Shows
The New AbnormalLauren Razavi 'The Future of Work and the Digital Nomad Community'Series ThreeIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the award-winning multimedia journalist Lauren Razavi, who specialises in subjects including the Future of Work, Future Cities, Tech Policy and Ethics. She therefore reports on topics at the intersection of technology, business, policy and human behaviour - and has also spent years delivering talks and appearing on panels about big tech, surveillance, blockchain, internet culture etc, alongside her past work with those inc Google, The Guardian, and Inverse. She's currently writing a book that examines the past two decades of tech innovation and its im...
2024-05-2859 min
The New AbnormalRandell Beckford "How to build a brand that won't get cancelled"Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interview Randell Beckford, Senior Strategist at the dynamic independent creative agency Atomic London. (She previously worked at Spark44, Redwood BBDO, TBWA Toronto and DDB Toronto.) We discuss her views on a range of topics, but in particular her perspectives on how to build a brand that won’t get cancelled, at a time when the culture wars show no signs of dissipating. This, of course, links directly to a business-context in which brands are having to adapt to consumer attitudes and behaviour as a result of an incre...
2024-05-2031 min
The New AbnormalFlorencia Lujani "The Four D's and Regenerative Capitalism"Series ThreeThis episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Florencia Lujani, a Strategy Director based in London who specialises in brand & creative strategy. She started her career a decade ago at TBWA Buenos Aires, where she learnt about 'Disruption Planning' before moving to the UK. She's since worked at JWT London, We Are Social, and Ketchum PR, before joining Media Bounty, one of the leading ethical creative agencies in the country. Florencia works with brands and the climate sector developing strategies that help shift the world to a sustainable economy. (She rece...
2024-04-3057 min
The New AbnormalRob Hopkins 'From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination'Series ThreeIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Rob Hopkins, cofounder of Transition Town Totnes and Transition Network, and author of numerous books including 'The Transition Handbook, The Power of Just Doing Stuff, and most recently, From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want'. He presents the podcast series 'From What If to What Next' which invites listeners to send in their “what if” questions and then explores how to make them a reality. Rob was voted one of the Independent's top 100 environmentalists and was o...
2024-04-2556 min
The New AbnormalJohn Seabrook 'The intersection between creativity and commerce re: tech, design, and music’Series TwoThis episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Brooklyn-based John Seabrook, a staff writer at The New Yorker since the 90's as well as being the author of a range of superb books including 'The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory' / 'Nobrow: The Culture of Marketing—The Marketing of Culture' / 'Deeper: My Two-Year Odyssey in Cyberspace / 'Flash of Genius, and Other True Stories of Invention' . In the interview we discuss his views on all of the above, along with a range of his other recent articles for the New Yorker. Therefore, his view...
2024-04-211h 02
The New AbnormalJon Cohen "Understanding what people think, when you can't trust what they say"Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview Jon Cohen, the author of "Asking for Trouble: understanding what people think, when you can't trust what they say". The aim of the book is to enable the development of more creative concepts, braver public policy and more compelling marketing communications through a better understanding of response.He's also the Managing Partner of the award-winning Kindling Research, who have an outstanding record of helping clients develop ideas that challenge the status quo. In this episode, we discuss all of the above, clarify why 'the language of as...
2024-04-1947 min
The New AbnormalSara Wheeler 'The minute curiosity of the travel writer - tales from the Arctic to the Antarctic'Series Two In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview Sara Wheeler, a prize-winning non-fiction writer noted for her accounts of the polar regions. Her books include the international bestseller Terra Incognita, which tells the story of a seven-month journey in Antarctica. The Daily Telegraph reviewer wrote of it, ‘I do not think there will ever be a better book written about the Antarctic.’ In it, she mentioned sleeping in the captain's bunk in Scott's Hut. Whilst in Antarctica she read 'The Worst Journey in the World', an account of the Terra Nova...
2024-04-1847 min
The New AbnormalDr Steven MacGregor 'The Daily Reset - how to move your life forward'Series ThreeIn this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Steven MacGregor. He's a global expert in workplace health, wellbeing and performance with PhD and Master's degree in design thinking and virtual teams. Steven is also founder of The Leadership Academy of Barcelona. and author (or lead co-author) of six books in the past 12 years, notably 'Chief Wellbeing Officer' and 'Sustaining Executive Performance'. His next book 'The Daily Reset, 366 ways to move your life forward' was published recently. A keynote speaker and guest professor with experience in research and...
2024-04-1655 min
The New AbnormalChristian van Nieuwerburgh 'Hope vs Optimism re: Mental Health & Psychological Wellbeing'Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Executive Director of 'Growth Coaching International' and Professor of Positive Psychology at University of East London. An international authority in the field of coaching, he's a renowned public speaker who regularly presents on the topics of motivation, engagement and leadership. We discuss his latest book and his motivation for creating coaching cultures for learning which allow people to pursue their aspirations with confidence and mental toughness. In this fascinating episode, we also talk about his thinking around post-traumatic growth, soc...
2024-04-151h 00
The New AbnormalJennifer Mercieca 'Demagogue for President - the rhetorical genius of Trump'Series TwoThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Dr Jennifer Mercieca, author and Professor at Texas A&M University; an historian of American political rhetoric whose research combines history, political theory / philosophy / science. Her latest research is on how ubiquitous propaganda has ruined our public sphere and what we can do about it. As an author, she writes about American political discourse, especially as it relates to citizenship, democracy, and the presidency, and has published three books: 'Founding Fictions', 'The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations: Establishing the Obama Presidency', and 'Demagogue for President: the Rhetorical Genius of...
2024-04-1453 min
The New AbnormalLucie Greene 'Humane Capitalism, the Social Contract and Super-Agile Teamwork'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interviewed Lucie Greene, who is a forecaster, strategist and author specialising in cultural trends, consumer insights and brand innovation. Having relocated to NYC from L.A. she set up her futures practice 'Light Years' having previously led JWT's global futures think tank JWT Intelligence. She also launched their renowned 'Future 100' annual trends report, which is now translated into ten languages. Her book 'Silicon States: the power and politics of BigTech and what it means for our future' is absolutely excellent. In this...
2024-04-1359 min
The New AbnormalGraham Black 'Collaboration is the creative driving force'Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Graham Black, Owner/Creative Director at BureauxBlack Design, and a Lecturer at Falmouth University; whose particular areas of expertise are in the arts, culture, sport, literature and current affairs. His early agency career focused on the music industry, designing record sleeves and advertising campaigns for clients inc Virgin, EMI and Sony; and in the years that followed he's art directed editorial publications for some of the biggest and most respected brands in publishing, inc The FT, The Economist, and The Observer. His design approach is...
2024-04-1254 min
The New AbnormalSimon Kreitem 'How to tell emotional stories'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview the filmmaker, photographer and story finder Simon Kreitem. He's also the CEO at Lonelyleap, a collaborative, transatlantic team of strategists, directors, cinematographers, designers and producers; whose films are based on human truths. They communicate at a deep level, stimulating intelligence, feeding curiosity and inspiring acton. In this episode, we cover how he approaches the 'story discovery' process, regarding the evaluation of this on the basis of 'what is it that you've found, what did you discover, how does it move you, what insight doe...
