Sweathead, A Strategy Podcast
Sweathead is a strategy podcast hosted by Mark Pollard that explores the practices and minds of top strategists in brand, advertising, digital, and social media strategy. With over 1.6 million listens, it offers insights and interviews to help listeners improve their strategic thinking. The podcast also provides strategy classes and resources through the host's website.
Episodes
A Quick Trip Around Africa, the Middle East, and Asia - Sit and Talk, Nairobi
Join me as I take you on some of my trips.And follow me at http://www.instagram.com/markpollardFor details about upcoming events and company training, visit http://www.sweathead.com
20 Interesting Behaviors From Medellín, Colombia - Sit And Talk, Panama City
Find out about our upcoming conference and classes at http://www.sweathead.comFollow Mark here: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Is There A "Strategist" Personality Type? - Sit And Talk, Medellín
To find out more about our conference The Sweathead Do-Together and my upcoming masterclasses in Africa and the Middle East, visit: http://www.sweathead.comFollow me on Instagram:http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Sydney Sweeney & American Eagle: Smart or Stupid Marketing?
Watch this on the new Sweathead YouTube channel:https://youtu.be/cqUmFaJ6Af4It's part of our new series Brains On Brands.Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle dropped one of the most talked-about ads of the year. In this video, we break down why the campaign is controversial what it says about celebrity marketing, and what strategists, creatives, and brands can learn from it.Featuring:Amira Barger
How To Live A More Creative Life - Walk And Talk with Chris Do and Rakaa
Many thanks to Chris Do from The Futur and Rakaa from Dilated Peoples from this impromptu walk around Los Angeles. You can find them here:http://www.instagram.com/thechrisdohttp://www.instagram.com/therealrakaaCome to our annual conference -->The Sweathead Do-Together happens online and in Chicago and New York this November, 2025: https://sweathead.com/the-sweathead-do-together/My newish YouTub
Travel Adventures Plus 5 Strategies From Australia and Asia - Sit and Talk
Follow along for the real-time version of these: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Strategy Framework Examples Of The Four Points From Europe Masterclasses - Live From Tbilisi
Find out about our upcoming summer camp and masterclasses at http://www.sweathead.comFollow us athttp://www.instagram.com/markpollardhttp://www.instagram.com/sweathead
Six Workshopped Strategies From Latin America - Bogota, Colombia
For details about our upcoming classes, visit:http://www.sweathead.comChicago, NYC, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Bucharest, Prague, and more.Find Mark here:http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Working In Advertising In New York City - Becky Wang, Rosie Siman, Joe Burns
Watch us discuss all of this here on YouTube:https://youtu.be/IAp_TsXrG7Q?si=OeGELRvjHM8FPNG9- The USA vs the UK- US clients vs UK clients- Doing creative work in Corporate America- The good and not good things about New York CityStrategy events and classes: http://www.sweathead.com
This Amazon Art Director Quit Amazon In Public - Jason Murray
This interview comes from Part 2 of my YouTube series about surviving New York City, especially the Corporate America parts.Jason has worked at Energy BBDO, Huge, and Amazon. He recently documented his leaving of Amazon.We discuss:- Why he did this- What he's learned from working in NYC- Being an introvert in Corporate AmericaAnd more.Watch us discuss all of this on The High Line:https://youtu
Would New York Make You Or Break You? - Part 1 with Julian Cole, Jack Appleby
Watch my first raw travel YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0josxmlLCKU&t=1437sIt features strategists and friends Julian Cole and Jack Appleby.I also take you on a tour of NYC and share what the city has taught me.Julian: https://www.instagram.com/juliancole.strategy/Jack: https://www.instagram.com/jackapplebyny/Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollardStrategy training (in
2025 Trends And The Problem With Trend Reports - Lee Ci En and Amy Daroukakis
Lee Ci En and Amy Daroukakis have been collecting trend reports in a Google for years now. You've probably fiended for access :)
The thing is, trends can be useful but a lot of trend reports are not.
