Kate Bordwell leads design research at Skyscanner in Scotland. Yes, the website that helps you fly places for your Instagram feed. And in former lives she was an account planner and a digital strategist. So how do all these experiences inform her approach to design thinking?   We discuss:  - What design thinking is - Working across company silos and departments - Ways to approach ethnography - Common issues with research plans - Running workshops You can find Kate here https://twitter.com/kbordwell   For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

Tess McGourty is strategy lead at Elephant in Los Angeles. Elephant is part of digital agency Huge so Tess now works on digital projects. She started in a media agency then spent several years in advertising. And she has written several articles for strategists new to the industry. So this is what we decided we'd talk about.  We discuss: 1. Mentorship and what's the point? 2. Unusual career leaps into planning 3. Working with creative teams 4. Introversion, overconfidence, and burnout 5. Switching from advertising planning to experience planning You can find Tess here https://twitter.com/tessmcgourty and her articles here https://medium.com/@TessMcGourty   For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

Nancy Hill became President and CEO of the 4As in 2008. The 4As is the American Association of Advertising Agencies. It is the main advertising agency body in the USA. In 2008, the economy tanked, middle-management roles disappeared, salaries didn't disappeared, and the misbehaviors of agency leaders started going public. Many people set up their own agencies as a way to do work they liked and to regain a sense of control over their careers. Nancy now consults with some of these small and mid-sized agencies in her company The Agency Sherpa. We discuss: - How diversity requires public numbers - Trade publications and whether they are too cozy with their topics - Where money goes in holding companies (i.e. not to you) - New York arrogance and titles - Does planning even work in the USA? You can find Nancy here https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-hill-advertising/   For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

Tom Beck once ran then sold an agency. Now, as the Executive Director of the Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA), he helps other people who run agencies.  We discuss: 1. The eras of digital agencies over the past 20 years 2. The missteps some agencies have taken 3. How to get the people to work... specifically, what are the challenges in bringing in strategy, account management, user experience, and creative folk? 4. Is "production" a dirty word? You can find Tom here https://twitter.com/laughingrobots and SoDA here: http://sodaspeaks.com   For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

Marketing consultant Wiemer Snijders recently gathered some of his favorite brains into a book. The book is a call to marketers and strategists of all kinds to deploy more evidence and more facts in their work. The book's name is "Eat Your Greens". It is available through Troubador. We discuss: 1. The 5 most useful fact-based ideas to marketers right now 2. The allure of consulting models and diagrams 3. Marketing's credibility issue You can find Wiemer here: https://twitter.com/wiemersnijders   For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

Fernando Machado is the Global CMO of Burger King. His marketing team is one of the most creatively awarded teams in recent years. And that's all you need to know. I recorded this interview with a brand new microphone but I didn't edit it much. I want you to hear a chat between someone at the peak of his game and a beginner. Yes, the beginner is me. Although, the way Fernando talks, he seems to have a wonderful beginner's mind.  We discuss: - Making the Super Bowl decision - What January for a CMO feels like - How marketing works at Burger King -  Working with agencies You can find Fernando at https://twitter.com/fer_machado123   For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

Lucy Cochran has just arrived in New York. She's run strategy teams in Australia and Amsterdam. She's won a bunch of awards. She ran the Melbourne arm of the Account Planning Group. And we decided to give ourselves the challenge of discussing and answering 20 of the main questions facing strategists right now. They include: 1. Why don't clients want to pay for it? 2. Why don't some agencies support their own strategists? 3. How do you deal with a jargon-heavy culture? 4. How do you build relationships with creatives? 5. How can someone get good at insights? 6. How an a planner have a good career? 7. What makes planning such a hard career to sidestep from? You can find Lucy at http://www.twitter.com/lucycochran   For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