2024-04-1155 min
The New AbnormalSophy Roberts 'The Lost Pianos of Siberia'Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Sophy Roberts, journalist and author of 'The Lost Pianos of Siberia'. She focuses on travel stories in remote parts of the world, with a special interest in literature, history, culture and conversation. The ex-Travel Editor of The Economist and a Special Correspondent for Conde Nast Traveller, she shoots articles as well as writing them, including cover features for the Financial Times. Her first non-fiction book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia was named a Times, Sunday Times and Independent ‘Book of the Year’, a ‘Best Travel...
2024-04-1049 min
The New AbnormalIan Williams "Why democracies need to push-back against China's digital totalitarian state"Series ThreeIn this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview the renowned journalist and author Ian Williams, who was Foreign Correspondent for Channel 4 News, based in Russia and Asia, before joining NBC News as Asia Correspondent, when he was based in Bangkok and Beijing. As well as reporting from China over the last 25 years, he has also covered conflicts in the Balkans, Middle East and Ukraine. (He won an Emmy and BAFTA awards for his discovery and reporting on the Serb detention camps during the war in Bosnia). His latest book "Every br...
2024-04-0958 min
The New AbnormalJulian Boulding 'Radical Collaboration, Behavioural Economics, and Acts not Ads'Series Two In this reposted episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Julian Boulding, owner of 'thenetworkone' which is the world's largest independent advertising & marketing agency network, with over 1,200 agencies in 109 countries. They also provide “open source creativity” and communications services from independent agencies, for a growing number of leading int'l marketing companies. Before founding thenetworkone, Julian spent many years with the DMB&B Group (now part of Publicis) in a succession of senior roles in the UK, Europe, USA and Latin America. During this time, he directed global advertising campaigns for companies like Procter & Gamble...
2024-04-0853 min
The New AbnormalDan Burgess 'Radical Collaboration...and grass roots innovation'Series Two This episode features the amazing Dan Burgess. He's spent 25 years working at the leading edge of creative engagement, eco-innovation, creative activism and cause-led campaigning. As he says "there's an enormous regenerative and creative potential in care, love, empathy, responsibility, generosity, co-creation and participation". In his opinion, these are the most positively disruptive innovation practises today. And who could argue with that? We talk about a wide range of issues, including what the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed to us about the systematic problems that were already all around us, and how we can...
2024-04-0757 min
The New AbnormalStephen Colegrave 'Radical Thinking, Independent Journalism & Catalytic Entertainment'Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Stephen Colegrave, the Executive Editor & Co-Founder of the Byline Times, Byline TV and Byline Festival. He's also a film producer and author of three books. The Byline Times is a fearless independent newspaper, featuring a daily national news and investigation site that's all about "what the papers don't print". The Byline Festival is the world's only festival for independent journalism and free speech, where you can "dance, discuss, laugh and change the world". In this episode, we cover a lot of ground regarding 'Facts / Arg...
2024-04-0656 min
The New AbnormalRichard Watson "Why the only certainty about the future is that it's uncertain"Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Richard Watson, Futurist-in-Residence at Judge Business School, Cambridge University. He helps organisations to think, especially about emerging opportunities and risks. Particular interests include emerging tech, AI, robotics, education, energy, and water. Richard has written extensively on societal trends and the impact of technology, and has given over 300 talks to various organisations throughout the world. He's worked extensively on scenario planning projects having been introduced to the discipline by one of the founders of GBN. The author of five books about...
2024-04-0543 min
The New AbnormalMatt Rivitz 'How to stop funding hate - and change the Internet'Series TwoIn this reposted episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Matt Rivitz, founder of the activist community "Sleeping Giants". (He's also a freelance copywriter - his past jobs inc being Creative Director of TBWA/Chiat/Day and Senior Copywriter at Goodby Silverstein & Partners). After witnessing the public rise of racism and sexism in the media and social media in 2016, he started Sleeping Giants, a crowdsourced campaign dedicated to advertiser safety and responsibility in the digital age. It now has an international network of Sleeping Giants chapters in numerous countries and territories inc...
2024-04-0456 min
The New AbnormalMark Vernon 'Everything in philosophy is a footnote to Plato'. (And quite a lot is a footnote to Kant).Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interviewed Mark Vernon, a psychodynamic psychotherapist, writer and broadcaster, who has a keen interest in spirituality and the inner life. He has a PhD in ancient philosophy, as well as degrees in physics and theology. His books (which have appeared in translation around the world) cover subjects from friendship and belief, to wellbeing and love, and his latest one is 'A Secret History of Christianity'. Mark contributes to and has presented a number of radio programmes such as 'The Moral Maze' and 'In Our...
2024-04-0353 min
The New AbnormalKathleen Higgins 'From Daoism to Nietzsche...and why deception has become a modern way of life'Series ThreeIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Kathleen Higgins, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas, at Austin. Kathleen's main areas of research are continental philosophy, philosophy of the emotions, and aesthetics. She has published a number of books: Nietzsche's “Zarathustra” , The Music of Our Lives, A Short History of Philosophy, A Passion for Wisdom , What Nietzsche Really Said , and The Music between Us: Is Music a Universal Language? She has edited or co-edited several other books on such topics as German Idealism, aesthetics, ethics, erotic love, non-Western philosophy...
2024-04-0253 min
The New AbnormalMartin Jensen 'Me, Myself, Online: Music and the New Abnormal'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal series, I interviewed the billion-streamed, multi-platinum songwriter and producer Martin Jensen, who topped off a crazy year as an X-Factor judge. Martin’s breakthrough 'Solo Dance' had over a million streams daily upon its release and was the second-most played track of the past decade across BBC Radio 1, as well as going 8x platinum with international success. He also collaborated with #1 artist James Arthur, and The Vamps, and was approached by Katy Perry and her team to officially remix ‘Bon Appetit’. He collaborated with Jason Derul...
2024-03-3146 min
The New AbnormalTaji Chesimet 'Dismantling injustice, and creating safe spaces'Series TwoThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal features an interview with Taji Chesimet, who is an activist, advocate, and student. He's Executive Director of 'Raising Justice' a nonprofit organization actively working to dismantle systems that deny young people their basic public safety. Their work combines Policy Advocacy, Grassroots Organizing and Education and Training that proves when we dismantle racial, generational, and class injustice and create safe public spaces, we validate young people’s need to feel welcome, safe, and treasured. In addition, he spent a year as an intern at the ACLU of Oregon - a...
2024-03-3051 min
The New AbnormalIan Olasov 'Ask a Philosopher - answers to the most important questions'Series Two This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the author & philosopher Ian Olasov. An adjunct professor and doctoral candidate at the City University of New York, he's twice won the American Philosophical Association's Public Philosophy Op-Ed Prize. He's also the author of "Ask a Philosopher: answers to the most important - and unexpected - questions". In addition, he set up the first 'Ask a Philosopher' booth in New York City, to answer questions from passers-by. Over the years, the series has received coverage from the likes of Newsweek, The York...