In this episode, we discuss:
- 7 trends they think we need to pay attention to,
- What's wrong with the trend report industry,
- And the projects both are involved with.
Amy Daroukakis, Found
Strategy Clarity On A Page - Sit and Talk, DC
In this episode, I reflect about some of the countries I visited in 2024 - from The Maldives to Saudi Arabia. I also talk about the mindset required to reach clarity, big personal reflections, and my upcoming attempt at YouTube.
Read about clarity here:
https://mailchi.mp/sweathead/clarity-on-a-page
https://mailchi.mp/sweathead/what-is-this-mood
The one-page documents are in Best Strategists Clu
Explain Saudi Arabia To Me - Omar Alomran, Thmanyah
I'm in Riyadh this week. It's my first time. I'm here for a new creator conference called Impaq Makers. It's run by the Ministry of Media.
I spent a few days exploring the city and speaking to people. But a strategist friend Faisal Alshareef told me about a big YouTube channel here called Thmanyah. I asked if I could meet them and interview them. Faisal made it happen.
Thmanyah have a Guinness Wor
All Reach Is Not Created Equal (Plus Distinctiveness Vs Differentiation) - Felipe Tomaz from Oxford, Tom Roach from Jellyfish
Felipe Tomaz is Associate Professor of Marketing at the Saïd Business School at University of Oxford.
He's about to publish a paper in the Journal of Marketing after analyzing 1,000 campaigns and a million customer journeys via Kantar and Wavemaker.
With this paper, he'll be showing that "not all reach is created equal" as well as how few campaigns are actually effective.
I invited Tom Roach to j
Over-thinking, Procrastination, And Self-Doubt - Ipsita Das, Personal Development Coach
Ipsita Das often reaches millions of people every month. While she was studying media and psychology at he New School, her Instagram account started to pop.
Now, she works with tens of people every week. She tries to help them with the thoughts in their minds that are holding them back.
In this episode, we discuss the five issues Ipsita hears about more.
Ipsita will be teaching at our 2024 Swea
How To Better Pitch To Clients - Steve Walls, Moon Rabbit
Steve Walls has had big strategy jobs at TBWA, Ogilvy, Publicis Groupe, and more. But, now, he lives in Zurich, works with Moon Rabbit, and sees agency pitches from the other side - as someone helping marketers get more out of their agencies.
In this episode, we discuss what Steve sees agencies get right and wrong in the pitch process.
Steve will be teaching at our 2024 Sweathead Do-Together. Fi
A Magician Who's A Strategist - Or Is It The Other Way Around? - Mike Jacobson, Strategist & Magician
Mike Jacobson has worked in strategy for years. But he's been a magician for decades.
Not long ago, he appeared on America's Got Talent. That's how good he is.
In this episode, Mike breaks down the business of magic as well as how what he's learned from being a magician and strategist has helped both of his crafts, something he'll be teaching at our upcoming strategy conference The Sweathead Do
Strategic Territories And Starting Ideas - Joe Burns, Creative Quality Meats
I recently spoke with Joe about strategy frameworks and whether they're dumb.
In this episode, we discuss strategic territories, which is one of those tools that is either useful or offensive, depending on how people use it.
Joe will teach us how to use territories at our upcoming strategy conference The Sweathead Do-Together.
Links:
Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-burns-bb73a31b/
Mark: h
Are You Sure You're Using The Word "Culture" Properly, Strategists? - Lucien Etori, McCann NY CSO
Lucien Etori is the Chief Strategy Officer of McCann New York. He grew up moving around a lot as well as a fan of several music subcultures. This has led him to question the way a lot of advertising people use the word "culture".
What do people mean by "culture" and "the culture" and "be part of the culture" and "to do work at the speed of culture"?
And this is what we get into.
Links:
Lucien:
Going Full-time As An Independent Cultural Strategist - Jenny Chang, Constellation Theory
The last time I spoke with Jenny Chang was four years ago. Since then, she's worked in agencies and for Lego and has now launched her own company, Constellation Theory.
