Host Andrew McDougall is joined by beauty and personal care expert Clotilde Drape in a discussion about the latest trends in the fragrance market. From emerging scents and celebrity fragrances to the prevalence of influencer marketing, listen to find out more about the trends that drive a consumer's olfactory journey! Head over to Mintel’s LinkedIn…

Host Lynn Dornblaser is joined by experts Melanie Bartelme and Michele Golden in a discussion about actionable takeaways for brands in Natural Products Expo West. From innovative ingredients such as dates and mushrooms, to cutting-edge packaging solutions in beauty and personal care, listen to find out more! Head over to Mintel’s LinkedIn to let us…

Host Lynn Dornblaser is joined by consumer experts Diana Kelter and Jenny Zegler in a discussion about Ozempic’s impact on the food, drink, health, and wellness industries. Our experts discuss pharmaceutical interventions and holistic well-being in the age of wellness drugs. What should brands do to help consumers pursue a healthy lifestyle? Listen…

Host Andrew Davidson is joined by technology experts Brian Benway and Jan Urbanek in a discussion about the Metaverse. Our experts shed light on the latest technological and hardware advancements and marketing strategies from Big Tech. What will it take for the Metaverse to gain mainstream popularity? Listen now to find out! Head over to Mintel’s L…

Host Andrew McDougall is joined by Base Beauty founder Jodi Katz to discuss Generation Alpha, the youngest generation of consumers already affecting the beauty industry. How will Gen Alpha's exposure to technology, social media, and diverse cultural influences shape their perception of beauty? What should brands do to communicate and engage with th…

Mintel Little Conversation is back for a new season! In this new episode, host Lynn Dornblaser is joined by Kaitlin Ceckowski and Nicole Bond to discuss marketing trends and highlights from Super Bowl LVIII. Which ads worked and which could have performed better? What precedent does the Super Bowl set for marketing in 2024, and what trends should w…

Host Andrew Davidson is joined by consumer research experts Diana Kelter (Mintel) and Pamela Marsh (Omnicom) to discuss the consumer trends that will drive behaviour in 2024. As consumers have increasingly diverse ideas of what 'quality' means, how can brands engage with consumers as they are becoming more realistic and self-serving in their search…

Host Andrew McDougall sits down with technology experts Jason Thomson and Thomas Slide to discuss the future of generative AI. What can brands do to connect with consumers using the latest generative AI technology? How will this change the way consumers look for information, and what is the next "big" breakthrough in this space? Listen to find out …

Host Elysha Young is joined by food and drink experts Alice Pilkington, Megan Stanton, and Food Frontier's executive director Dr. Simon Eassom in a discussion of everything plant-based. Are we reaching peak veganism? Do opportunities still exist for meat alternatives brands? Listen to the conversation to find out how our experts think plant-based p…

Host Andrew Davidson speaks with Michael Spelfogel, Cardless Co-founder and President, at Money20/20 USA to discuss co-branded credit cards, brand partnerships and industry challenges for fintechs. Listen now to find out how technological innovation and data science is impacting the financial services market. Join us live to explore 2024 Financial …

Host Andrew Davidson is joined by consumer experts Dana Macke and Jenny Zegler in a discussion about Mintel's 2024 Global Consumer Trend 'Relationship Renaissance'. The trend predicts that consumers who find comfort through screens at the cost of meaningful, real-life relationships, will seek new forms of intimacy for the sake of their physical and…

Host Andrew McDougall is joined by experts Georgia Stafford, Kaitlin Ceckowski and Katie Hansen in a discussion about how live-stream shopping is transforming the customer experience, how marketers can tap into the trend and how brands can translate the increased engagement into revenue. Head over to Mintel’s LinkedIn to let us know what you think …

Reviewing recent corporate backlash in the US, host Lynn Dornblaser is joined by experts Kaitlin Ceckowski and Nicole Bond in a discussion of marketing do's and don'ts for brands when it comes to Pride Month. Head over to Mintel’s LinkedIn to let us know what you think of today's episode, and visit mintel.com to become a member of our free Spotligh…

Host Andrew Davidson interviews Ness CEO and Founder Derek Flanzraich on the health and wellness positioning of the Ness credit card, entrepreneurship and industry challenges. Mintel consumer trends expert Diana Kelter explores the relationship between financial wellness and mental health. Head over to Mintel’s LinkedIn to let us know what you thin…

Host Lynn Dornblaser is joined by food scientist Stephanie Mattucci in a discussion about ingredients in food and drink that maintain brain function and support mood health. Do consumers really know the science behind buzzwords on product packaging? Listen to find out more about emerging ingredients to look out for - from everyday caffeine to ancie…

Host Elysha Yong welcomes consumer lifestyle and marketing strategy experts to discuss how marketers are using astrology in campaigns. How are astrological signs impacting consumers' food and drink purchase decisions? Listen to the conversation to find out more about self-expression, decision paralysis, and astrology trends on social media. Head ov…