2024-03-251h 07
The New AbnormalLucy von Sturmer 'Challenging the status quo to create positive impact'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview the dynamic Lucy von Sturmer, founder of thought leadership agency The Humblebrag and Co-Initiator of global network Creatives for Climate. The Humblebrag works with some of Europe’s best agencies, brands, artists and sustainable fashion initiatives to use the power of ideas, opinions and creativity to challenge the status quo and create impact. (Lucy's mission is to support leaders to take a stand on social, cultural and environmental issues and through her work, to help companies and brands build their reputation). Creativ...
2024-03-2252 min
The New AbnormalAmy Daroukakis 'Using signals and experiences to develop innovative concepts'Series ThreeIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the cultural strategist Amy Daroukakis, who "inspires teams, keep brands culturally relevant and re-imagines products, communication and design". She's worked across a wide range of sectors, including Retail (Target), Luxury (LVMH), Social (Facebook), Automotive (Hertz), Insurtech (Coya), FMCG (Danone), Hospitality (Park Hyatt), Tourism (NYC GO), Food and Beverage (AB InBev), Entertainment (HBO), Electronics (Bang & Olufsen), and Financial (Amex). We discuss how she started by studying cultural anthropology c/o 'Semester at Sea' (visiting 10 countries in 100 days). She's now travelled to over sixty countries, lived in...
2024-03-1951 min
The New AbnormalDermot McPartland 'If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Dermot McPartland, Creative Director of Nederlander Studios NYC. He instigates cultural interventions for brands; doing things rather than making things, an assembler, a curator and an event organiser. A resolutely proud member of the London Irish diaspora, his background spans twenty years in publishing, advertising, activism, publicity and the arts. Obsessed with ideas and culture (wide & deep) he possesses an uncanny ability to see creative and strategic opportunities for brands within culture. His work output is idiosyncratic, diverse and multidisciplinary - inc...
2024-03-1755 min
The New AbnormalNick Shackleton-Jones 'Learning & Cognition: why Plato and Descartes got it all wrong'Series ThreeThis episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Nick Shackleton-Jones, HR Director / Learning at Deloitte UK. He's also the author of 'How People Learn' and has a revolutionary perspective on...how we learn. Nick began professional life as a psychology lecturer (having studied psychology and philosophy at university) and has since worked for major consultancies and corporates in roles encompassing learning strategy, culture, leadership, innovation, technology & multimedia. Responsible for coining the ‘courses to resources’ shift, the affective context model of learning, and introducing the 5Di approach to user-centred learning design, he's th...
2024-03-1549 min
The New AbnormalTamira Snell 'Understanding emerging trends and forecasting consumer behaviour'Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Tamira Snell, Senior Advisor at the renowned Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies. CIFS equip and inspire individuals and organisations, decision-makers and the public, to act on the future, today. She's an expert advisor who guides organisations in exploratory insight and innovation processes.With a background in cultural sociology, her field of passion is people – to understand emerging needs, the drivers and barriers behind why and how we live and think, behave and consume the way we do, and to investigate the behavioural patterns and cul...
2024-03-1455 min
The New AbnormalLivia Fioretti 'A dynamic viewpoint on MegaTrends & LATAM trends c/o TrendWatching'Series TwoThis episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Livia Fioretti, Head of Insights Academy at TrendWatching. She's ex-head of their amazing Global Insights Network, made up of 900+ professionals and trend enthusiasts across 80+ countries, that helps clients understand what's happening across regions as well as different cultures. Livia's responsible for leading a global team and the conceptualization and delivery of TrendWatching’s insights to clients across a range of industries. In addition, as their LATAM Lead Trend Analyst, she's also responsible for the company’s Latin American content, helping clients around the globe understand different perspe...
2024-03-1343 min
The New AbnormalAndrew Copson "What's it all for and how can I be happy?" (A guide to Humanism).Series TwoIn this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK, the national charity working towards a tolerant world where rational thinking and kindness prevail. He's also President of Humanists International, the global umbrella organisation for humanist and other non-religious organisations, building the international humanist network and representing humanism at the UN and other international institutions. Andrew has represented the humanist movement extensively on television including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, as well as on programmes such a s Newsnight and The Daily Politics. He's al...
2024-03-1251 min
The New AbnormalAlex Durussel-Baker 'Design-thinking, design-sprints, and community innovation'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Alex Durussel-Baker. The founder of CreativeMornings/Edinburgh, she's also a certified Design Sprint coach, an award-winning UX designer, produces awareness campaign @diabetesbydesign and is a coach at Tribe Women. With a background in startups and agency design, she founded Korero Studio - a design collective that brings together “plug-and-play” talent to deliver Design Sprints, an innovation methodology to help solve tricky business problems and bring ideas to life in just five days. (Alex specialises in delivering design thinking and strategic workshops for businesses and individ...
2024-03-1052 min
The New AbnormalLore Oxford 'Cultural Insights re: Brave New Worlds'Series TwoThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Lore Oxford, Global Head of Cultural Insights at We Are Social, where she combines academic research methods with a digital-first approach to understand and track culture on a global scale. Her work is designed to unearth cutting edge insights that drive cultural impact for multinational brands inc Guinness, Bumble, adidas and Instagram. When she’s not busy analysing her fellow humans, she can be found defending TikTokers and the art of the selfie from contemporary culture snobs. In this episode, we discuss the above...
2024-03-0955 min
The New AbnormalChris Sanderson 'The New Extraordinary: making better futures happen for global businesses'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Chris Sanderson, co-founder of The Future Laboratory, one of the world's most renowned futures consultancies. Via their unique blend of trend forecasting, consumer insights, foresight, brand strategy and innovation, they inspire and future-proof organisations. Clients include Louis Vuitton, Google, L'Oreal, Facebook, Diageo, Spotify, Unilever and Nissan. Chris discusses the practicalities of running a forecasting business, and a range of issues that the Future Lab have identified as of being of direct importance on a social/cultural/business level, as they relate to brand futures and...
2024-03-081h 00
The New AbnormalLydia Caldana 'The Way Ahead - Trend Research, Analysis & Forecasting'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Lydia Caldana, a global brand strategist, trend forecaster and consumer insights analyst. She identifies emerging behaviours and technologies that guide macro shifts in society to help brands navigate change and develop long-lasting relationships with consumers. Working on strategic projects that answer “what is the future of..?” her research, analytical, and forecasting skills are applied to a series of clients with various challenges, ranging from the UN-Habitat, to Google, Nike, Unilever, etc. She’s extensive work experience with those inc The Future Laboratory, Protein NYC, VICE, Ref...
2024-03-061h 04
The New AbnormalFelix De Laet aka Lost Frequencies 'From DJing at student parties to worldwide success'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Felix De Laet aka Lost Frequencies, who would normally be found manning a DJ booth somewhere in Paris, Tokyo, Berlin or New York. The global pandemic put a stop to that - but he didn't sit around watching TV. Instead, he performed a spectacular show on the roof of the Royal Palace in Brussels, and remixed music for the likes of Major Lazor, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Ellie Goulding , and LSD Labyrinth / Diplo / Sia. His first smash hit went to No1 in 18 countries, while...
2024-03-0541 min
The New AbnormalElodie Marteau 'Connecting the dots - trend analysis'Series Two In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Elodie Marteau, a Paris-based foresight strategist & cultural analyst, who helps businesses identify cultural opportunities to future-proof their brand strategy. Her viewpoints have been published by a wide range of organisations including the Fashion Network, LS:N Global, Trend Atelier, Canvas8 and the Global Scanning Review c/o the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, etc. In the interview, we discuss her thoughts on a wide range of issues relating to some dominant topics and emerging trends. These include the environmental crisis, the future city...