In this episode of Sweathead, we discuss this journey as well as what it's like to build a business around yourself.
Jenny is hosting our upcoming strategy conference The Sweathead Do-Together.
Links:
Jenny aka jennifer m chang:
Neurodivergence As A Chief Strategy Officer - Kevin Chesters, CSO, Author of The Creative Nudge
Kevin Chesters has CSO’d it all - Ogilvy, Wieden + Kennedy, Dentsu and more. He’s started a business. He’s sold a business.
He’s also started writing a book and finished writing a book, which is the hardest part of starting to write a book. It’s called The Creative Nudge.
Kevin is speaking at our fourth Sweathead Do-Together about how to say your ideas in a few words.
In this chat, we touch on
What Creatives Want From Strategists (And Brand Tracking 101) - James Hurman, once the world’s number 1 planner
James Hurman was once the number one planner in the world. Now, he runs an innovation studio called Previously Unavailable, he teaches a Master of Advertising Effectiveness with the crew at WARC and Cannes Lions, and he directs brand-tracking company Tracksuit.
In this episode, we discuss James’s 18 months in the creative department and what he learned that can help strategists.
We also get int
How To Deal With Feeling Stuck In An Advertising Career - Iuren Ramiro
How often does your advertising career feel stuck?
How often do you compare your career to other people’s careers?
What do you do to get your career un-stuck?
Iuren Ramiro is a Strategy Director at Agência WE in São Paulo. He’s also on the ANA and Lions CMO Growth Councils.
In this episode, we discuss Iuren’s own journey through the darkness as well as a recent survey we ran to see how other st
Persuasion - How To Sell Your Ideas - Maytê Carvalho, CSO
Maytê Carvalho won a special version of Brazil’s The Apprentice television show when she was 18 years old. People told her she was persuasive. They told her to write a book about it.
But, first, Maytê decided to study persuasion and ended up getting a Master’s degree focusing on it. She also became a Research Fellow at the Berkeley Global Society.
Simultaneously, Maytê worked in the Grey Group
What Thousands Of Strategists Whisper - Georgetown, DC - Walk & Talk
Come for a walk around Washington DC as I discuss the ten things strategists whisper to me and debrief you on 14 events in 5 countries for 700 people over the past two weeks.
Find our classes here: http://www.sweathead.com
Find me here: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Leaving New York, Impostor Syndrome, Teaching Strategists - Walk and Talk, NYC
Join me on a walk from Times Square to the Flatiron District as we discuss some big life changes, my masterclasses in Asia, impostor syndrome, and teaching strategists.Find me @ http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Are Fractional CMOs Tiny - Or Do They Just Do A Fraction Of CMO Work In A Fraction Of The Time? - Fractional CMO, John Lyons
John Lyons is a fractional CMO. This might mean that he's a fraction of a CMO and that he's either very small or only does a fraction of what a CMO usually does.
Well, that's what I think when I see the title "Fractional CMO" - Oh, it's a thumb-sized CMO doing 10% of the CMO job.
But, in this chat, John puts me straight while also sharing his thoughts on why B2B servic
The Present Of Strategy - WARC's Lena Roland
Lena Roland is Content Director, Strategy at WARC. This means she's dealing with all of you as she explores and gathers the smart minds in the world and what they're doing to market and advertise effectively.
In this episode, we chat about the present of strategy - what we're both hearing from strategists around the world.
If you'd like to share what you're thinking about the
Reflections About A Week At The Cannes Lions Festival Of Creativity
Join me by the river Vitava in Prague for a beer and a chat about the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival.
Simple Ways To Fix Your Strategy Work - Sit and Talk
- The power of paper
- Summarize stingily
- Digging into problems
- Fixing presentations
Find out about my masterclasses:
http://www.sweathead.com
Download the ebook "How To Do Strategy"
http://www.sweathead.com
Find me on Instagram:
http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Artificial Intelligence In Advertising - Toygun Yilmazer, CSO TBWA Istanbul
Toygun is Chief Strategy Office at TBWA in Istanbul, one of my favorite cities on the planet. He recently presented his thoughts about artificial intelligence at SxSW.
