Potluck

Drago & Scott are stirring the pot - with Vasuki Shastry, author of Has Asia Lost It? Dynamic Past, Turbulent Future.   He starts his career in journalism with Business India and India Today in Mumbai, then works with the Business Times in Jakarta and Singapore. After that Vasuki is in the press centre of the IMF, acting as their Asia Pacific spokesperson during the Asia financial crisis.  Vas...

As we enter a poignant summer of sport,  we have a timely conversation with Professor Simon Chadwick, Global Professor of Eurasian Sport at Emlyon Business School (based in Paris & Shanghai). As a writer, academic, consultant and speaker in the global sport industry, Simon  has particular expertise working at the intersection of sport, business, politics and technology, especially in a Eurasia...

Top-down to Bottom-up; this full feast episode cover all 3 parts of our conversation with strategist Jocelyn Tse. Through the lens of a career that has spanned the big creative agency world in China and Hong Kong, and most recently as the founder of the independent collective MMSN, we get Joceyln's take on: -  How both an outside-in and human-centred approach has brought her success - Creativ...

Drago & Scott are stirring the pot - with Jocelyn Tse, Founder & Lead Strategist, MMSN.  Multi-award-winning strategist, Jocelyn brings a rich insider's perspective on strategy and the industry as a whole from her work with all major comms holding companies across Hong Kong & Shanghai: TBWA, Ogilvy, JWT & digital experience agency Isobar, to name a few... Tune in for part 3 of...

In part two of our discussion with strategist Jocelyn Tse, we turn to hacking humans. This is where we roll up our sleeves and talk about her shortcuts and tips  for understanding real people and culture. We hear from Jocelyn on: - The importance of being 'human' in her role, and the risk in seeing the world through data alone - When the moderator leaves the room, all is revealed... - To...

Drago & Scott are stirring the pot - with Jocelyn Tse, Founder & Lead Strategist, MMSN.  Multi-award-winning strategist, Jocelyn brings a rich insider's perspective on strategy and the industry as a whole from her work with all major comms holding companies across Hong Kong & Shanghai: TBWA, Ogilvy, JWT & digital experience agency Isobar, to name a few... Tune in for this deli...

Wrapping thing up with Ajay Jilka, it's time for our quickfire round of 3 burning questions... Flavour of the Month:  how Heineken emerged with credit in response to the European Super League fall-out Brand Bullshit: cutting through the hype around NFTs, the natural crossover with gaming and the opportunity for collectibles Fortunate Failure: how a Hedge Fund internship taught him lessons aro...

Ajay Jilka works at the exhilarating intersection of Esports and brand partnerships, a space ripe with opportunities across Asia and indeed the globe. In this full feast episode,  we take you inside the world of sports marketing in China, learnings from Ajay's journey working in traditional sports through to the new frontier of gaming and ESports, and what the playbook looks like for brands l...

VIDEO GAMES, COVID-19 AND CHINESE YOUTH – in part 2 we learn about some of Ajay’s hacks for understanding the real people behind the rise of Esports. All through the lens of his recent report involving research among 16-21 year old Chinese gamers.  As a ‘perfect storm’ forms around the opportunity for brands, we unpack some of the big themes from 3 angles: 1) Cultural significance of Esports, and...

Going head-to-head with a Mobile Legend!  Drago and I stir the pot with Ajay Jilka. In part 1 of 3, we lift the lid on Ajay’s experience of sports marketing in China and the region at large. From the afterglow of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, to the explosion of Esports, we chart how Ajay has broken new ground throughout his career, including: -       Escaping from the jaws of a hedge fund, and on to...

Enjoy the full feast of our 3-part discussion with Charlotte Wilkinson of HelloSister & SidebySide. Part 1: Lifting the lid on Asia: lessons in curiosity, empathy and desire to challenge the status quo. We also learn about how female empowerment manifests itself in developing v developed Asia, but why you need to look under the hood to understand what the data fails to tell you. Part 2: Hackin...

Finally, in part 3, three burning questions to complete our celebration of IWD and the feast with Charlotte Wilkinson of Hello Sister. Flavour of the month:  Charlie speaks about brands that are doing it right, but more brands need to do bolder work to be relevant to the female experience: e.g. Nike (M) or Frida Mom ('Care for your breasts, not just your baby') Brand Bullshit:   our gues...