2024-03-0445 min
The New AbnormalMark Shayler 'Helping big companies think small and small companies think big'Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview Mark Shayler, owner at Ape. He's a Thinker / Doer / Creator / Speaker / Author, who helps companies grow sustainably by developing people, strategies and brand - whilst reducing impact. (Mark has saved his clients in excess of £120,000,000).He's also author of the excellent books "Do Disrupt" and "Do Present". In the interview, we discuss his highly specialised knowledge of sustainability, in which he has many years experience of advising and working with an array of clients, from major corporates to leading-edge startups. Alo...
2024-03-0253 min
The New AbnormalWyn Baptiste 'The System isn't broken, it was built that way...'Series TwoIn this reposted episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interviewed the filmmaker, broadcast journalist and presenter Wyn Baptiste. He's currently senior producer of the hugely successful TV drama 'MTV Shuga' which, for anyone not in the know, is essentially an entertainment show with a message aimed at young people; with the action set in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Cote D'Ivoire and most recently in India. He's made films on the Grenfell Tower disaster, EU Referendum, California Drought, HIV in Nigeria, Mental Health in Britain, International Corruption, The Queen, and Notting Hill Carnival. Wyn h...
2024-03-011h 03
The New AbnormalJohn Dunleavy 'Leadership re: Transparency, Collaboration and Resilience'Series TwoThis reposted episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features John Dunleavy, Global Chief Client Officer, Ogilvy Group & IBM Global Client Leader, WPP. He's spent over a decade leading agencies and working with some of the most iconic tech brands in the world. (He's the ex-Global President of m:united//McCann, before which he was Exec-VP/MD of Saatchi & Saatchi NYC, and MD of G2 Worldwide.) John describes agency leadership today and how agencies can & must provide great service for their clients in these 'difficult times'. Looking to the future, he talks of...
2024-02-2950 min
The New AbnormalIan McGarrigle 'The Future of Retail'Series TwoThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal is a masterclass in retail c/o a renowned specialist. Ian McGarrigle, an ex-senior retail journalist and Parter at Bell Pottinger, is Chairman of the World Retail Congress, the major annual event that attracts personnel from throughout the retail sector, on a truly global basis. In this interview, Ian discusses the key issue impacting retail, namely the game-changing macro issue of the global pandemic. But he also explains more specific ones such as why the theme of this year's congress, alongside subjects such as trust, rel...
2024-02-2847 min
The New AbnormalCailin O'Connor 'The war against truth and the social dynamics of alternative facts'Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Cailin O'Connor, who is an associate professor of logic and philosophy of science at the University of California. She's also the co-author of 'The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread' (published by Yale University Press.In our interview, we discuss Cailin's most recent writings on the subject of 'why we trust lies' re: the most effective misinformation starting with seeds of truth. In doing so, she explains the crucial importance of transparency and accountability, alongside her viewpoints on issues such as confirmation bi...
2024-02-2650 min
The New AbnormalJack Godfrey Wood 'Making what's next: why great design is an engine of hope'Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Jack Godfrey Wood, VP Design at Native Design in San Francisco. They're an independent design company who 'drive growth by creating what people love', with a client roster including Audi, Bentley, Diageo, Google, Microsoft, Oxfam and Santander. Jack leads physical, digital, research and engineering design teams, whose work 'solves tricky problems beautifully'. In the interview, we discuss issues including a career path that lead from Central St Martins to the West Coast, how the American and European design ethos differ, and why empathy is...
2024-02-2552 min
The New AbnormalBen Hughes 'Design Theory, the Consumer Experience and Creativity in China'Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Ben Hughes, Professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology. He's also a consultant at, and an ex-professor of, the Central Academy of Fine Arts School of Design in Beijing; and was previously a consultant at the Innovation Centre, Central St Martins + the Course Director MA Ind Design at CSM. In this episode, we discuss his fascinating experience of working in China over the last decade, and of his viewpoints on all things relating to design / creativity / education. Along the way, we cover the...
2024-02-251h 02
The New AbnormalDavid Shah 'Social Polarisation, Accelerated Trends, and the Rise of the Oligopolies'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview David Shah, the renowned Publisher and Owner at View-Publications; five leading-edge magazines specialising in textiles, colours and branding strategy. He's also the Director of DRS Consulting, which specialises in the design of private label brands for menswear and womenswear, and is a consultant to numerous companies on future consumer trends. In addition, he's a Fellow at the Royal College of Art, and is a regular speechmaker and conference regulator at international design and marketing events. In this episode, we discuss his insights rela...
2024-02-2359 min
The New AbnormalSarah Rabia 'Trend Forecasting and Brand Futures'Series TwoThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal features Sarah Rabia, the Global Director of Cultural Strategy & Backslash Co-Founder at TBWA\Chiat\Day. Based in Los Angeles she's an award-winning Content Marketer and Cultural Insight Expert, who was previously a Strategist at BBH London and Mother London; having been the Senior Trends Analyst at The Future Laboratory and a journalist at The Face, which she joined after studying journalism at the London College of Fashion / University of the Arts London. In this podcast, she talks about how and why she co-founded Backslash re: blending cultural in...
2024-02-2249 min
The New AbnormalDavid Nottoli 'Creative Thinking, Problem Solving, Value Creation'Series TwoIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview David Nottoli. He's an award-winning brand and communications strategist re: some of the world's top advertisers inc Hershey, Nike, Levi's, Coca Cola, Samsung, Best Buy, and Bank of America. Dave's built a track record of re-energizing big brands, helping small brands get noticed, and finding new ways into the consumers heart. Along the way, he was the Director of Brand/Comms Strategy at 22squared, Group Planning Director at CP+B, SVP Account Planning at Digitas, a Brand Strategist at the Open Intelligence Agency, and a...
2024-02-2157 min
The New AbnormalSean Pillot de Chenecey "Authenticity, Ethics and Innovation"This isn’t actually an episode of #TheNewAbnormal at all…but as it’s my podcast series, I’m taking the outrageous liberty of linking to a separate one that features me - as opposed to my guests.Hence linking to 'The Speaker Show' which is run by the renowned global speaker-bureau, Speakers Associates. In this episode, their brilliant host Maria Franzoni interviewed me as the launch episode for the year. We discuss some of the key trends impacting culture / society / brands etc, and of how those issues connect to my books #ThePostTruthBusiness (re: authenticity / ethics) a...
2024-02-2001 min
The New AbnormalSteve Vranakis 'Leading-edge creativity and reinventing the agency model'Series Two In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Steve Vranakis. He's an award winning creative who worked on the launch of the iPhone, with Amazon, NASA (Space Lab), The United Nations, UNICEF and headed up the Creative Lab at Google in EMEA for nearly a decade. Appointed as the first ever Chief Creative Officer for Greece, he developed a new country narrative as a Special Advisor to the Prime Minister. Some of his past projects inc a machine learning musical instrument, an installation giving youth a voice at the UN, the...
