The So What from BCG

Latest Episodes:

Cracking the Code of Customer Contradictions Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

AI and data help tell us what people do, but not why. Lauren Taylor, global leader of BCG’s Center for Customer Insight, makes sense of the mixed signals that consumers give off. To truly understand what drives people, businesses of course value robust, real-time data. But they also must uncover the context, motivators, and human truth behind every choice.

Learn More:

Lauren Taylor: https://on.bcg.com/4nfwZ1A

BCG’s Latest Thinking on Customer Insights: https://on.bcg.com/46iy6Yt

The Paradox of Pessimism: Why Gloomy Consumers Keep Spending: https://on.bcg.com/3Ir7FH2

Unpacking the $15 Trillion Opportunity in Leisure Travel: https://on.bcg.com/4gGyCTI

Mapping the Consumer Touchpoints That Influence Decisions: https://on.bcg.com/3IBLBcD

GenAI’s Role in Customer Insights: Think "And" Not "Or": https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/genais-role-customer-insights-think-ajr3c/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction/Lauren’s ‘So What’

01:26 How can businesses cut through the contradictions and understand what customers want?

02:49 Should companies just ignore what people say?

03:19 What is consumer sentiment?

04:38 What can businesses really learn from consumers?

05:36 What factors play into the say-do gap?

06:21 How much does emotion shape what people buy?

07:46 How and why should businesses deaverage the customer?

09:09 How nuanced is motivation across different regions?

10:18 What parts of the customer journey shape what people choose?

12:11 Has AI helped us better understand customers or made things more confusing?

12:53 How can companies make sense of conflicting signals?

13:52 How is AI changing the way that we understand consumer behavior?

14:47 With data available, why is it critical for businesses to still talk to customers?

16:20 What mistakes are companies making when it comes to listening to their customers?

17:08 What should companies look for in sentiment signals?

17:33 Lauren’s ‘Now What’

18:05 Do milestone moments matter?

18:28 Outro

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

M&A Is Heating Up. Is Your Dealmaking Still on Ice? Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

M&A activity is waking up, but many companies are reluctant to leap into the fray. Daniel Friedman, BCG’s global leader of transactions and integrations, explains why bold moves now could pay off. Waiting may feel safe, but the cost could be forfeiting once-in-a-decade opportunities.

Learn More:

Daniel Friedman: https://on.bcg.com/4mWHyGW

Mid-2025 M&A Insights: https://on.bcg.com/3V6ENGF

BCG’s Latest Thinking on M&A: https://on.bcg.com/4ndP9QU

BCG’s M&A Sentiment Index: https://on.bcg.com/3VEdBzb

Chapters:

00:00-02:56 Intro/Daniel’s ‘So What’

02:57-04:34 What is different now vs. the beginning of the year?

04:35-06:13 How quickly will the market recover?

06:14-08:20 What regions and sectors are particularly active?

08:21-09:01What are risks that could impede recovery?

09:02-10:26 What is wrong with waiting on the sidelines?

10:27-12:00 Do downturn deals tend to deliver more value than boom time deals?

12:01-13:25 What can a company to do ensure that it finds the right deal?

13:26-17:02 How has M&A changed in a more uncertain world?

17:03-18:03 How will AI evolve?

18:04-19:45 What are the winners doing right in this new environment?

19:46-21:16 The ‘Now What’

21:17-21:33 Outro

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Don't Be a Statistic. Make Transformation Work. Aug 26, 2025

Show notes

Transformation isn’t a gamble—it’s science. Kristy Ellmer, a leader with BCG Transform, unpacks the research behind what really makes change work: involving employees in the journey, preparing for the “messy middle,” and building emotional and practical support into the process. Successful efforts focus equally on shifting behaviors and mindsets, not just strategy and structure.

Learn More:

Kristy Ellmer: https://www.bcg.com/about/people/experts/kristy-ellmer

Preorder Kristy's Book: https://www.amazon.com/How-Change-Really-Works-Science-Based/dp/B0FHBXYSLZ

BCG’s Latest Thinking on Business Transformation: https://www.bcg.com/capabilities/business-transformation/insights

To Keep Transformations on Track, Incentives Are Crucial: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/incentives-are-crucial-for-transformation-success

The Transformation Paradox: How to Grow When the Growing Gets Tough: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/transformation-paradox-how-grow-when-growing-gets-tough

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Become the CEO of Your Health and Longevity Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

What happens when people live decades longer than before—but not necessarily healthier? Iana Kouris, customer experience leader at BCG X, explores how companies can help people live longer healthier. Businesses can jumpstart the longevity economy by leveraging CX, behavioral design and change management to develop new products for prevention and customized for the growing elderly population, as well as supporting their employees on this journey.