Suzy Batiz is founder and CEO of Poo-Pourri. She is in a minority of business leaders who insist creativity is so important to a business that it's a default expectation of everyone in her company. As is the use of intuition. Having just launched the new direct-to-consumer brand Supernatural, Suzy has used creativity and intuition to create an empire of honest and comedic advertising and products from her home base in Dallas.  This episode is for anyone trying to get their marketing clients to take risks or people who are thinking of setting up their own product-based company.  We discuss:  - How to build creativity into business  - How to trust your gut  - Challenges facing direct-to-consumer companies right now  You can find Poo-Pourri here https://www.poopourri.com Supernatural here http://www.supernatural.com and Suzy Batiz here http://www.instagram.com/suzybatiz    For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

Heather Lefevre has done a lot for strategy people. With The Strategist Survey, she helped strategists understand their salaries. With her book "Brain Surfing", she takes strategists around the world with her to meet and experience other strategy minds. But she's also done a lot for herself by applying her strategy sensibilities to her own life. We discuss:  - Writing a brief to find love - Divorce and decision-making - The Strategist Survey and strategist salaries - Brief and brand as algorithm for decision-making - Doing karaoke to gain confidence as a presenter - Sensitivity - Meaningful living - Linking and ranking cultures - Performance evaluations and feedback WTF? - Reflecting and listening to yourself You can find Heather at http://www.twitter.com/hklefevre   For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

Courtney Ackerman is a researcher and author. She focuses on positive psychology. Her first booked was called "My Pocket Positivity" and contains tens of exercises to help people practice positivity. She has two new books in the pipeline - one on bliss and one on gratitude.  We discuss:  - What is positive psychology? Is it misunderstood?  - Bliss and gratitude and how they affect the brain  - Turning dark rumination into something positive  - Realistic pessimism  - Research survey design  You can find Courtney here: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/?s=courtney+ackerman and her books in Target, Walmart, and on Amazon.    For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

How much is happiness a leap of faith? And, like entrepreneurship, does the leap ever end? Meet Mo Seetubtim. Mo runs The Happiness Planner while running around the world to cities such as Bangkok, London, San Francisco, and New York. She once worked in a media agency in Australia but left and created her own company. And a new way of living.  We discuss:  - Happiness in different parts of the world  - Moving countries to understand who you are  - Living a free life  - Relationships - what's a happy relationship?  - Jumping from a full-time job into starting a company  - Running an online business  - The power of writing  You can find Mo at http://www.thehappinessplanner.com and http://www.instagram.com/happinessplanner    For more strategy talk: 1. Strategy newsletter: http://www.markpollard.net/email-newsletter/ 2. Strategy drawings: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard  3. Strategy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard 4. Join 5,000+ strategists: http://www.sweathead.co New book "Strategy Is Your Words" out soon.

In October 1990, Miguel D’Souza started The Mothership Connection on 2SER FM with Roxanne. Within a couple of years it was Sydney’s preeminent hip hop radio show. Every Tuesday at 2pm (or at 2.30pm for a period), it was one of the few places on any radio station that played hip hop, underground hip hop, local hip hop, while also hosting hip hop DJs and open mic freestyle sessions. Around April 1998, Miguel handed the radio show to me. I was 20. I had no idea what I was doing. And I spent five years trying to work it out while also trying to work out what I was about. In this chat (edited from 2.5 hours), Miguel and I compare notes about the show, what it meant to us, the role we think it played in the local community, some of our favorite memories, and how it changed us. Topics include: - How the format of the show evolved - The recent Australian youth protests. Is change happening? - Indigenous hip hop - Finding yourself by bringing others together Contributing to a community while analyzing it - How Miguel researched and interviewed people Getting people into hip hop - Dealing with aggression, bad rap, open doors - How the Internet and September 11 affected rap and the business of rap - The Four Elements, style enforcing, and fascism Stepping aside as one ages - or not? - Participants, observers, and tourists in subcultures - What’s real hip hop and who gets to decide? - Finding an identity in Australia as an immigrant Names mentioned include: Molly Meldrum, Easy Bass, DJ Kavi-R, Gil Scott Heron,  Bootsy Collins, Roy Ayers, Roc Raida, DJ Qbert, Def Wish Cast, Just Us, Mako and Perret, Katalyst, Obese Records, Next Level Records, Parallax Records, Celsius, Bliss n Eso, Hilltop Hoods, Elefant Traks, Urthboy, Meta Bass n Breath, The Sleeping Monk, Ugly Duckling, Raised by Wolves, Wu Tang Clan. You can find Miguel at https://twitter.com/MiguelDSouza For more internet: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard http://www.instagram.com/markpollard http://www.sweathead.co