2024-02-1949 min
The New AbnormalCharlie Waterhouse 'Rebel for Life'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Charlie Waterhouse, Creative Director of This Ain't Rock 'n' Roll (with an ethos based on identity + activism for culture + causes) whose clients include those such as Amnesty International, English Heritage, Médecins Sans Frontières, National Gallery, and UNICEF. He's also co-founder of the Art Group and Media & Messaging team at Extinction Rebellion ('the most successful start-up in history'), and is a Fellow of the RSA. His day job is split between This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll (who are currently working with the Unitarians...
2024-02-1856 min
The New AbnormalPaul Kemp-Robertson 'The Power of Creativity and the Contagious Commandments'Series OneThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal features Paul Kemp-Robertson, the co-founder of Contagious Communications and co-author of 'The Contagious Commandments'. To put it mildly, he has a very deep knowledge of the global marketing communications industry. A graduate of Goldsmiths, and the ex-worldwide director of creative resources for Leo Burnett, in 2004 he then co-founded Contagious - the marketing innovations resource and creative excellence consultancy. Paul has written for numerous publications inc The Guardian and Forbes, and has appeared on CNN, ITV News and BBC Radio 4. His TED Talk has been viewed over a million times. A...
2024-02-1757 min
The New AbnormalAnne-Lise Kjaer "Building a bridge to the future - don't apply old thinking to new problems"Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the leading futurist, author and speaker Anne-Lise Kjaer. Her wholebrain methodology bridges the rational and emotional universe – shaping the strategies and core concepts driving the businesses and brands of the future. According to the Financial Times her unique world vision is "as fertile as Dali’s only she creates social prototypes…based on nascent trends." She's the Founder of Kjaer Global, who work with an A-Z of world-leaders including Accenture, BMV, Esade Alumni, Fiskars Group, Herman Miller, Ikea, Johnson & Johnson, Mc Kinsey & Co, Nokia...
2024-02-161h 00
The New AbnormalCarl Miller 'The Death of the Gods, and the manipulation of Truth'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Carl Miller, who specialises in how technology is changing society and politics. He co-founded the first UK think tank institute dedicated to studying the digital world, at Demos (Britain's leading cross-party think tank) nearly a decade ago, and has been their Research Director ever since. Carl writes widely on tech and society for titles inc The Economist, Wired, New Scientist, The Sunday Times, the Telegraph and the Guardian. In 2018 he released his first book 'The Death of the Gods: The New Global Power Grab', and...
2024-02-1550 min
The New AbnormalTom Hodgkinson 'Slow Down, Have Fun, Live Well'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the writer Tom Hodgkinson. His philosophy is of a relaxed approach to life, enjoying it as it comes rather than toiling for an imagined better future. After lounging around at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he played bass in the thrash band Chopper, he took the natural step of getting a job in Rough Trade records before moving on to becoming an importer of absinthe. Later, he and his partner Victoria Hull launched The Idler Academy; which offers courses on subjects such as for...
2024-02-141h 00
The New AbnormalRachel Lawes 'Demystifying Semiotics - what it is and what it can do for you'Series One This episode of 'The New Abnormal' features the renowned semiotician Dr Rachel Lawes. One of the earliest providers of British commercial semiotics, her PhD was in social psychology, hence bringing a unique perspective to semiotics, placing her at the exact intersection of psychology, linguistics and cultural studies. Rachel has been using semiotics for nearly 20 years to rejuvenate brands, innovate products and services, and steer communication. As she points out in her excellent book 'Using Semiotics in Marketing', semiotics is big business - most famous for its unique ability to deco...
2024-02-1352 min
The New AbnormalJoakim Noren 'Progressive National Branding and Cultural Positivity'Series One In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interviewed Joakim Noren, who is now a consultant, having been the Marketing Director and Vice President of Artipelag - a unique international venue for art, culture and design, beautifully set among pine trees on Varmdo in the Stockholm archipelago. Previously, Joakim was at the Swedish Institute, where he developed the 'Brand Sweden' platform into a complete brand strategy. Prior to that he'd been head of their strategy unit, which followed on from years as an independent concept developer and design strategist. (I last saw him when we...
2024-02-1248 min
The New AbnormalGareth Kay 'Today, people expect more from their brands'Series OneIn this episode, I talk with the renowned strategist Gareth Kay, a founding partner of the cutting-edge independent creative studio Chapter, in San Fransisco, whose clients inc Google, Airbnb, Sonos, Dropbox, Uber, Facebook and PayPal. (Although , since we recorded the episode, Gareth has now moved into fintech).Prior to setting up Chapter, he'd spent 20yrs at some of the world's best ad agencies, inc Goodby Silverstein & Partners, where he was Chief Strategy Officer. He says that 'today, people expect more from their brands'. Those expectations may seem unreasonable, but th...
2024-02-111h 00
The New AbnormalEmily Hare 'Hyper Localisation, Diversity and Adaption'Series One In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview Emily Hare, the Global Content Strategy Director of the Publicis Groupe. (Prior to this, she was Head of Content for Make Honey, before which she spent over a decade with Contagious Communications, where she was the Managing Editor.) In our discussion, which is a reposted episode, she explains her views on a wide range of issues including behavioural influencers, how to develop an informed and educated brand voice, the vital foundation of brand trust, and examples of authentic & positive brand behaviour regarding C19.
2024-02-1051 min
The New AbnormalEmma-Louise Boynton "Generating Inspiring Advice: Sharing Women's Career Stories"Series OneIn this episode of The New Abnormal podcast, I interview the journalist and broadcaster Emma-Louise Boynton, who has a background as a broadcast producer, working with the likes of Sky News, the BBC and Tina Brown Media. She's the co-founder and CEO of Her Hustle, which launched in 2019 and lifts the veil on the world of work, empowering women to carve out a career they want, on their own terms. They believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to build a career that combines passion and purpose. (Emma was also th...
2024-02-0948 min
The New AbnormalJen Urich 'Inequality, Community Cohesion, and why Truth is Cool'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Jen Urich, a marketing strategist and founder of Sparrow Strategy in Portland, Oregon. She's also the ex-Group Planning Director of Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, ex-Director of Account Planning at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky in Miami, and Director of Account Planning at J. Walter Thompson Worldwide, in Mexico City. (Previously, she was also at Bain & Co, and took her Masters at Yale). In this reposted episode (an early one from the series) she explains her views on issues inc #BlackLivesMatter and the 'situation' in Portland. We go...
2024-02-0858 min
The New AbnormalNicole Fall 'Brand management and organisational leadership in Asia'Series OneIn this episode, I spoke with Nicole Fall, the CEO of the renowned strategic research, innovation consultancy and forecasting agency Asian Consumer Intelligence. She's spent 20 years in Asia working with leading brands in countries inc China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. In the interview, we discuss her expert views on decoding cultural/social trends in Asia, and the implications for business strategy and brand marketing.
2024-02-0756 min
The New AbnormalMartin Raymond 'The Shifting of the Overton Window and the push for Transformation'Series OneMartin Raymond is an author, journalist and co-founder of The Future Laboratory - one of the world's most renowned futures consultancies. Established in 2000, they've worked with more than 1000 businesses in 50 countries. In this reposted episode, we discuss his thinking around a wide range of areas, including journalism being 'the last refuge of the desperate - and the curious' to the cultural drivers of tomorrow, strategic foresight around resilience and purpose, surveillance capitalism, scenario planning, and a certain J G Ballard. Along the way, we discuss his books "The Tomorrow Peo...
