Series Four

In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interview Nils Muller, CEO & Founder of TrendONE - a specialist agency that's a market leader in identifying key trends in fast moving branches of business.

In our discussion, Nils discusses their methodologies and approach to working for clients such as BMW and Airbus, his viewpoints on developing 'Brand Germany' and takeouts from the Dubai Future Forum - having just returned from a hot and sunny UAE to a cold and snowy Germany.

Hence, we discuss a range of topics covered at the forum, including Future Generations, Future Education, and the Future of Nature regarding Planet-Centric Innovation. Along the way, we also cover issues such as the latest thinking around Foresight, Strategic Growth, Collaborative Approaches and Futures-Literacy regarding Complexity, Experimentation and Anti-Fragility.

So, I hope you enjoy listening to Nils as much as I did!

Series Four

In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Chris Arning, Founder of the boutique consultancy Creative Semiotics Ltd, co-founder of Semiofest, and course leader of 'How to do semiotics in seven weeks'.

He works with best-in-class virtual teams to analyse brands in order to make them more coherent and true to themselves, more distinctive within their category and sector, and more resonant and relevant within the prevailing (and ever changing) culture.

The outcome of his work is new pack designs, communication strategies, new systems for content creation and better equipped, more confident brand teams. He does that via semiotics: an evidence based technique rooted in academia via the premise that preference is driven by the intangible aspects of brands that activate associative thinking.

Chris has a stellar reputation in his field, and in this interview he gives a brief masterclass in his specialist subject(s). So...enjoy!

Series Four

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Michael Beverland, Professor of Brand Strategy, Strategy & Marketing, at the University of Sussex Business School.

He's an innovator in marketplace authenticity and strategic design research, as well as cultural marketing insights.

Michael is also the author of 'Building Brand Authenticity: Seven Habits of Iconic Brands' and 'Brand Management: Co-creating Brand Meaning'. (Which provides an overview of the controversies and debates, leading thinking and enduring challenges in brands and branding, including historical context, cultural & critical perspectives).

We discuss all of the above, therefore including issues such as classic and leading-edge thinking relating to branding / strategy / marketing, along with how these subjects are currently taught in business schools. Michael is an expert in his field, so I hope you enjoy listening to (and learning from) him as much as I did!