We discuss these thoughts as well as Turkey.
You can find Toygun here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toygun-yilmazer-29810267/
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For details about our upcoming strategy masterclasses and free ebooks, go to http://www.sweathead.com
Are Strategy Frameworks Dumb? - Joe Burns, Group Strategy Director, Quality Meats Creative
Joe was Head of Strategy at BBH in New York but decided to go to an indie shop Quality Meats as a Group Strategy Director.
We discuss this move as well as a survey that suggested a lot of strategists think strategy frameworks do more harm than good.
You can find Joe here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-burns-bb73a31b/
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For details about our upcoming strategy masterclasses and free ebooks, go
The Daily Challenges Facing Good Comms Planning - Mani Schlisser, OBERLAND
Mani Schlisser is Director of Strategy at OBERLAND in New York. He's had big comms planning roles at Ogilvy, Mekanism, and Chiat Day.
In this chat, we talk about Comms Planning 101 but also get into the daily challenges facing anyone creating advertising right now:
- What's happening on the social media platforms, and
- What agencies are getting wrong,
You can find Mani here: https://www
A World Champion Of The Cannes Young Lions Plus A Contender - Monika Farkašová, David Cerveny
Monika Farkašová (from agency Triad) has won the Young Lions so I'm now calling her World Champion because "Winner" is boring.
The Young Lions takes the best young talent from around the world and pits them against each other in a ferocious battle of minds for 24 hours in Cannes every June.
David Cerveny (from agency Zaraguza) is a frequent contender in this battle as well having r
Cultural Intelligence for Marketers: Building an Inclusive Marketing Strategy - Dr Anastasia Karklina Gabriel
Dr Anastasia Karklina Gabriel has just published her first book "Cultural Intelligence for Marketers: Building an Inclusive Marketing Strategy".
Having earned a PhD, Anastasia has consulted for many agencies and now works in Reddit's Global Insights team.
In this chat, we discuss a few of the key concepts in the book as well as the experience of writing it.
You can find Anastasia h
Stop Collaborating And Listen - Why Do Workshops Defeat Us? - Rob Estreitinho, Salmon Theory
Rob Estreitinho and I have just dropped a deck for you. It's called "Stop Collaborating And Listen".
In it, we discuss why workshops are being forced on everyone right now, how this isn't always a good thing, and what to do about it.
You can find the deck here:
http://bit.ly/stopcollaboratingandlisten
Top Ten Strategist Traits - Live From Hell's Kitchen
You can find out about our upcoming masterclasses at http://www.sweathead.com
Mark is here:
http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
How To Have Award-Winning Ideas - Alexandre Kazuo Kubo, Lucas Ribeiro
Alexandre Kazuo Kubo and Lucas Ribeiro are Associate Creative Directors at McCann New York. Recently, they published a guide on having and expressing award-winning advertising ideas.
It's relatively rare for employed big-agency creatives to publish like this so I took the opportunity to get them to talk us through their free guide while forcing them to indulge me in my love of Brazil and Brazi
The Wrongs And Rights Of Brand Strategy Workshops - Camilla Petty
Camilla Petty recently released a workshop guide from 15 years of experience in advertising. I've run hundreds of these things and have thoughts. So we got together to discuss what makes a workshop work as well as the things that don't.
You can get 25% off Camilla's guide using the code SWEATY at checkout: https://oddkid.co/store/brandstrategyworkshopguide
You can find Camilla here:
Brand Strategy In Venture Capital - Michael Miraflor
Michael Miraflor is Chief Brand Officer at Hannah Grey Venture Capital. His agency life started in media agencies then lead him to MediaLink and, now, into VC.
In this episode, we discuss his journey as well as what exactly he is doing right now.