As Twitter undergoes a rebrand to 'X', will Meta's Threads replace Twitter? The newly dubbed 'Twitter killer,' Threads gained 30 million followers in the first 24 hours upon its release. Host Andrew Davidson is joined by media experts Marisa Frys and Rebecca McGrath for a discussion about what brands should know about Meta's newest text-based socia…

MLC's newest host, Lynn Dornblaser, is joined by consumer experts Jenny Zegler and Georgia Stafford for a discussion about how brands are innovating new product development in light of climate change and sustainability concerns. What are FMCG and CPG brands doing in the sustainability space? Why aren't brands effectively communicating their sustain…

Host Andrew Davidson is joined by sustainability expert Richard Cope in a discussion about how water shortages became the fastest-growing environmental concern among consumers over the past year. How should brands be thinking about the issue of water shortages? What do brands need to know about the impact of climate change and other government init…

Host Elysha Young—joined by consumer and industry experts Shelley Mcmillan from Mintel Consulting and Sabeera Ali from Food Industry Asia—discusses how food and drink products play an important role in the health and wellness of consumers across Asia Pacific. Listen to learn how food and drink brands can better communicate health claims, why consum…

Host Andrew McDougall is joined by experts Nick Carroll and Samantha Dover in a discussion about affordability living as dupes and discounters become increasingly popular. Listen to find out more about this phenomenon and how affordable luxury can be a space for brands to grow as consumers seek indulgence in challenging times - as indicated by the …

Host Samantha Dover, joined by Rebecca Vella, Director of Food & Drink Insights at Mintel, and Andrea Payne, Head of Marketing at Kraft Heinz, debate what creates brand value for consumers and how perceptions of value are changing. Listen to find out more about how brands and marketers should communicate value to consumers, the role transparency pl…

As King Charles III's Coronation draws near, host Andrew Davidson is joined by experts in all things Britain, Jack Duckett and Francesca Smith, to discuss how British culture has influenced marketing and why this matters to brands. From British Airways to Twinings, listen as our experts discuss how classic British brands are marketing themselves to…

Host Andrew McDougall is joined by experts Jonny Forsyth and Georgia Stafford in episode 115 to discuss Gen Z and what brands should know about this generation of consumers. Listen as they discuss what's special about Gen Z and what brands should do to market themselves to this tech-savvy and socio-politically engaged demographic. Head over to Mint…

Will TikTok be banned? Host Andrew Davidson is joined by experts Nicole Bond and Marisa Frys in Episode 114 to discuss the US Congressional hearing with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and the wider implications for businesses, advertisers and consumers. Do you want to know more about TikTok? Read this blog about key brand opportunities on TikTok, and catc…

With China’s COVID-zero policy coming to an end, the world-wide cost of living crisis continuing, and a declining population rate, all eyes are on the Chinese consumer. The country is experiencing better-than-expected economic growth. So what are the priorities of Chinese consumers? How have their behaviors changed? What trends will we see in the r…

Andrew Davidson is joined by experts Brian Benway and Jan Urbanek in Episode 112 to discuss how brands can use AI technology and the wider implications for businesses. How and when will AI technology become mainstream? How do you become a winner in a disruptive environment? Listen as our experts discuss the opportunities and risks of AI in part two…

Kicking off season five with a two-part series, Andrew Davidson is joined by experts Brian Benway and Jan Urbanek in Episode 111 to discuss the technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP): what are consumers asking their AI chatbots? Will we lose our jobs to robots? Listen as our experts cover a…

Host Andrew Davidson is joined by technology, travel and consumer trend experts for a discussion about the 2023 Mintel Global Consumer Trend 'Hyper Fatigue'. The trend predicts that instead of trying to keep up with technology, consumers will be tempted to give up entirely and return to the ease of tactile pleasures. As the pandemic, economic uncer…

Host Samantha Dover is joined by gaming industry experts Brian Benway and Zach Emmanuel as they discuss the future of the gaming industry, including social media participation, game streaming, and the development of VR and AR technology. What are the opportunities for in-game advertising and sponsorship? What can brands do to address diversity in g…

Looking ahead to 2023, host Andrew McDougall and beauty industry experts Sarah Jindal and Vivienne Rudd share a preview of the three trends Mintel predicts will impact consumer demand for beauty in the coming year, including brand and product examples and recommendations for marketing strategy and product innovation development over the next five y…

Host Andrew McDougall is joined by the brilliant minds behind Mintel's new 2023 Global Food and Drink Trends to discuss their predictions for the future of consumer behaviour and what that means for food and drink brands around the world. Centred around global crises, climate change, mental performance, the overwhelmed consumer and space, this year…

In this special episode, host Andrew Davidson sits down with Pam Piligian, CMO, Navy Federal Credit Union, live at the Money 20/20 conference - the largest global fintech event enabling payments and financial services innovation for connected commerce. Hear Pam's opinion on the evolution of the role of the CMO, how she is navigating the marketing l…

