Phenomena

What are the do's and don’ts of mobilising change within an organisation? In today’s episode, ReD’s Charlotte Vangsgaard sits down with one of Denmark’s most experienced executives, Mads Ryder, an expert in change management and transformation. Currently CEO of LeDap, an international group of padel companies, Mads has previously served as CEO of Rosenthal, one of Europe´s largest porcelain manufacturers and retailers, and has also held executive and leadership roles within Royal Copenhagen, Weight Watchers and Legoland Parks. From theme parks, to porcelain, to fashion, he delves into the most common pitfalls that companies make across these industries, shares his recipe for success when it comes to making change that is lasting, and tells us why it’s important to admit one’s mistakes as a leader.

'Leading with Perspective', a new season of the Phenomena Podcast all about leadership, transformation and strategic thinking with a brand new episode each month. Leading with Perspective is all about having engaging conversations with top industry leaders and hearing about how they effected change within their organisation, their industry and the wider culture.

In this special edition of the podcast, we are live from Copenhagen, Denmark where we hosted a discussion with Oluf Borbye Pedersen, a world expert on the gut microbiome, and Theis Brydegaard, head chef at the Alchemist. Are We Listening to the Gut? was the topic of conversation, and as part of our ongoing content series all about our changing relationship to flesh, offers us a novel lens through which to consider our bodies, our selves and the world around us. Hosted by ReD’s Filip Lau and Anne Mette Lottrup, they discuss why we should consider food as preventive medicine, the relationship between what and how we eat and healing and finally, and why paying more attention to our gut might help solve behavioural barriers around adherence.

Since the sexual revolution of the 1970s, the Western world has been obsessed with representations of sex. And within this historical explosion of sexual imagery, many companies capitalised on the powerful narrative that consumption could deliver sex appeal and in turn, increase one's chances for finding a partner. More recently, however, we're seeing a shift where sex appeal is becoming increasingly dissociated from the idea of romantic love and folded into a wider and more varied set of personal narratives. To unpack this further, host Eliot Salandy Brown sits down with Sandra Cariglio, a partner at ReD Associates, and Polly Rodriguez, co-founder and CEO of sexual wellness brand Unbound, as part of our ongoing special series on our evolving relationship to flesh and the body. Together, they tackle big questions such as: Does sex still sell? How are behaviours and values around intimacy changing? And if the desire to seduce isn't driving consumption in fashion and beauty like it used to, what will take its place?

While there are still many questions about what the metaverse of the future will look and feel like, nearly everyone is in agreement that it’s a big deal. And while the metaverse has been well covered from a technological angle, what is often missing from the debate are questions about the human and social implications of its evolution. In this episode, Eliot is joined by ReD partner Iago Noguer Storgaard and Jacob Wachmann, a former ReD employee and now strategy director for games and metaverse experiences at the LEGO Group, to discuss the possible directions the metaverse might take, and what that means for businesses as they look to build strategies and technology roadmaps for the future. To what extent does the metaverse mark the next paradigm shift in how we work, play, and learn as humans? How might science fiction be misleading us as to how it will change our lives? And what false assumptions are executives across industries making on features such as immersion and interoperability as they develop metaverse strategies of their own? Listen in as we also share the best books to dive deeper into the topic, from sci-fi to contemporary nonfiction to 1960s theoretical philosophy.

People use brands to shape social identities. We see this time and again in our work, as we help brands figure out how to deliver more value to their consumers. But what role fundamentally do brands play in people’s lives, and why do some resonate better than others? In this episode, host Eliot Salandy Brown is joined by ReD partner Filip Lau, to share ReD’s latest thinking on brands, the shifting perceptions around them and the different expectations consumers have of brands across categories and sectors. Eliot is also joined by Matt Johnson, PhD – a neuroscientist, speaker, and author of Branding That Means Business and Blindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains – to discuss what neuroscience can teach us about brand perception and how the latest science challenges the core views of many marketeers. What are the key questions brands should ask themselves to better connect with their consumers? What lessons might brand giants take from small, nimble players about approachability? And finally, what can a study about popcorn teach brands about the power of context on consumer behaviour?

Belonging is in crisis. While it is seemingly easier than ever to build connections with people - either online or IRL - we are lonelier and more fragmented than ever. When we talk about the mental health crisis, political polarisation, or how to build a meaningful workplace culture, what we're really talking about is belonging. In this episode, Eliot is joined by ReD partners Maria Cury and Mikkel Krenchel to unpack why our sense of belonging is in decline, how the sources from which we derive belonging are shifting, and what businesses need to know and consider about these changes. We are also joined by David Sikorjak, author of the recently published Fans Have More Friends, to unpack what we can learn from the sports industry about fandom and building community across the social divide. What are the priorities for businesses who want to cultivate a sense of belonging for their consumers? And how can focusing our efforts on cultural understanding help us build deeper bonds between individuals and communities?