Phenomena S2 E4: Belonging
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?
Host: Eliot Salandy Brown
Guests: Maria Cury, Mikkel Krennchel & David Sikorjak
Belonging special series
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Nikki Neuburger, Chief Brand Officer at lululemon, on building community from the ground-up, the importance of two-way dialogue to foster belonging among consumers, and navigating an increasingly polarised cultural landscape.
HerMoney CEO Jean Chatzky on creating judgment-free safe spaces, fostering belonging in digital communities, and the importance of leading with vulnerability and intimacy.
Sesame Workshop’s Kim Foulds and Scott Cameron on the educational benefits of belonging, balancing culturally specific and culturally agnostic content, and why Muppets are the perfect tools for learning.
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The feeling and function of belonging in building community in sport and music – with author David Sikorjak and musician Clyde Lawrence.
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Big, small, and connected – do brands still matter? We unpack what the latest thinking in social science and neuroscience can tell us about the connection between people and brands.
How can a more social and cultural understanding of mental health offer better solutions to care?
Is an overemphasis on shallow belonging contributing to a crisis of loneliness?
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Eliot heads ReD Associates’ mobility/automotive practice. In this work, he leads projects that set strategic directions for how mobility and automotive companies approach the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. The projects under his leadership include a foundational study investigating the future value of driverless cars to our cities and communities, and a new approach to digital service innovation for a major automotive company. In all of his work with clients, Eliot is focused on ensuring that human needs and behavior are fully integrated into the development of new technologies.
He has lectured and run courses on automotive, corporate strategy, and executive MBAs at New York University, Columbia University, Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, and Duke University; and his client work was awarded the Gold Award in 2018 from the Industrial Designers Society of America (ISDA). Eliot, a British-Trinidadian, holds a Masters in Sociology from the London School of Economics.