Becky Wang is CEO and Founder of Crossbeat, a company she set up after running data and analytics at Saatchi & Saatchi New York then at Droga5. She's worked in Hollywood, she's published a book ("Creativity and Data Marketing: A Practical Guide to Data Innovation"), and she gets things done. We discuss: - What data and analytics people ask her about their careers - Robotic reporting and software jockeys - The uncertainty in agency leadership right now - Selling without feeling slimy - The importance of stretching yourself - Freelancing You can find Becky at http://www.instagram.com/gnostica. For more Internet: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard http://www.instagram.com/markpollard http://www.sweathead.co

Shann Biglione recently moved to New York as the Head of Strategy at Zenith after five years in China, including a stint as CSO of Publicis Media. And he's French. With an Italian last name. So what are all these places like to work in? And what's happening with strategy in media agencies right now? We discuss: - How to deal with someone saying, "We don't need strategy" - What it's like to work in China and New York - The importance of doing - Why Shann loves people who ruffle feathers (P.S. Ask him for a job using "Feather ruffler" in the email subject line) - How working in different countries teaches you - Communications Planning vs channel planning You can find Shann at https://twitter.com/LeShann For more Internet: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard http://www.instagram.com/markpollard http://www.sweathead.co

Ky Chow is a journalist. He's appeared on or in Sky News, The Financial Review, ABC, and SBS in Australia. But he didn't start his journalist career until his late 20s. He spent his early twenties in accounting and marketing at companies like KPMG, CommSec, and Macquarie Bank. I wanted to talk to Ky to explore the similarities between journalism and strategy, as well as to understand how he approached making his big career change. We discuss: - How annoying is too annoying when you're interviewing? - How do you become a 5-minute expert? - Honoring things you loved doing when you were young - Dealing with other people's negativity about your choices - Diversity in the media in Australia - How strategists and journalists are similar - How self-interest drives news You can find Ky at http://www.kychow.com and https://twitter.com/KyBusiness. For more Internet: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard http://www.instagram.com/markpollard http://www.sweathead.co

Natalie Tran has spent her entire adulthood on YouTube. Not literally. But she first published videos to YouTube in 2006 when she was 20 and she kept going.  Well, until recently. In public, Natalie appears confident and articulate, and as the owner of a savage wit and powerful brain.  She's at ease in her honesty and with what makes her feel vulnerable but she also deals with a noisy head and has spent long periods not leaving her home and not moving much between rooms in her home. I really appreciate Natalie sharing her experience with us in this chat. She's an incredible spirit.  We discuss:  - The early days of YouTube - How YouTube has changed - How Natalie approaches her writing and projects - Living with OCD and supporting someone with OCD - Getting older - Why Natalie doesn't own a TV station or have a national TV show You can find Natalie at http://www.twitter.com/natalietran and https://www.youtube.com/user/communitychannel  For strategy courses and more, check out http://courses.sweathead.co

Sam Hammington is an extreme freelancer. When he's working, he's really working. And when he's not, he's really not. That's because Sam is an actor. He's an Australian actor in Seoul, South Korea. If you turn on a television in South Korea and change the channel a few times, chances are you'll see Sam's face. He has starred in several massive TV shows (Gag Concert, Real Men, The Return Of Superman) but even with what looks like success from the outside comes the frequent question: What am I doing with my life? We discuss: - How South Korea has changed - The explosion of South Korean culture onto the world stage - Being a foreign actor in South Korea - The challenges of an extreme freelance life - The benefits of self-expression for mental health - Mixed-race children in South Korea You can find Sam at http://www.instagram.com/samhammington and his sons William at https://www.instagram.com/williamhammington and Bentley at https://www.instagram.com/bentleyhammington. For more Internet: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard http://www.instagram.com/markpollard http://www.sweathead.co