You can find Michael here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirateck/
You can find Mark here: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
The Techno Mindset For Strategists - Luis Miranda, Strategist & Techno Producer
Cofounder of the Account Planning Group (APG) in Spain, Luis Miranda is a freelance strategist based in Los Angeles but also a music producer and DJ.
In this episode, we see what strategists can learn from techno. Obviously.
You can find Luis here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/luismiranda1/
You can find Mark here:
http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
B2B Marketing Creativity - Carolyn Barclay and David Moore
Carolyn Barclay and David Moore run Kingswood & Palmerston. They work with B2B marketers whom they push to do interesting work.
We discuss creativity in B2B advertising as well as Carolyn and David's business.
You might know David from his Twitter and LinkedIn sharing of advertising made by advertising agencies to promote advertising agencies.
Carolyn Barclay:
https://www.linkedin.com
The Taylor Swift Conspiracy, Creative Teams, and Job Loss - Walk And Talk, Times Square
You can find these bits as essays here: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
The Most Important B2B Marketing Ideas With LinkedIn's Ty Heath
Ty Heath is the Director of the LinkedIn B2B Institute. The B2B Institute works with some of the world's leading marketing academics to find counter-intuitive ideas that can have a ridiculous impact on B2B brands.
In this interview, we discuss B2B Marketing 101.
You can find Ty here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyronaheath/
You can download our "How To Do Strategy" ebook, read by 120,000+ peopl
The Strategy To Revive One Of The World’s Biggest Fashion Brands - Esprit - Ana Andjelic, Chief Brand Officer
Ana Andjelic has a PhD, has worked in many of your favorite New York advertising and digital agencies, and now has a massive role at Esprit as the Chief Brand Office and the Chief Marketing Officer. This means Ana is responsible for anything that leaves the office.
I caught up with her in the Esprit office to find out how her and the team are reviving Esprit, a brand that, at one time, had a marke
Going Hard On LinkedIn - Alex M H Smith, Basic Arts
There was a time on LinkedIn that was before Alex M H Smith and a time on LinkedIn that was after Alex M H Smith.
Every week, tens of thousands of people now see Alex's posts about strategy in their feed but it wasn't always this way.
In this episode, we discuss what Alex is up to and how he uses social media. We were going to talk about some of his strategy posts and thoughts but...I actually do
How Hallmark Went From Greetings Cards To Advertising Agency - Trish Berrong
Trish Berrong is a copywriter and strategist who spent decades at greeting card company Hallmark. She's not only written greeting cards but she helped Hallmark develop an in-house agency that went from serving Hallmark to serving external clients. And this is what we discuss.
You can find Trish here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishberrong/
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Find out about our strategy training and conferen
Your Personal Development Plan Template - Hell's Kitchen, NYC
You can find a link to the personal development template here: https://sweathead.com/personal-plan
Sign up for The Sweathead Get-Ahead free livestream from London here: https://sweathead.com/sweathead-get-ahead/
My London Masterclass tickets are here: https://sweathead.com/london-strategy-masterclass-with-mark-pollard/
And you can grab free ebooks and find out about our classes here: https://sw
Better Relationships With The Creative Department - Anirban Roy, Head of Strategy at Wieden + Kennedy, India
Anirban Roy is Head of Strategy at Wieden + Kennedy in India. They have offices in Delhi and Mumbai.
In this interview, we discuss good relationships with creative teams - whether it's common, what makes them difficult, and what makes them work.
You can find Anirban here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirbanroyplanner/
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Find out about our strategy training and conferences at http://www.sweat
Humor In Advertising - What Does The Research Say? - Polly Wyn Jones, Kantar
Polly Wyn Jones has been anlayzing advertising for over 30 years. In the past two years, she's published two articles about humor in advertising - how it ebbed and flowed over the past 2 decades, the kinds of humor there are in ads, and if it's coming back. And this is what we discuss.
You can find Polly's two articles here
1. https://www.kantar.com/uki/inspiration/advertising-media/h
Is There Really Less Humor In Advertising Right Now? - Paul Fisher, Head of Strategy, BBDO Dublin
Paul Fisher, Head of Strategy at BBDO Dublin, woke up with a mission one Sunday a couple of weeks ago. He wanted to confirm or debunk a belief that there's less humor in advertising than before.
