Future Proof

By Kantar & Saïd Business School, Oxford UniversityBusiness Technology Marketing

Future Proof episodes

September 28, 2020 69. What makes JD.com a winning brand?
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.
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26 min
September 14, 2020 68. Why do attitudes about gender equality matter?
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.
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33 min
August 31, 2020 67. What makes a winning advert?
“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?
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18 min
August 24, 2020 66. How has COVID-19 challenged media agencies?
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?
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24 min
August 17, 2020 65. What does the future hold?
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.
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34 min
August 09, 2020 64. Why should brands care where their ads appear?
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.
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27 min
August 03, 2020 63. Why should brands embrace the circular economy?
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 chivvied them along? And what are brands doing right now to innovate and make sustainable change?
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26 min
July 19, 2020 62. What does it mean to be color brave?
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 improving society.
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23 min
June 29, 2020 61. How do we make fashion sustainable?
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 interesting insights about what can and should change in the world of fashion, the habits and requirements of modern shoppers, and the importance of community as you build a business.
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28 min
June 15, 2020 60. Why should you care about TikTok?
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 explains the best way to approach using the platform.
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19 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…