Seb Chan is Chief Experience Officer at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne, a museum that over 1.5M people visit every year. Seb has also led digital efforts at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York and is one of the world's most renowned experts on getting museums to open up - to get their collections online, to get people using the museums in new ways. And he was a well-respected DJ, radio host, zine maker, music and video game writer, and we hosted radio shows back to back for five years. We discuss: - The early years of museums getting onto the Internet - How an IT guy ends up a Digital Head - What is a museum? How have museums changed? - What is the business model of a museum? - The metrics that matter to museums - Career paths one just... falls into You can find Seb in many corners of the Internet, especially http://www.twitter.com/sebchan For more Internet: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard http://www.instagram.com/markpollard http://www.sweathead.co

Fredrik Öst is Founder and Creative Director of Stockholm agency Snask. Snask makes bold, frank, outspoken work. This is why I've had a crush on them for two years, which was nine years into their existence. We discuss: - Fredrik's philosophy on what makes good work - The importance of extremes - How frankness doesn't work in all cultures - The importance of side projects - The beauty of making mistakes - Fredrik's time in the military - Fredrik's experience as a Korean adoptee in Sweden - The importance of manifestos You can find Snask at http://www.snask.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/snasksthlm/. More Internets: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/markpollard Strategy class http://www.skl.sh/markpollard Articles http://www.markpollard.net

Ryan Wallman is an Associate Creative Director at Wellmark in Melbourne, Australia. He's also a prolific Internet satirist. It's not that he satires the Internet but he does satire marketing and advertising on the Internet. Formerly a psychiatrist, and having experienced an assault while working with a patient, Ryan switched into a copywriting career later than many. We discuss: - What's distracting the industry now - Why is everything so bland? - The power of irreverence, humor, and negativity - The industry's insecurity - Ryan's work as a psychiatrist - Why people call things "negative" and what they're missing out You can find Ryan at http://www.twitter.com/dr_draper More Internets: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/markpollard Strategy class http://www.skl.sh/markpollard Articles http://www.markpollard.net

An update about all things Sweathead as well as the talk from Google Firestarters in London mid-November. It's not the actual talk. It's a reading of an 11-page script of the talk. If you like it, let me know. Otherwise, maybe I'll delete it in a few days. Instagram http://www.instagram.com/markpollard Strategy class http://www.skl.sh/markpollard Articles http://www.markpollard.net

Where are your morals? Do they exist on one side of a line and prevent you from working on projects and clients on the other side of the line? Where is the line? How did it get there? Has it ever moved? Jen Bonhomme is VP of Planning at Huge in Brooklyn. We chat about working on projects that others object because they are evil or taboo and we discuss how to enjoy the taboo on all projects. We discuss: - Miss America - organized objectification or scholarships? - The opioid crisis - The role of the military in US values and policy - Insurance for the ultra rich You can find Jen at https://twitter.com/JenBonhomme and her strategy framework collection here: https://medium.com/@JenBonhomme - More Internets Facebook strategy group: http://www.sweathead.co Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