2024-02-061h 01
The New AbnormalSteve Lacey 'The Outsider - on a mission to challenge the wisdom of convention'Series OneSteve Lacey has a reputation for being a genuine outsider, in an industry where being 'inside the bubble' is the 24/7 reality for the vast majority of its workforce. (Hence him founding 'The Outsiders: an international network of misfits and experts'). He understands diversity and prides himself on conducting research outside the margins, delivering social insight that really makes an impact. His team also works outside industry norms, and in this reposted episode we discuss leading-edge approaches to conducting research, his views on 'real' cultural & societal trends, and some emerging issues that he...
2024-02-0556 min
The New AbnormalSimon Armstrong 'The Culture Wars - and why everything interesting is happening at the edge'Series One In this early episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Simon Armstrong, who has the incredibly enviable job of being the book buyer for The Tate. He's a fascinating individual, with a background across an array of leading-edge cultural positions. In this interview, he describes his journey from a working-class background in the North East, to running what many consider to be the finest art bookshop in the world. (Where the subject matter of the stock includes Modern & Contemporary Art, Photography, Design, Fashion and Architecture, etc). We discuss the highl...
2024-02-041h 00
The New AbnormalSabrina Faramarzi 'Internet Culture, Lifestyle Journalism and Trend Analysis'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast, I interview the features journalist, trend analyst and data storyteller Sabrina Faramarzi, who's particularly fascinated by internet culture and online communities. She's written for The Guardian, Wired, Vice and Culture Trip, and is the international newsrooms & content lead for Opinary in Berlin, and the Contributing Data Editor of Vogue Business. Her previous experience inc the likes of the Future Lab, Spacestor, Canvas8 and Trendwatching, alongside creating branded content for those including Airbnb, Regus, Tempur, GSK and Lush. In the interview, we discuss her vie...
2024-02-0355 min
The New AbnormalJohn Grant '...from Margaret Mead to Spiral Tribe to Greener Marketing'Series One In this early episode of the series, I talked with John Grant, who spent his early career at JWT and BMP-DDB, before becoming co-founder and Head of Strategy for the revolutionary St Luke's . (As you'll hear, it narrowly missed being named after...well listen and find out). John has since become a highly sought-after consultant, and somehow managed to write several excellent books along the way, inc 'The New Marketing Manifesto', 'The Green Marketing Manifesto', Co-opportunity', 'Made With', and 'Better'. He has worked with an array of leading global bran...
2024-02-021h 04
The New AbnormalRaja Habre 'Hope, Community and Resilience in Lebanon'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Raja Habre. He's Executive Director of the LFA, a highly influential business organisation based in Beirut, comprising a mixture of those from top Lebanese and international brands. He's also responsible for the innovative economic congresses #BIFF and #BIFEX events, that promote the Lebanese economy. A widely travelled and deeply experienced individual, in this interview Raja gives a no-holds barred account of the situation within which Lebanon now finds itself, after a catastrophic year that left it with a 75% poverty rate, whilst hosting nea...
2024-02-011h 06
The New AbnormalGeoff Glendenning 'Why one of the greatest-ever launches was basically two-fingers to the industry'Series OneThe launch of Sony Playstation was one of the most successful (and in a marketing context - anarchic) launches of all time. In this episode I interview the brains behind that activity, Geoff Glendenning. He's a renowned brand strategist and integrated marketing expert, who's also worked with iconic brands including Greenpeace, Microsoft, Vans, Coca-Cola, MTV, Olympus, Ben & Jerry's, Channel 4, Sega, Ministry of Sound, Volcom and Sony Music. In our discussion, he focuses on the launch of PS1, as at the time it used an approach - basically fighting a traditional corporate min...
2024-01-3148 min
The New AbnormalNeil Boorman 'From the Shoreditch Twat to TikTok...and why creativity & joy are so vital'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Neil Boorman, Head of Creative Lab Europe at TikTok. He builds and leads their in-house creative service, dedicated to producing best in class work on the platform. Prior to TikTok, he was the Content Director at agencies including Wieden + Kennedy, Mother, Grey, and VCCP, before which he was a Content Strategist/Producer at Amnesty International. He's also the author of books inc "It's all their fault" & "Bonfire of the Brands". And...he edited/published the satirical fanzine 'Shoreditch Twat'. (Whose readership combined tho...
2024-01-3053 min
The New AbnormalAndy Middleton 'Experiential Learning, the Do Lectures, and Planet B'Series OneIn this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I talk with the inspirational Andy Middleton.He's the Chief Exploration Officer of the adventure pioneers TYF, who introduced the world to coasteering and are at the forefront of low-impact adventures and experiential learning. In addition to supporting TYF, Andy's role is to enable leaders to deliver radical and transformational innovation to help solve carbon, biodiversity, resource and wellbeing challenges by re-thinking education, ambition and engagement. So, we discuss risk management, his 'Planet B' ethos, #TheGreatReset, a future strategy for the Do Le...
2024-01-2949 min
The New AbnormalScott Goodson 'How to rebuild business momentum'Series OneIn this early episode of 'The New Abnormal' I spoke with the founder of the world's first "Movement" marketing / transformation / advertising and design company: the famous Strawberry Frog. Prior to this, I'd last spoken with Scott Goodson, the agency's founder/CEO, just after they'd won the coveted 'Best Marketing Agency of the Year' award c/o The Drum. In this podcast, he explains the inspiring journey that Strawberry Frog has been on to deal with / adapt to the business realities of C19 - which is about as good an example of be...
2024-01-2855 min
The New AbnormalJens Laugesen 'Ground Zero, Hybrid Reconstruction and C19 as a Creative Catalyst'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Jens Laugesen, the Danish Fashion Design Practitioner / Advisor / Educator / Video Artist, who is known for a conceptual approach to creative design thinking.He's recently launched an innovative Global Graduate Design Showcase in partnership with the art & design portfolio platform ARTSTHREAD and i-D Magazine. Jens is very interested in how C19 can be seen as a creative catalyst and an opportunity for change. In this podcast we discuss how he was inspired by 9/11 to create a 'Ground Zero' design trilogy that resulted in th...
2024-01-2742 min
The New AbnormalWilliam Higham 'From The Stranglers to The Next Big Thing...'Series OneIn this episode of my podcast, I interview William Higham. He's had a fascinating career that's taken him from working with some of the most iconic cultural figures of our time (Lydon / Strummer / McLaren) during his years in the music industry; before setting up his strategic consultancy 'The Next Big Thing' which looks into social & cultural trends and their impact on brands. (He’s also the author of an excellent book with the same title.) It's not every day that you can talk with the same person about epic nights out with...
2024-01-261h 01
The New AbnormalTom Morton 'Having a Positive Impact...and Transformation at Speed'Series OneThis episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Tom Morton, a member of the leadership team at R/GA, one of the world's most creative and innovative companies, where he's the Global Chief Strategy Officer. R/GA advise brands on what they should stand for and how they should behave and innovate in order to thrive in the connected world. Tom's work extends into media and popular culture, he's been a political pundit for the BBC and The Guardian, an Effies judge and a jury chair for the 4As Jay Chiat Strategy Aw...
