the future of the advertising technology industry look like?
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25 min
July 05, 2021 10. How do you launch a sustainable brand?
It’s not easy to get a totally new product on supermarket shelves, but Nimble Cleaning Products – founded by Von Sy in 2015 – has managed to find its way into several major UK retailers, and retain its environmentally-friendly credentials.

Von tells Dr Nicki Morley about the inspiration behind a cleaning product for baby bottles, the startup journey so far, the impact of COVID-19, and his 7-second investor pitch. He also discusses the importance of being sustainable for a reason, and finding your point of difference.
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17 min
June 14, 2021 9. How can sponsored entertainment support brand purpose?
As the popularity of adverts and “branded content” declines, and more people use commercial-free streaming services, there is a real opportunity for brands to get in front of audiences with “sponsored entertainment”, says Rupert Maconick, Founder and Executive Producer of Saville Productions in LA. He spoke to Jane Ostler about how brands can get excellent returns from a feature-length documentary (or “doc”), the process of creating one (and getting it in front of people), and how this approach can help brands communicate something about their values and purpose – as long as it is tackled authentically.
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24 min
June 02, 2021 8. How will African brands thrive?
You can’t sum up a continent the size of Africa in three words, says Thebe Ikalafeng, founder and chairman of Brand Africa. But vibrancy, entrepreneurship and resilience do spring to mind, and help characterise and connect this group of dynamic countries.

Thebe tells Jane how Brand Africa was launched to inspire a ‘renaissance’ of African brands, and change the narrative around the continent, through the vehicle of brands. In their goal to inspire ‘Made in Africa’ brands, what are the challenges? What role does technology play? And how has COVID-19 affected the long-term outlook?
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19 min
May 17, 2021 7. How does Unilever approach sustainable innovation?
Kantar research finds that 88% of consumers want brands to help them be more sustainable. In this episode, Nicki Morley speaks to Catriona Ferris, Consumer Insight Director for Homecare (Europe) at Unilever, about the key aspects of successful sustainable innovation – and why the consumer (and their pain points) must be considered first and foremost. With product and packaging innovation examples, considerations for marketing and communications professionals, and top tips for getting ‘under the skin’ of your customer, Catriona shares elements of Unilever’s ‘learning journey’ and addresses some of the challenges brands might face in balancing cost, performance and environmental credentials.

Learn more:

Who Cares, Who Does?

Brand Tracking

Offer Development

Sustainable Transformation
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24 min
May 03, 2021 6. What’s next for retail?
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 pent-up demand. He also discusses the increased use of electronics at home, how Gekko has delivered training during the pandemic, and the way sustainability and localism will affect retail strategies.
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24 min

About Future Proof

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Future Proof is the marketing podcast from Said Business School, Oxford University, and Kantar, the world’s leading marketing data and analytics company. In each episode, we’ll have a frank discussion…