Host Sam Dover gathers a group of consumer lifestyle, personal finance and economic experts to answer questions about the rising cost of living in the UK. What does the data show about consumer optimism for the future and how their priorities are changing, specifically around entertainment, beauty, sustainability, wellness and ethics? How strong is…

The conversation continues! Host Andrew Davidson and digital and media experts Fiona O’Donnell, Marissa Frys and Rebecca McGrath delve deeper into TikTok in part two of this special two-part episode. In this episode, our experts cover security concerns, and what the future holds for the app. How has TikTok evolved, and what does that mean for brand…

Host Andrew Davidson is joined by digital and media experts Fiona O’Donnell, Marissa Frys and Rebecca McGrath in a special two-part episode. In part one, they discuss the role of TikTok in today’s culture, and what the app’s explosive growth means for brands. What’s fueling the rise? Our experts dive into all of these questions and more, including …

[This episode originally aired April 2021]. Mental health awareness, impact, and support have become key concerns in recent years and have been accelerated by the pandemic. Host Edward Bergen sits down with consumer and industry experts in the health and wellness, food and drink, and beauty and personal care spaces to discuss the dynamic consumer l…

Host Andrew Davidson assembles a number of consumer lifestyle and marketing experts from across the globe for a discussion about Generation Z—consumers aged 12-25 in 2022. Due to their ages and related lifestyle changes, most Gen Z consumers are in a state of transition—whether entering university, starting their first job or buying their first hom…

To celebrate Mintel Little Conversation's 100 episode, hosts Andrew McDougall and Sam Dover have a discussion about value and how other behaviour drivers like experiences, surroundings and technology impact consumer preferences and purchases related to value, convenience, cost and quality. Later on in the conversation, Andrew and Sam take a look ba…

Host Samantha Dover is joined by packaging expert, David Luttenberger, and author of the Sustainability Barometer, Richard Cope, to discuss the role of sustainability in business. Brands are slowly transitioning from vague sustainability targets to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) frameworks and, eventually, to commitments to m…

Host Andrew Davidson welcomes Emma Todd, CEO of MMH Technology Group, and Biota Macdonald, Director of Marketing Strategy at Mintel Comperemedia, to discuss the state of crypto currency. Bitcoin is down, the 'crypto winter' is here. The experts dive into what that means for consumers and brands and debate the industry's future in a volatile environ…

Host Samantha Dover and her guest Rebecca McGrath explore the big themes in influencer marketing. Despite predictions to the contrary, macro- and micro-influencer marketing exploded during the pandemic and quickly became an even more competitive space for both the influencers impacting consumer purchasing behaviours and decisions and the brands wit…

Host Andrew McDougall and his guests track the trajectory of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs—the latest blockchain technology to capture attention—from both the consumer and brand perspective. While much of the noise right now is centred around celebrities and influencers launching their own projects, the technology could hold great value in how they …

Host Andrew Davidson welcomes guests Richard Cope, Lisa Dubina and Scott Stewart for a discussion about consumer attitudes towards sustainability, how they are changing and what brands should do to adapt. Climate change and water and food shortages are rising to the top of global consumers' priority lists as events like the Ukraine conflict and ext…

Host Andrew McDougall and his guests explore themes of pleasure and escapism and the nuanced role brands play in boosting consumer happiness in 2022. The 24-hour news cycle, climate catastrophe and cost of living crisis (among others) make it more important than ever for consumers to find moments of joy, but how do brands strike a balance between i…

Host Samantha Dover leads a discussion about the multifaceted definition of value. Joined by Rebecca Vella, Director of Food & Drink Insights at Mintel, and Andrea Payne, Head of Marketing at Kraft Heinz, the trio debates what creates brand value for consumers and how perceptions have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Brands and marketers should…

In today's episode, host Samantha Dover is joined by UK and US retail experts to discuss the direct-to-consumer (DTC) model by defining what it is and making sense of what all the hype is about. They address the key benefits for brands, how to scale, who the best-in-class disruptors are, and what future opportunities exist in the marketplace. But b…

In today's episode, host Elysha Yong welcomes consumer lifestyle and marketing strategy experts to discuss astrology. It's has been around since the 3rd millennium BC as a way to explain human behaviour (or so some believe). Today, it's experiencing a resurgence—driven by social media—that began with Millennials and has now exploded with Gen Z. The…

In today's episode, host Andrew Davidson is joined by category and consumer trend experts to discuss the metaverse—the concept of a virtual, 3-D, interactive world that has so many of us intrigued. They filter through the hype, break down what it means for consumers, and discuss how brands should think about the metaverse in the medium and long ter…

In today's episode, host Elysha Young shines a spotlight on the science and art of consumer trend forecasting. She is joined by global consumer trend experts to discuss how trends are defined, how companies like Mintel identify new trends and the value of understanding consumer trends. There are a few ways to define a trend - changing collective at…