2024-01-2547 min
The New AbnormalKhalil Zafar 'Human Engagement and Technology - simplifying the Future of Work'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Khalil Zafar, who is a renowned HR & Strategy Consultant in the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.He's also travelled widely around the world, teaching and consulting about human resources and leadership. An ex-journalist, who still writes for a range of international magazines and newspapers, he's also the author of the recently published 'Future of Work: Simplified'. In it, he explores the issues of business management, leadership, employment and automation. In order to write the book, Khalil interviewed and collaborated with leading thinkers on an i...
2024-01-2452 min
The New AbnormalSteve Beale 'Radical subcultures, and capturing Banksy'Series OneThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal features the multiple award-winning magazine editor and brand consultant Steve Beale, who's observed / written about / been part of leading-edge subcultures for many years. The ex-editor of the legendary Sleaze Nation, he then went on to write for an array of titles, including being Editor at Large of The Face and Senior Editor of Arena...before making the entirely obvious move to join Fighters Only, the world's largest mixed martial arts mag, as Editor in Chief. He then became a Director with the Lazarides Gallery Group - the mo...
2024-01-2359 min
The New AbnormalJussi Solja 'Putting agency superpowers to good use - helping brands to reinvent themselves'Series OneThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal features Jussi Solja - 'one of the beasts' at the Finland-based ' Sexy Beast' who are an 'anti-agency for startups and bold brands'. Nicely put! Jussi has many years of global experience in marketing strategy, digital marketing, service and user experience design to branding, content strategy and beyond. Over the years he's founded and managed agencies, launched a Finnish hiphop phenomenon, ran the marketing of the biggest classifieds platform in the Middle-East, worked with multiple startups, and headed a global team responsible for Nokia’s flagship products, winnin...
2024-01-221h 04
The New AbnormalCarl Ratcliff 'Reframing Brand Values - from Purpose to Action’.Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Carl Ratcliff, just after he’d set-up his consultancy 'This is the Day'. Prior to that, he was Chief Strategy Officer at DDB Group Australia, whilst other previous roles included being CEO of One Green Bean in Sydney, CEO of Naked Communications and MD of BWM Dentsu in Melbourne. Back in the day, he was Exec Planning Director at MCBD/Elvis in London, Head of Marketing at Channel Five TV, and Planning Partner at TBWA London. In this podcast, we discuss the view f...
2024-01-2156 min
The New AbnormalOle Petter Nyhaug, 'The new Punk Generation meets Orwell'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Ole Petter Nyhaug, who is a high-profile trend researcher from Oslo, who conducts research across Scandinavia and, further afield, in numerous countries around the world. He's the Global Head of Research for Opinion AS, and works with clients such as Coca-Cola, IKEA, Unilever, Audi and Vodafone. I first met him years ago, when we specialised in youth-culture research and often used to be on the speaker-list at seemingly endless trend conferences. In this interview, we discuss his views on a wide range of i...
2024-01-2054 min
The New AbnormalNilgin Yusuf 'How to identify and build a positive personal strategy’Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the writer, educator and consultant, Nilgin Yusuf. The ex-Creative Director of the School of Communication at London College of Fashion and a graduate of Central St Martins. She's also been a journalist of over 30 years, including being Fashion Editor of the Sunday Times. Nilgin is currently working on her third fashion book and studying for a BA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck. With work that spans print, film curation, exhibition concepts and events, she believes that meaningful narratives are key. In t...
2024-01-1959 min
The New AbnormalNavaz Batliwalla 'Counter-Culture, Design Thinking and...Where Next?'Series TwoIn this episode of The New Abnormal, I interviewed the Creative Director & Editorial Consultant, Navaz Batliwalla. A fashion journalist and stylist regularly contributing to international publications, Navaz is the author of 'The New Garconne' (which identified a new tribe of 'considered consumers'), the publisher of the renowned blog #Disneyrollergirl and co-founder of The Beauty Conversation. She's collaborated with a huge range of brands; recently including Agnes b, Chanel, Dior, Smythson, Turnbull & Asser, Levis's, Grenson and Shinola. So...we discuss a range of issues including her interest in brands and pro...
2024-01-1853 min
The New AbnormalLeon Kreitzman 'The Resilient 24hr Society vs Fragmentation & Chaos'Series OneIn this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interviewed the futurist and serious big-thinker Leon Kreitzman. He's the author of 'The 24 Hour Society' which took an incredibly prescient look at the world today, when it was published back in the 1990's. Leon also co-wrote the superb 'Rhythms of Life' and 'Seasons of Life' with Professor Russell Foster. His particular area of specialisation is in the relationship between biological and social factors in determining human behaviour, including consumer activity. In this podcast, we discuss his views across a wide range of...
2024-01-1757 min
The New AbnormalTeresa Havvas #PresentProofing = #FutureProofingSeries OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Teresa Havvas, an award-winning creative communication consultant and educator (inc UCA Business School, Westminster, University of the Arts London, Conde Nast College and the British School of Fashion) regarding her blend of brand expertise, design sensibility and applicable theory. Teresa is also the founder of 'The Advisory &' a space to sense-check strategies and inspire good ideas on a collaborative basis via 1-1 counsel and creative workshops. In our discussion, she explains her views on what being a 'Creative Communication Expert' should mean today, wh...
2024-01-161h 01
The New AbnormalWill Skeaping 'Extinction Rebellion and The Great Reset'Series OneIn this early episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed the incredibly dynamic Will Skeaping, an activist and strategist with Extinction Rebellion. He's co-editor of the best-selling XR handbook 'This is not a Drill', and is currently challenging the advertising industry and art world to act now on the climate & ecological crisis. When he's not haunting meetings and social occasions as the ghost of our climate & ecological future, he specialises in brand strategy for start-ups.In this interview, we discuss the impact of C19 on protest and activism, along with ongoing di...
2024-01-1550 min
The New AbnormalJohn Shaw 'Cockroach brands, cultural dynamics, and the future of work'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed John Shaw, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at Superunion 'a next-generation agency built on a spirit of creative optimism'. (His past roles inc being Chief Strategy Officer of WPP Team Red, Strategy & Planning Partner at Rapier, Regional Planning Director EAME / Joint Worldwide Planning Director at Ogilvy, and Planning Director at Wieden + Kennedy). During the episode, John illuminates his views on issues regarding the ongoing changes in both corporate culture and agency-land, why so many agencies are still so bad at clarifying their positioning, poses the qu...
2024-01-141h 08
The New AbnormalHarriet Posner 'Buying What You Stand For...Rewiring the Fashion Sector'Series OneIn this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed the fashion educator, writer and consultant Harriet Posner. She's the BA Programme Director at Conde Nast College of Fashion Design. Harriet has spent her working life designing, teaching, writing about and generally immersing herself in the world of fashion and design; and specialises in the sector's branding, marketing, promotion and communication. She's also the author of 'Marketing Fashion: Strategy, Branding and Promotion' which is recognised as a core text for those studying fashion marketing and promotion, and which is published in four languages.
