The MAD Mix Podcast

Season 3, episode 24! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [02:45] Initial thoughts on Certified Lover Boy and breaking down the overall promotion [19:45] Is all publicity good publicity? [28:00] LinkedIn says goodbye to their Stories feature due to low engagement [33:50] Is having a vaccine passport in Ontario fair? [42:10] Private companies stepping up when the government doesn’t - Uber, Lyft, an...

Season 3, episode 23! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [06:10] Initial thoughts on Kanye’s album and its promotion [15:40] Drake’s recent promotional efforts for his upcoming album [23:13] OnlyFans suspends their ban after a few days - did public backlash play a part? [31:50] Should you see your coworkers as your “family”? Feel good news of the week [41:10] Airbnb offers housing for 20k Afghan...

Season 3, episode 22! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [03:40] Is it fair to require a vaccination to attend sports venues? [10:15] OnlyFans is removing all sexually explicit content this fall to refocus their image. Is it too late to pivot? [18:35] Tesla is releasing a new human-sized robot and it begs the question whether or not this will do more harm than good [27:55] Are there brands that h...

Season 3, episode 21! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [04:43] Is there a future for ads and art being streamed from outer space? [15:44] Taco Bell uses a subliminal advertising approach with their latest campaign [23:00] Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the NDP leveraging Tik Tok [30:15] Should kids under 16 have full access to social media? [37:05] A Whitney Houston hologram to headline a Las Veg...

Season 3, episode 20! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [06:10] Is it fair that Sha'Carri Richardson was suspended rom competing in the olympics, while Megan Rapinoe is able to promote the use of CBD? [14:04] Why Burger King’s award-winning ads don’t translate to business performance [23:40] Would you quit your job if you had to return to the office full-time? [34:40] Twitter gets rid of their S...

This week, we're joined by Akiel Gallina - a creative producer who recently moved from Toronto to Berlin, Germany in pursuit of a change in environment and career. Here's what we covered: [04:50] Experience moving to a new country during the pandemic and starting from ground zero [11:20] Rejecting the culture of over-working [17:40] The importance of not having your identity completely tied to you...

Season 3, episode 18! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [08:55] Controversy surrounding Rachel Nichols' comments on race [20:16] TikTok allows creators to apply for jobs with partnering companies through the platform [26:25] An influencer loses her broadcast reporting gig due to backlash on Twitter about her privilege [33:20] Should case studies from the Cannes Festival be more widely accessible...

Season 3, episode 17! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [05:40] Bumble’s CEO announces a full paid-week off to manage employee burnout - can this work for other companies/industries? [14:30] A viral tweet suggests putting in extra work on weekends while you're young is best for your career  [24:45] Coca-Cola under fire for the name restrictions of their “Share a coke” campaign for Pride Mon...

Season 3, episode 16! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [03:55] Juneteenth is officially a federal holiday in the U.S and brands had deals ready to go [11:10] Should we be celebrating Canada Day this year given the constant mistreatment and injustice towards indigenous communities? [20:10] Spotify steps into the social audio space with Greenroom - why is every social platform doing this? [27:21]...

This week, we're joined by Jenna Tharani - a Strategy Manager in Global Partnerships at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Here's what we covered: [05:00] What does a strategist actually do? [10:50] How has the business of sports evolved during the pandemic? [21:00] Are we making progress with the brand promises of diversity improvements from 2020? [27:09] Why do DE&I efforts keep falling...

Season 3, episode 14! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [05:15] The mistreatment of employees is catching up to employers now that service workers are opting out of their jobs [12:50] EXTRA gum celebrates post-pandemic behaviour in their ad - is it appropriate or tone deaf when the pandemic isn’t “over”? [23:05] Has Clubhouse peaked in popularity? [29:00] Basecamp fumbles the bag with their new...

This week, we're joined by Teresa Tam - a freelance designer/art director, and former associate creative director for an ad agency in Toronto. Here's what we covered: [03:10] In an ad agency, what is the difference between an Art Director and a Designer, and how do they work together? [07:30] Which brands stand out the most in terms of design and which one’s could use help? [15:50] How do you futu...

Season 3, episode 12! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [02:20] Reactions to the Derek Chauvin trial and the Las Vegas Raiders tweet [13:05] McDonald’s announces a new BTS meal - why aren’t we seeing other QSR’s implement celebrity collabs like this? [22:51] Rogers fumbles the bag with a nationwide power outage - Missed opportunity from other telecommunication brands? [26:55] Rolling Loud festiv...