He spent hours trawling through and categorizing campaigns. And I thought it would be worth speaking to someone who feels like this is a good way to spend a Sunday.
You can find Paul here: https://ww
Getting Strategy Jobs At Netflix, CashApp, Nike, Apple And More - Grace Gordon, CashApp
Grace Gordon is an Australian who's worked with a list of companies many strategists would dream of working with: Netflix, CashApp, Nike, Apple, The Fader, Refinery29, as well as various agencies. In fact, we worked together at Big Spaceship a decade ago.
In this chat, we discuss living and working the USA as Australians as well as what Grace learned about getting these kinds of jobs.
You c
Setting Your Next Marketing Budget - This Time With Evidence - Marc Binkley, Fractional CMO
Marc is a fractional CMO based in Calgary, Canada. He recently published a deck to help marketers work out how to set their budgets based on evidence.
You can find the deck here:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7134918764252299264/
You can find Marc here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/
Shocking Truths About Insights In Advertising (I'm joking - but, yeah, "insights")
You can download a free 45-page ebook on insights, including a chapter from my book "Strategy Is Your Words" here:
https://mailchi.mp/sweathead/mastering-insights
You can find out about The Insight Masterclass that I'm teaching on Wednesday, December 6, online here:
http://sweathead.com/the-insight-masterclass-mark-pollard
The Marketing Sciences Suggest: Make Your Brand Think And Act Broad - Julien Normand, Publicis
Julien Normand is Global Strategy Lead for Publicis LEON @ Publicis Media in Singapore. Recently, he wrote a piece called "The Silent Ascent Of Super Light Buyers," in which he shares research that suggests marketers need to pay attention to people who don't buy them very often.
You can find Julien here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julien-normand-101/
His article is here:
https://www.linkedin.
I Got A Hair Transplant In Turkey - Istanbul, Walk and Talk
I was going to keep it private but people started to find out. I got a hair transplant. And I had a second operation to get a lipoma removed. At the end of this episode I talk a little about functional versus emotional advertising. But most of the episode is about hair and Istanbul. You can find videos about the experience on my Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
A 1AM Interview With The Team That Got Women’s Names Onto Street Signs In Tbilisi - Ad Black Sea
Watergunz won two golds at the recent Ad Black Sea festival for a campaign called “Women Who Don’t Exist”. They won in the Impact category for Creative Strategy and Sustainable Development Goals. Their campaign managed to get the Tbilisi government to change street names to the names of accomplished women. I was fortunate to be the one who handed them their trophies in front of well over one thous
So This Head Of Strategy Just Quit His Job At JWT On Stage - Ad Black Sea, Batumi, Georgia
It’s the final day of the Georgian advertising festival Ad Black Sea. The campaign winners will be announced soon. In this episode, I talk with fellow speaker Marie Reig Florensa, Ad Black Sea and agency Winfors founder Vato Lavtaradze, and Lado Malazonia who quit his job on stage during one of my sessions and in front of perhaps 800 people…and his wife. You can find out more about Ad Black Sea he
4 Students Share Their Work And Experience From The Sweathead Strategy Accelerator - Dulce Vazquez, Rodolfo Andres Estrada, Sarah Mahoney, Victoria Gates-Fleming
The next Sweathead Strategy Accelerator happens in October, 2023. It's a 4-week program that will teach you about The Four Points framework, linear and lateral thinking, the importance of problems, how to write insights, and how to write strategy.