Learn More:

Iana Kouris: https://on.bcg.com/4fvFrXv

BCGX: https://on.bcg.com/4ltCU1A

How Digital and AI Will Reshape Health Care in 2025: https://on.bcg.com/4mEGBCu

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

The Real ROI of AI in Private Equity Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

Private equity is under pressure to deliver returns in a tougher environment. Clark O’Niell, BCG’s global lead for AI infrastructure and cyber in the private investors & private equity practice, shares how the smartest investors are using AI to move beyond hype, drive impact at scale, and future-proof their portfolios. It’s about focus over fragmentation—and combining judgment with new tools.

Learn More:

Clark O’Niell: https://on.bcg.com/46tTmep

BCG’s Latest Thinking on Private Equity: https://on.bcg.com/4598Fa5

IT Spending Pulse: AI Agents and GenAI Reshape Priorities: https://on.bcg.com/4mmjVXG

The So What from BCG on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMJgyXjV5gMI9JV-GcF_D1Y6zyf1Eab_0

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Winning the Rest of the 20s Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

Rich Lesser, BCG’s global chair, and Martin Reeves, chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, reflect on the shocks and surprises that shaped the first half of the decade and what they reveal about the future. They explore the traits leaders need today: building trust, staying geopolitically aware, and adopting AI in a people-centered way.

Learn More:

Rich Lesser: https://on.bcg.com/4lZrWla

Martin Reeves: https://on.bcg.com/4lXaAVX

Winning in the 20s: https://on.bcg.com/4lpe1oo

Winning the ’20s: A Leadership Agenda for the Next Decade: https://on.bcg.com/40iscDs

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Europe’s Make-or-Break Moment Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

Europe is at a tipping point after years of slow growth. Sylvain Duranton, BCG X’s global leader, explains how countries and companies can work together to simplify regulation, scale innovation, and build a truly unified, competitive Europe.

Learn More:

Sylvain Duranton:https://on.bcg.com/3T9QN9b

Europe’s Business Leaders Are Ready for Action: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/global-trade-disruption-wake-up-call-europe-boston-consulting-group-lbnhe/

BCG’s Center for Geopolitics: https://on.bcg.com/4kJir8K

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Who Wants to Be a CEO? Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

The role of the CEO is both powerful and punishing. Christine Barton, BCG’s CEO Advisory lead in North America, explores how to make the job more fulfilling. It starts with clarity of purpose, building the right leadership team, and minimizing activities that are time and energy sinkholes.

Learn More:

Christine Barton: https://on.bcg.com/4n4CyAk

BCG’s Insights for CEOs: https://on.bcg.com/4l6jujg

Moves Only a CEO Can Make: https://on.bcg.com/4kUtpJ2

Balancing a Dynamic Career and a Rewarding Personal Life: https://on.bcg.com/3TfaYTz

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

Not All Growth Is Good—Here's How to Get It Right Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

Justin Manly, BCG’s lead on growth and innovation, explains how businesses can choose the right growth strategy given their aspirations and position in the market. Whether a company is gaining or losing share, in a booming or sluggish industry, profitable growth depends on knowing your starting point.

Learn More:

Justin Manly: https://on.bcg.com/4kGYyPH

BCG’s Latest Thinking on Growth and Innovation Analytics: https://on.bcg.com/4kjTEIB

BCG’s Latest Thinking on Corporate Finance and Strategy: https://on.bcg.com/3ZeAMlX

Your Growth Strategy Depends on Your Starting Point: https://on.bcg.com/43YpzZm

The Vitality Code: How Growth Leaders Master Strategy, Technology, People, and Culture: https://on.bcg.com/4dMKjH1

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

BCG Presents: The CEO Radar May 20, 2025

Show notes

Financial analysts were far more prepared than most CEOs for the US tariffs announced on April 2. Analysts, who serve as a proxy for the financial markets, anticipated tariffs would soon be an enormous issue, mentioning the topic 62% more often than did CEOs during Q1 earnings calls. That’s the conclusion of the second edition of the CEO Radar—a tool to help CEOs determine which issues truly deserve their time and attention. It unpacks the leading topics discussed on almost 4,900 earnings calls worldwide in Q1 2025, enabling chief executives to compare their agendas to those of their peers, and to the market’s expectations. On this episode of the CEO Radar Podcast, Edward Adams of Bloomberg Media Studios is joined by BCG Global Chair Rich Lesser and Michael Brigl, Head of BCG’s Central European practice, to discuss how tariffs are likely to have a long-term effect on corporate operations.

Listen to CEO Radar: https://sponsored.bloomberg.com/immersive-story/the-ceo-radar-q2-2025

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp

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