LA's Jack Appleby is a Director of Creative Strategy. He has touched projects for Beats by Dre, Microsoft, Rockband, and more. Almost a decade into a career that has focused largely on whatever social is and with a title that now suggests a broader remit, we chat about the challenges facing social strategists at a time when few get training. We discuss: - Best Practice Machines - What's up with "engagement"? - What is social strategy? - Could other types of strategists do social work? - The skills social strategy folks need - The Los Angeles agency zeitgeist - Video game marketing - What is a creative strategist? You can find Jack at https://twitter.com/JuiceboxCA For more internet: Facebook group: http://www.sweathead.co Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Camilla Grey Petty is an independent strategy director who's walked the halls of London's Wolff Olins, Brand Union, and Moving Brands, and is now three years into a freelance lifestyle. We discuss: - How people make the freelance decision - What people don't think about before going freelance - What's good and not so good about freelance - How to charge and get paid - Camilla's strategy email newsletter You can find Camilla at http://www.oddkid.co and http://twitter.com/camillaxgrey. You can find her article "How to get a job as a brand strategist" here: https://medium.com/open-strategy/career-planning-for-brand-strategists-getting-into-strategy-roles-in-agencies-start-ups-and-a2754d362e8e ---- Internets: New Skillshare strategy class: http://skl.sh/markpollard Articles: http://www.markpollard.net Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Lani Wyche is a product strategist at Dame Products. She holds a BA from Stanford and she has spent some time in agencies, but now she spends her days trying to understand people's sex lives. We discuss: - Design thinking in agencies - The shift from agency to product - Researching what is intimate to people - Sex positivity, sexual wellness, and other important concepts You can find Lani at https://www.laniwyche.com and Dame Products at http://www.dameproducts.com ---- Internets: New Skillshare strategy class: http://skl.sh/markpollard Articles: http://www.markpollard.net Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

CSO Justine Bloome runs strategy at Vayner in NYC and is about to run a planner into the world. Not a strategy planner - a book planner. A journal planner. It's called The Mindful Strategist. It's part of a series called The Mindful Series. We discuss: - The importance of unstructured time - How noticing and writing help your head - Strategy as a creative discipline - Why people don't value strategy - Managing 40 people, managing strategists in general You can find Justine at https://twitter.com/inbloome and The Mindful Strategist at https://twitter.com/TheMindful__ and https://themindfulseries.com/ ---- Internets: New Skillshare strategy class: http://skl.sh/markpollard Articles: http://www.markpollard.net Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Germaine Fagan recently hosted an event to honor the life of a planner, Grace McDermott, in Dublin. Grace was a planner from New York who passed away in Ireland last year after what sounds like years of passion for planning and passionate teaching of planning. We discuss: - Grace McDermott's outlook on planning and her research - Griffin Farley's Beautiful Minds event (BBH) - How courageous acts make things fall in place - Teacher planners - Literary translation You can find Germaine at http://twitter.com/fagangermaine and the website for Radiate for Grace here: http://www.radiateforgrace.com ---- Internets: New Skillshare strategy class: http://skl.sh/markpollard Articles: http://www.markpollard.net Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Dublin's Rachel O'Donovan and Thomas Geoghegan are strategists who want other strategists to talk about strategy. They recently set up a Dublin branch of London's Group Think, a community of hundreds of strategists that is trying to provide emotional and intellectual support that doesn't seem to be something agencies or industry organizations are interested in, capable at, or resourced to do. We discuss: - Dublin's pub philosophers and writers. And are planners this? - The frustration, loneliness, and self-doubt of the planning life - What midweight planners need - What is a midweight planner? A senior planner? - What happens at Group Think You can find Rachel at http://www.twitter.com/phaedria http://www.twitter.com/thomasgeoghegan and Group Think event dates here: http://wwww.group-think.co.uk ---- Internets: New Skillshare strategy class: http://skl.sh/markpollard Articles: http://www.markpollard.net Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Neil Perkin is a digital consultant and author who helps businesses move faster. One could call him a jockey. Workshops are his gentle whip. Live from across the road of Web Summit which Neil was not in Lisbon to attend, we discuss Neil's consulting life, his writing, and his blog Only Dead Fish which has gathered a decade of the Internet's favorite strategy posts in one place. Only Dead Fish is also his company's name. The name of his first book is "Building the Agile Business through Digital Transformation". Chat topics: - The consultant life - What makes business change difficult - Why the answers are always inside the company - The power of humility - Writing and blogging for over a decade - Google Firestarters You can find Neil at http://twitter.com/neilperkin and http://www.onlydeadfish.co.uk * Don't forget to leave a rating or review. Please. ** Want an article? Try "How To Explain An Idea": https://www.markpollard.net/how-to-explain-an-idea/ ---- Internets: New Skillshare strategy class: http://skl.sh/markpollard Articles: http://www.markpollard.net Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Fanny RK makes jokes. She also does stand-up comedy. That's not to say her strategy at companies like Shopify and Johns St has ever made anybody laugh. But what if it did? What if a strategist used techniques that make people laugh to make strategy? We discuss: - A need for attention and immediacy - Strategy as The Thing Before The Thing - The role of uncontrollable laughter in ideas - Writing and writing jokes - Techniques strategists can use You can find Fanny RK http://twitter.com/fannyrk and at Shopify or on stages around Toronto * Don't forget to leave a rating or review. Please. ** Want an article? Try "How To Do Account Planning": www.markpollard.net/how-to-do-account-planning-a-simple-approach/ ---- Internets: New Skillshare strategy class: http://skl.sh/markpollard Articles: http://www.markpollard.net Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Edwin Rager is a Bolivian in Argentina who is about to move to Colombia. He's taught strategy at Brother and worked at Mother, Google, and MediaMonks having made Buenos Aires his strategy home for several years. We discuss: - How travel helps the strategist - Planning in Argentina - How teaching teaches a teacher - Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile You can find Edwin at http://www.twitter.com/locosombrero and http://www.edwinrager.com * Don't forget to leave a rating or review. Please. ** Want an article? Try "How To Do Account Planning": http://www.markpollard.net/how-to-do-account-planning-a-simple-approach/ ---- Internets: New Skillshare strategy class: http://skl.sh/markpollard Articles: http://www.markpollard.net Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Alex Morris has just published a strategy scrapbook that will stir the soul of even the most rusted strategist. And it will set alight the rainbow of the strategist who's simply trying to get steady footing in his or her young career. The book spans 146 pages and includes quotes, techniques, philosophy, frameworks, and absurdist art. We discuss: - How and why Alex made the book - Some of our favorite parts of the book - The importance of doing stuff for the sake of it You can find Alex and his scrapbook here: http://alexmorris.co You might find yourself in it. * Don't forget to leave a rating or review. Please. ** Want an article? Try "How To Do Account Planning": https://www.markpollard.net/how-to-do-account-planning-a-simple-approach/ ---- Internets: New Skillshare strategy class: http://skl.sh/markpollard Articles: http://www.markpollard.net Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