This next accelerator is our fifth public accelerator so we thought we'd invite some previous students to share their work and experience with
How To Fix Your Presentations - Sit And Talk, Hell's Kitchen, NYC
In this episode, I share some of the student work from the Sweathead Strategy Accelerator as well as dive into some tips on how to improve your presentations. You can download 70+ pages of student work here: https://mailchi.mp/sweathead/9vtxjz2jqq
When To Quit Your Strategy Career - São Paulo, Sit And Talk
In this episode, I discuss a couple of recent essays—when it’s time to quit and how to help a strategy team that’s swirling all over the place. If you enjoy it, share it. And come say hi on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Hard Truths About Strategy Careers - Hacktown, Brazil
In this episode, I share my experience at Hacktown as well as some uncomfortable truths about strategy careers. I’m doing a masterclass in São Paulo on Wednesday, August 23. DM me on Instagram for details. http://www.instagram.com/markpollard
Check Your Next Creative Brief For These Things - Monologue, Hell's Kitchen
I'm going to do a few solo episodes over the coming weeks. This episode's topic I've touched on a lot and I've even read out some of these words before. But I thought I'd start here as I share some of my most engaged-with social posts in voice format.
You can download a free ebook How To Do Strategy here: https://zaap.bio/sweathead
What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming A Strategist - Midtown, NYC
Lots of updates and a list of things I wish I knew before becoming a strategist. My book “Strategy Is Your Words” is available this week on Amazon Kindle in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. I hope you’re well out there.
The Agency Dominating Costa Rica And Then Some...Interaction - Erick Apuy and Monica Gonzales (Effie Index Series)
Erick Apuy is building an empire from his home base in San Jose, Costa Rica. His agency, Interaction, is one of the most awarded in the region. Their love of problems and context help them help their clients in ways that involve advertising but only if they have to. For instance, they helped a hydroelectricity company make money from crypto.
In this episode, I chat with Erick and Monica Gonzales,
What's At The Heart Of One Of Australia's Most Prolific Advertising Agencies The Monkeys - Dave Collins, Strategy Director (Effie Index Series)
Dave Collins is Strategy Director at The Monkeys in Melbourne, Australia. The Monkeys have been a prolific creative agency ever since they launched and they were listed in the Effie Index in 2022.
In this interview, Dave share the special sauce plus a few case studios. We also talk about his year in New York and how he's thinking about approaching his 30s in the industry.
You can find Dave he
The Self-Improving Agency - Raluca Kovacs, CSO, Publicis Romania (Effie Index Series)
Raluca Kovacs is Chief Strategy Officer of Publicis Worldwide in Romania. Romania is a competitive advertising country. It seems like one of those hotbeds that not enough of us know about. It's a hotbed that has created several agencies that frequently feature in award shows and in the Effie Index.
In this episode, Raluca shares with us the culture at Publicis in Romania. You'll hear a big
Strategy Gold In The Desert - CSO Mario Morby Reveals The Secrets Of FP7McCann, UAE (Effie Index Series)
Mario Morby is Regional Head of Strategy at FP7McCann. He's based in Dubai. In case you didn't know, Dubai is very different from Birmingham in the UK, where Mario was working before joining FP7McCann.
FP7McCann is prolific and Mario takes us on an intellectual tour of what makes the agency so good.
You can find Mario here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariomorby
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You can find the Sweathe
How High Expectations And Pressure Lead To World-Beating Advertising - Javier Quintero, GUT (Effie Index Series)
Javier Quintero is Chief Strategy Officer of GUT in Buenos Aires. Every decade a handful of agencies appear and then tear up the industry as we know it and GUT is currently doing this.
In this episode, Javier explains to us how GUT does creative briefs and how they put pressure on their work so that nothing crap leaves the building.
You can find Javier here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/javiquinte
Ogilvy Pakistan's Director Of Strategy Zahra Ali Explains What Makes The Agency So Effective (Effie Index Series)
Zahra Ali runs strategy at Ogilvy in Karachi. She's helped the agency win so many awards that the agency is listed in the Effie Index.
In this episode, Zahra explains the culture of Ogilvy Karachi to us and takes us through some award-winning work.
