Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alice Li. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Alice, thanks for joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your career and how did you resolve those issues?

In my previous roles at other agencies, I often encountered situations where, upon receiving a brief, the product was already well into development. Drafting narratives for products with the potential to shape cultural conversations and have a social impact can also contribute to societal betterment. However, I found myself increasingly drawn to the early stages of decision-making, which is why I transitioned to future-focused consulting. In the field of strategic foresight, we are involved right from the outset of the process, designing a framework for quantifying all potential opportunities that guide investment and innovation prioritization. Our Fortune 100 clients typically have extensive product portfolios and product development pipelines that span the next 15 years. Our identified opportunities cover a wide spectrum, from the most prominent and obvious to the fringe and watchful ones. While some opportunities we present to clients may not be entirely new to them given their industry immersion, what our clients find most valuable is our ability to quantify opportunities and map them onto a clear timeline, gauging innovation feasibility and market readiness. This effectively guides them through the decision-making process. In essence, if I were to use a metaphor, while many agencies cook individual dishes, our future consultancy designs the best menu.

Alice, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Alice, a Director of cultural strategy and innovation at sparks & honey (Omnicom Group), a future-focused consultancy that leverages tech-led cultural intelligence to help organizations understand mega and macro global shifts and stay ahead of accelerating change. At s&h, we typically tackle three types of problems: NOW: Realigning cultural relevance. NEXT: Mapping and prioritizing opportunities to inform product innovation. FUTURE: Engaging in global shift stacking, strategic planning for 2030, disruption compass navigation, and business transformation.

I serve as the go-to expert for future frameworks and lead most of the FUTURE projects at sparks & honey. With a background as a quantitative futurist and a demonstrated history in foresight and innovation strategy, I’ve consulted with numerous C-suite executives of Fortune 100 businesses to support their decision-making processes.

In addition to my role at s&h, I also hold the prestigious position of a judge for international design awards, including the MUSE Design Awards and the iLuxury Awards. My aim is to equip the design community with diverse cultural resources and strategic foresight, empowering the next generation to future-proof their design choices. By doing so, we can nurture responsible and reflective members of society who make meaningful contributions to the world.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Before becoming a global foresight consultant, I worked in other agencies. At s&h, we categorize the problems we typically address into three categories: NOW, NEXT, and FUTURE. NOW projects are similar to my past work, which involved realigning cultural relevance. However, NEXT and FUTURE projects differ significantly from the work at other agencies. The major distinction lies in our early involvement in the process. For example, in my previous agency, the product would already be developed when a company approached us. In contrast, our NEXT projects involve the examination of potential opportunities and assistance in ingredient, patent, or start-up selection long before the actual product design takes place.

We often tackle complex, less-defined questions from clients, such as ‘What’s the future of food?’ ‘What’s the future of gaming?’ and ‘What’s the future of healthcare?’ These questions demand that we design frameworks from scratch. Thus, it’s crucial not to be intimidated by the unknown and to remain resilient when frameworks require redesigning. There was a project we started right after the outbreak of Covid. In the kickoff meeting, the client questioned if there was a need to conduct this project, as Covid completely changed the dynamics and consumer behaviors. I quickly pivoted and designed a Covid impact scoring that shows trends before and after the Covid impact. This helped consolidate the client relationship, and we continued to move forward with the project with a refined framework that included a Covid impact layer.

Besides framework design and pattern recognition, essential qualities for a good foresight strategist include curiosity about the world and the ability to identify signals. Identifying signals is the entry-level yet critical skill for a futurist. To illustrate what a good signal is, I’ve devised a structure that breaks down the concept of a signal into two dimensions: time and space. Time: Something happening now will likely occur more frequently in the future. Space: Something happening here has the potential to happen elsewhere and on a potentially larger scale in the future. A third dimension can be applied to unique client situations. Client: Things happening now are relevant to the client’s strategic goals for the future. I’ve attached a diagram to illustrate this concept.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Even though our framework relies heavily on data, there is ample room to guide opportunity selection based on planned timeframes and our clients’ unique circumstances. Data is just one facet of the story; clients are often receptive to our expert suggestions and our perspective on opportunity selection beyond the data. This presents an opportunity to share a broader cultural context perspective, shaping decisions and co-creating preferable futures with our Fortune 100 clients.

Cultural shifts that underlie our society can at times go unnoticed. Picture this scenario: you find yourself in a boat, grappling with strong winds that threaten to capsize it. While managing the boat’s controls is a practical approach, the most crucial knowledge in this situation involves understanding factors such as longitude, latitude, ocean currents, and wind direction. Culture and foresight can be likened to the upper half of a domino. As a consultancy, it’s imperative that we are equipped with a diverse range of resources to proactively educate both the public and our clients on the significance of culture. In doing so, we contribute to shaping the world we aspire to see, working hand in hand with our clients to realize our shared vision.

Image Credits
Profile Photo @ Montse Zamorano DC Framework @ Precision Consumer 2030 sparks & honey What is a good signal? @ Alice L