What Next?

How do agencies and marketers prepare for a fast-approaching world where algorithms make buying decisions instead of humans and what’s produced is determined concurrent with actual demand? Robert C. Wolcott, early-stage investor, Chair of The World Innovation Network (TWIN Global), Adjunct Professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the Booth School of Business, and co-founder of growth strategy...

Author, Consultant & Former Senior Vice President of P&G Beauty, Gill Whitty-Collins, discusses the invisible forces that hold women back & lead to over 90% of the world’s senior leadership roles being held by men. Her experience & insights inspired the publication of her book, “Why Men Win At Work - And how we can make inequality history.” Links: Website https://gillwhittycollins.com Newsletter s...

Thomas Kolster, recognised marketing and sustainability expert and author of “Goodvertising” and “The Hero Trap”, discusses the ‘brand purpose’ movement he helped to kick-start and his disappointment about what it is today. Hear how brands have gone from being “heroes” to falling into “hero traps” and how they need to move from being the answer to becoming an enabler, from a brand-centric to peopl...

Rishad talks to Paul Kemp-Robertson, co-founder of Contagious and co-author of “The Contagious Commandments”, about the impact of ‘Radical Transparency’, asking ‘Heretical Questions’, and why we should take brand purpose seriously. Website: https://www.contagious.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/contagious-communications/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/contagious Insta: https://www.in...

Kim Scott is the best-selling author of Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, and Just Work: Get Sh*t Done, Fast & Fair. In this episode, Kim shows how ‘radical candor’ builds better leaders, teams, and organisations in the post-command and control era. Then Kim unpacks the differences between bias, prejudice, and bullying and how we can better manage our interactions wi...

Sinan Aral, scientist, investor, entrepreneur, and David Austin Professor of Management, Marketing and Data Science at MIT, discusses his book, The Hype Machine. We look “under the hood” at the neuro science powering “the social media industrial complex” to influence behaviour and the five communications strategies for our hyper-socialised world. Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinan-aral-3964a...

A must-listen for anyone withcreative ambition. Martin Lindstrom, CEO of Lindstrom Company, author of seven New York Timesbest-selling books, and voted by Timemagazine, one of the “World’s 100 Most Influential People”takes us on an eclectic and fascinating journey via the themes ofhisnew book,The Ministry of Common Sense, How to Eliminate Bureaucratic Red Tape, Bad Excuses and Corporate BS. Links:...

Renetta McCann, Chief Inclusion Experiences Officerat Publicis Groupe, reflects on what she’s learned after nearly four decades in the industry. A strategist working at the intersection of business and people, she discusses complexity, individual learning, and the development of people managers. Further reading links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/renettamccann/Keywords: Rishad Tobaccowala, Renetta M...

Bobby Duffy, Professor of Public Policy and Director of The Policy Institute, King's College London, and author of highly acclaimed book “Generations”,challenges the marketing industry to re-think its lazy assumptions about the attitudes of who we are targeting. Hear why it is wrong to generalise about generations. For more about “Generations”: https://generations-book.org

Rishad talks to Timandra Harkness, Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, broadcaster, and author of Big Data: Does Size Matter? about the uses and abuses of data during Covid and what we might expect in our personalised century.

In a wide-ranging interview, Maurice Lévy shares the inside story of the Power of One, how Viva Technology is poised to evolve, and why “the blank cheque of trust” is worth more than the paper it’s written on. He speaks candidly about his own “basket of failures” and why you should “stay in bed at home” if you’ve no passion for the work you do.

In 2022, 85% of Cannes’ Grand Prix winners were social purpose/charity related campaigns. Advertising's most influential champion of social purpose, P&G's Marc Pritchard, surprised and even shocked many in the industry by announcing that we needed to now prioritise generating growth over doing good. That's an argument Steve Harrison has been making since the launch of his book "Can't Sell, Won't S...

Rishad talks to neuroscientist and sports psychologist, Dr Julia Jones about how sound and music can improve your performance whether you’re working from home or in the office. Her book The Music Diet (published in 2019) championed a new approach to workplace wellness. See www.neuronwellness.com for more info.

Marla Kaplowitz, President & CEO of the 4A’s ( www.aaaa.org ) and former Publicis leader, discusses how the relentless expansion of digital platforms will redefine client and agency relationships, the new skills needed in agencies, and ‘quantum marketing’.

Brittany Kaiser, Cambridge Analytica whistleblower, author of Targeted, co-founder of the Own Your Data Foundation and leading player in the NetFlix film The Great Hack, explains how data was weaponised in the Obama, Trump and Brexit campaigns, what future public data policies look like and the opportunities for clients to grow beyond the big platforms.

In a very special episode, Rishad talks to renowned historian, award-winning BBC broadcaster and digital business entrepreneur Dan Snow. They explore how Dan has accelerated away from traditional broadcast to build an agile and successful digital content business by exploiting the impact of digitisation.

Terence Kawaja, CEO and co-founder of LUMA Partners, is the dealmaker in the media sector. Check out this episode where Terry (as he is known to friends) predicts “zero-based calendaring”, how marketers need to “portfolio re-balance” their spend from physical retail to e-commerce in a rapidly changing commerce landscape post-covid and where the metaverse will be found (and it’s not on our heads).

Even before Covid-19 exploded, the forces of globalization, demography and technology were changing the way we created, consumed, and communicated. ‘What Next?’ brings leadership perspectives and advice for the near future. Each episode we ask - how can society, business, and the individual thrive? Our host, Rishad Tobaccowala, finds fresh takes on society, the advertising and marketing industry,...