You can find Zahra here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahra-ali-037bb616/
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You can find the Sweathead report What Strategists Want From Work here
How Strategists Work In One Of The World's Most Effective Advertising Agencies - Victor Stroe, Leo Burnett (Effie Index Series)
Victor Stroe is Associate Director and Head of Strategy at Leo Burnett in Bucharest, Romania. His office was ranked the eleventh most effective in the world according to the 2022 Effie Index). Romania has a prolific and competitive advertising industry–it's just not that internationally known.
In this episode, we discuss Leo Burnett's mindset and culture, what helps the agency win so many
Interesting And Useful Is The Way To CSO Ryan O’Connell’s Heart - Ogvily (Effie Index Series)
Ryan O'Connell is Chief Strategy Officer of Ogilvy in Sydney, Australia. His office ranked in the Effie Index and we wanted to find out why.
In this episode, Ryan talks about the need to be interesting and useful while also comparing notes between the two agencies he's spent the longest time in: Clemenger BBDO and Ogilvy.
You can find Ryan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-o-connell-43854212/
Is Niche Marketing Making It Harder To Reach People? - Amber Chenevert, PhD, VMLY&R
Amber Chenevert is Managing Director, Strategy & Insights as well as Global Culture Studio Lead at VMLY&R. She's a PhD and has taught advertising.
In this episode we discuss a question that's been on her mind recently: "Is niche marketing making it harder to reach ppl?"
You can find Amber here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-chenevert-phd-027a4b1/
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You can find the
A Gentle Comparison Of Strategy At BBDO And VMLY&R - David Moreno, BBDO (Effie Index Series)
David Moreno recently moved to BBDO, Atlanta, where he's EVP, Strategy Lead. Prior to this, David was Managing Director, Strategy and Insights at VMLY&R. Big titles in big agencies doing big things.
In this episode, David gently compares the two and gives us his first impressions of BBDO and what makes the agency so good at making effective advertising.
You can find David here: https://www
The First Decade+ Of A Career (And Putting Yourself Online) - Aisha Hakim, ACD, 72andSunny
Aisha Hakim is an associate creative director at 72andSunny. She's also prolific online. Aisha will be hosting a masterclass called "The Art Of Deck-Making" for us on May 17. Aisha originally published a deck about deck-making to Twitter and then to LinkedIn. The deck went a little viral and it still pops up every few months.
In this episode, we discuss all of this.
You can find Aish
What Strategists Want From Work, Best Places For Strategists To Work, And Getting Old In Advertising - Monologue, Hell's Kitchen, NYC
It's May 4. Today marks three years since Sweathead launch its first online class. And, to celebrate, we've published a new report "What Strategists Want From Work".
In this report, you'll learn:
1. What strategists want from the companies they work at,
2. What strategy bosses want from their strategists,
3. What makes a strategy career happen,
4. The top strategy bosses tha
Unleash Your Weird Self - The Secret To Better Strategy - Bonnie Wan, AdAge 2022 CSO Of The Year
Bonnie Wan is Head of Strategy at Goodby Silverstein & Partners, an agency she's worked at for thirteen years. In 2022, she won a big award: AdAge's CSO of the year. And she's about to publish a book through which she's going to put all of her strategy nous into a shape that can help you in your life. It's called "The Life Brief."
In this episode of Sweathead, we
The Visibility Mindset (Get Yourself Seen) - Bernice Chao, Asians In Advertising
Bernice Chao is author of "The Visibility Mindset". Her agency experience includes R/GA, Zambezi, TBWA, and David&Goliath.
While navigating her career in the creative department, Bernice found herself longing to be able to connect with more people who understood her experience. So she set up Asians In Advertising with Jessalin Lam and has amassed a community of over 4,000 people wh
A New Brand Strategy For Sofia, Bulgaria - Live Workshop With Adriyana Mihaylova
Sofia, Bulgaria. It’s the capital of one of Europe’s poorest countries, a country that spent decades behind the iron curtain, a country after which the Bulgarian Split Squat is named, and a country that wants you to visit it. I’m speaking at Digitalk on May 18 and I’m teaching a masterclass on May 19.
And to whet people’s appetites for the eccentricities I’m going to bring, this episode features
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