Season 3, episode 11! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [10:05] Follow up on NFT’s - How can you sell a moment that hasn’t happened yet? [17:57] Continuous performative allyship amongst ad agencies - the receipts are overdue. [31:15] Strategy’s 2021 Creative Report Card results are in - a ranking system for advertisers and creatives. [38:40] Freshii upgrades their product offering and introduces...

Season 3, episode 10! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [02:34] Brands inserting themselves in the Suez Canal memes. Is there a right/wrong way to do it? [09:30] Krispy Kreme giving away a free donut every day for vaccinated customers [16:10] Will we start to see brands offer more incentives to vaccinated customers? [22:30] How brands are getting involved in NFT’s and what the future might look...

This week, we're joined by Ash Phillips & Miro LaFlaga - founders of creative agency Six Cinquième in Montreal. Here's what we covered: [04:00] How the agency Six Cinquième got started and what’s its overall purpose. [13:45] Is it important to have the label “Black-owned” or can it hold you back? [23:30] How can more Black people start their own agencies? What’s the path that Ash and Miro took...

This week, we're joined by Fatma Othman - a social engagement lead for a large QSR company. Here's what we covered: [05:05] The differences working in social media for agencies vs client side [07:40] The challenges of being a social media marketer and why it's not as easy as many think [16:03] Breaking down the Burger King tweet that used a sexist joke, from a social media marketer's perspective [...

Season 3, episode 7! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [03:35] Importance of International Women’s Day and how brands can genuinely participate [10:10] Burger King’s tweet sparks outrage for using a sexist joke to push their community efforts [16:05] Twitter roles out “Super Follow”, a new revenue modal for social apps. Is this the beginning of paying for socials and will it take off? [29:00] Ad...

This week, we're joined by Stephanie Small - a Creative Operations Manager in advertising and the creator of BLACK TAXI. Part talent incubator, part employee resource group, the goal of BLACK TAXI is to find, hire, and retain Black talent in the Advertising industry. Here's what we covered: [03:56] Getting started in D&I and the progression in that space so far [10:17] Ad agencies and their pe...

Season 3, episode 5! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [03:30] Aunt Jemima is rebranded as “Pearl Milling Company”. Was this a good strategy? [16:10] Kendall Jenner getting dragged for her latest tequila venture due to cultural appropriation. Is there a way for those outside of a culture to attach themselves in a respectful way? [23:40] Clubhouse is next up - what do we think of the platform and...

Season 3, episode 4! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [04:50] Overall thoughts on the SuperBowl ads this year. Which ones were the standouts and which ones fell flat? [17:30] Research in Canadian advertising has shown that over 50% of BIPOC employees have reported discrimination. What can agencies learn from this? [31:10] Analyzing the Gorilla Glue girl incident and the expected brand response...

Season 3, episode 3! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [02:25] What’s going on with GameStop stock and how Robinhood fumbled the bag [12:25] What do we expect from companies during Black History Month? [20:36] Sports leagues and their performative ally-ship [27:32] What’s going to be the tone for SuperBowl ads this year (pandemic, social justice, usual humour, etc)? [35:17] A viral NoFrills anim...

This week, we're joined by Patrick James, a recent graduate and current account coordinator for an ad agency in Toronto. Here's what we covered: [02:20] The journey from a BBA at Laurier to an ad agency [07:40] What was the experience like graduating and job hunting during the pandemic? [17:05] How you can get stuck in a role thinking it defines who you are [22:01] Navigating companies looking to...

Our season 3 premiere and 50th episode is here! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [05:50] Social media apps take a stand against Donald Trump - why did it take so long? [14:30] Do we expect brands to take a political stance? [21:30] The white re-branding of Mahjong and the issues of cultural appropriation within products [32:20] AdAge gets called out for their insensitive article targeting Bozom...

Our season 2 finale is here! Here's what Dak and Malick discuss: [02:30] Reflecting on what we’ve learned and what we’ve observed in 2020 [14:16] Less talk more action. Will agencies keep the same energy in 2021? [26:28] What were some of the Ws from brands in 2020? [33:46] GoDaddy taking advantage of employees through a phishing test [37:10] Thoughts on Apple working on a self-driving car by 2024...