2024-01-1357 min
The New AbnormalChemical X 'From ecstasy to Skid Row'Series OneIn this episode, I interview the leading-edge artist Chemical X. We start by discussing his latest work in Los Angeles, that led to him appearing on America's TV screens in the world's most surreal car chase c/o the LAPD; due to a series of 'provocative artistic statements' that saw the homeless community juxtaposed with the world of luxury brands. I last saw him after he'd returned from a show in Lisbon to launch a superb collection in London, in those happy days when we could all actually hang out in ga...
2024-01-121h 03
The New AbnormalAlex West 'Luxury, Artisanship and Creativity as Soft Power'Series OneThis episode features a masterclass in luxury branding advice from Alex West (co-founder of Maker London), a consultant who is renowned for being at the epicentre of the luxury sector. He discusses his viewpoints on areas ranging from quality control and consumer touchpoints, to brand actions and communication reflecting the authentic values of the brand in question. Alex also illuminates the creation and development of the staggeringly successful 'GREAT' campaign. It's one that saw him initially presenting the 'Big Idea' to Govt ministers assembled around the Cabinet table at No10, which al...
2024-01-1154 min
The New AbnormalGideon Wilkins 'Natural language analysis, brand deprivation and disruption'Series OneThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal featured Gideon Wilkins, Head of Research at McCann Central. (Part of McCann Worldgroup, who have an integrated network of advertising agencies in over 120 countries). Prior to joining McCann's, Gideon was the Global Brand Guidance Director at Kantar Millward Brown, based in Shanghai. In this podcast, he discusses the findings and implications of some fascinating natural language analysis that the agency has been conducting. In doing so, Gideon explains the insights gained via integrating multi-source and AI-analytics in conversational data, regarding the present and future self.
2024-01-1050 min
The New AbnormalKate Shepherd 'Why the future client/agency model = expert freelance collaboration'Series One In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Kate Shepherd, Director and Co-founder of The Future Collective. She specialises in strategic design direction and cultural intelligence, based on 25+ years experience in the design industry where her clients ranged from Rolls-Royce to adidas to P&G. After working for leading agencies inc Imagination, Checkland Kindleysides, and Fitch, she then co-founded The Future Collective - an alternative consultancy specialising in brand identity and experience design. Crucially, their collective approach offers clients a means of commissioning world-class freelance talent, instead of simp...
2024-01-0956 min
The New AbnormalKevin Braddock 'Everything Begins With...Asking for Help'Series OneIn this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I speak with a truly inspiring individual, Kevin Braddock; who has 25 years' experience as a writer-editor and consultant, leading storytelling projects from conception into reality. He was Features Editor of The Face, Contributing Editor (GQ, Esquire) and Editor-in-Chief (Sleek) and well as being the founder & publisher of Torchlight System: Storytelling For Recovery. In addition, he's author of the renowned "Everything Begins With Asking For Help".In this interview, we discuss his despatches from the cutting-edge of youth culture, hanging out with 'drifting cr...
2024-01-0858 min
The New AbnormalMichael Cohen: 'Developmental psychology: Chernobyl to 9/11'Series OneThis episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features a deeply interesting individual... Michael Cohen, based in New York, is a developmental psychologist and the President of MCG NYC, He has a great international reputation, partly due to his immense experience at dealing with crises: ranging from Chernobyl to 9/11.For example, in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks, he counselled the New York City Mayor on the effects of public trauma and advised on the hugely impactful actions that were then taken.So, in the context of C19, we discussed h...
2024-01-0750 min
The New AbnormalKatrina Dodd 'Knowledge is Power...Impactful Advertising...Asking Heretical Questions'Series OneIn this early episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Katrina Dodd, Editor at Large, Head of Trends and a writer at the mighty Contagious. She's also a former consultant at Contagious Insider, and has worked on diverse projects for clients inc BBC Worldwide, Universal Music, Louis Vuitton and Diageo. Katrina was also the launch editor of Contagious FEED, a bespoke intelligence service delivering targeted news and insights to a wide range of agency and brand clients. In this interview, we discuss her views on authentic brand behaviour, conscious consumerism, the acc...
2024-01-0659 min
The New AbnormalCarsten Beck, The Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies 'The Post-C19 Future'Series One In this reposted episode, I interview Carsten Beck, who heads up research at the famous Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS). I've known him for years, and we've given speeches together in various parts of the world over the last decade. He also kindly gave highly insightful quotes for my books. CIFS specialises in scenario planning, trend analysis and risk management for clients in a wide number of countries inc: the US, Norway, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, The Czech Republic, Dubai, China and Japan. In the podcast, recorded soon...
2024-01-0548 min
The New AbnormalJoanna Catalano 'Redefining community and demonstrating leadership'Series One In this episode, I interviewed the dynamic Joanna Catalano. Her cv is daunting - President of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific / Board Member of WGI Worldwide / Advisor to Enrupt / the D&AD Impact Council / and President of the Female Founders - Singapore Chapter. Previously, she spent several years as a Regional Head at Google, and she has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. In the podcast, we discuss her views on issues ranging from leadership in our contemporary social / business environment, HR and spiral dynamics, values communication, the...
2024-01-041h 03
The New AbnormalStephen Hayward 'Does it feel like you're an extra in Black Mirror?'Series OneIn this episode of The New Abnormal, I interviewed Stephen Hayward, an anthropologist and historian. After completing his PhD at the Royal College of Art, he's worked as a consultant on a number of exhibitions, and has been published widely on design history and theory. For nearly twenty years, he's been responsible for the critical context element of MA design programmes at Central Saint Martins.In this podcast, we debate widespread attempts to write history in real time and indeed what the quotes and icons of the future may be...
2024-01-031h 06
The New AbnormalUpdate on / background to #TheNewAbnormal series…Hi there – this is an introduction to ‘The New Abnormal’ regarding me (your host), the sponsors and the background to the series. I’m Sean Pillot de Chenecey from the independent foresight/strategy /innovation consultancy Brand Positive, who specialise in #NowNextWhy projects for clients ranging from corporates to agencies to NGO’s, on a national and international basis.My podcast was set up at the start of the first Covid lockdowns, and features dynamic conversations with guests including activists, creatives, writers, philosophers, strategists, artists, investors, psychologists, lecturers, futurists, researchers, etc.The series focuses on ‘unders...
2024-01-0102 min
Onward NationTruth and trust in business, with Sean Pillot de CheneceySean Pillot de Chenecey has over 20 years experience as a brand expert, combining marketing consultancy with ethnographic activity and trend research around the world. His clients have included Unilever, Swatch, Heineken, Diageo, General Motors, Beiersdorf, AXA, Costa, Vodafone, Kerrygold and Starwood. He’s collaborated with numerous international advertising, branding, design, media and PR agencies. He is a lecturer at the University of the Arts London, and has written for Dazed, Admap, Brand Strategy, Marketing and Contagious. A public speaker, he’s given speeches for over a decade in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and North America. What...
2019-02-0600 min
LID RadioLID Radio Episode 105: Doing business in a post-truth world with Sean Pillot de CheneceyAuthor and marketing expert Sean Pillot de Chenecey joins us to talk about his new book "The Post-Truth Business: How to Rebuild Brand Authenticity in a Distrusting World" and how brands can find true authenticity in an ever changing digital and social environment.Find out more:The post-truth businessFactfulness
2018-10-0327 min