In part 2 of our discussion, we delve into Charlotte's 'hacks' for deeper human understanding and insight generation, particularly when it comes to women, including: How challenging, more empathetic approaches are necessary to get to the heart of women's lives: removing the one-way mirror, not just telling but showing life looks like (see pizza nights with Chinese teens)  The i...

Helping brands embrace diversity and gender equality are at the heart of Charlotte Wilkinson’s work. Based in Singapore, and working on challenges around the region, Charlotte is the Founder of both Hello Sister - a female-focused insights boutique, and Side by Side - a consultancy that helps organisations level up on diversity and inclusion.  In part 1 of 3, we start by lifting the lid on Charlot...

Enjoy the full feast of our 3-part discussion with Superunion's Ambrish Chaudhry... Part 1: Lifting the lid on Asia: lessons from being part of the growth story of  SEA Unicorns, perspectives on the region based on an insights and strategy career that has spanned India, Dubai and Singapore, and how Ambrish sees a bigger role for the Asian CMO emerging (should be wish to grasp it!) Part 2: Hac...

3 burning questions provide a sizzling finale to our conversation with Superunion's Ambrish Chaudhry... Flavour of the month:  in the health and wellness space, we discuss his love for the sports-community focused Rovo app, and his view on a sector set to boom - Telehealth Brand Bullshit: there's plenty to call out here!  brands becoming preachy - we discuss why authenticity and core com...

We continue to stir the pot with Ambrish Chaudhry, Head of Strategy & MD of Superunion  Singapore Lots of yummy bits here: Hacking humans tips – the importance of being brave when it comes to consumer research and not just ticking a box/ ‘hackneyed’ methods The commoditisation of more ‘expected’ methods like brand equity tracking, and the need for research professionals to add value through an...

Scott and Drago stir the pot with Ambrish Chaudhry, Superunion's Strategy Head for APAC.  In this first of 3 parts, we start by exploring Ambrish's formative experiences and perspectives on helping brands grow in the region - from his early years in India, to building a career in Dubai and then Singapore: - How the Potato, Fattoush and Chilli sauce provide the perfect analogy for his phi...

Bringing together the full feast of our 3-part discussion with Katie Dreke: - Part 1: Lifting the lid on Asia - Part 2: Hacking Humans - Part 3: Brand Burns And if you'd like to listen to each part in a more bite-sized way, please see the earlier episodes in this series. Katie Dreke is a Global Strategy & Innovation Consultant, and formerly of Nike, droga5, adidas, W+K & IDEO. www.pot...

In part 3 - 'Brand Burns' - we change gear, rounding off our discussion by getting Katie's take on three burning questions... 1) Flavour of the month: we discuss the different dimensions of the Singular Society brand (from H&M), and the rise of a subscription based, members-only retail model, where everything is sold at cost! 2) Brand Bullshit: why less can be more when it comes...

What would Katie's advice be for those looking to bring more human and cultural understanding into their work?  Hear her 'hacks', including:  'The Anthropology of the Now': the practice of putting your brain into the future to see what's in front of you through fresh eyes Learning to 'edit out your biases'  before you get going We then delve into how human-c...

In Potluck's first episode of Season 2 - and 2021 - we're reaching across the Pacific Ocean to stir the pot with Katie Dreke, a Global Strategy & Innovation Consultant, and formerly of Nike, droga5, adidas, W+K & IDEO. Season 2 launches with a new guest interview format, so we set the scene by asking Katie to imagine herself as a dish.  Mmmm... Then, we're asking Katie to lo...

Drago and Scott stir the pot one last time in 2020. It's short and sweet: What have we learnt about how to better understand people this year?   (from 11:45) What should brands learn from 2020 and apply to 2021?  (from 22:40) What are our bold predictions for the year ahead? ...and talk briefly about what's next for 2021. www.potluckpodcast.asia/

In the final interview of Potluck's first season,  Scott and Drago are joined by Amanda Lim, Senior Strategist at BBH Asia Pacific.  We discuss Amanda's experience in Strategy from all angles... Launching a career: what drew her to the role, what it actually entails and the perceptions of being a Strategist in Singapore Converting cultural-awareness into effective-ness: dissecting her ex...

Here's how his CV begins... Austen Zecha has a lifetime of humor and more than 55 years of working experience in Southeast Asian journalism, American political speechwriting, international oil companies’ PR counseling and Asian marketing communications... We're talking to a true legend of marketing and advertising in Asia and beyond. Has anyone ever managed to put Austen in a box? Or two...