BBH LA Head of Strategy Agathe Guerrier has run a strategy department or two, and, right now, when it seems strategy doesn't always know where it's running, it also seems useful to speak with someone who's put a saddle on a strategy horse in her time. We discuss: - What Agathe did when she took over strategy at BBH London - The most important things new heads of strategy can do - The logistics of BBH LA's strategy department - The hardest thing about finding good planners right now You can find Agathe here: http://twitter.com/agatheg ---- Internets: YouTube: http://bit.ly/2Ji3zNt Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Rapper-turned-search specialist Michael King knows a thing or six about search - what the search engines pay attention to, missteps advertising agencies make when showing search data, and whether and how machine learning and blockchain will help marketing. We discuss: - The key concepts of search - What to look for when you think about buying a website - Rap - Rap - Rap - How strategists can use search in their non-search work You can find Michael here: http://www.twitter.com/ipullrank http://www.ipullrank.com ---- Internets: YouTube: http://bit.ly/2Ji3zNt Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Girl Geek Academy Co-Founder and CEO Sarah Moran is on a mission. With her team, she's aiming to teach technology to 1,000,000 women by 2025. The greater goal is to ensure that the Internet of the future reflects more of the people who use it, rather than it reflecting one gender based in Silicon Valley. We discuss: - The career choices of technical people - Starting something and founder fears - The work of Girl Geek Academy You can find Sarah here: https://twitter.com/sarahmoran?lang=en https://girlgeekacademy.com/ ---- Internets: YouTube: http://bit.ly/2Ji3zNt Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

In 2010, I wrote an article about how to do account planning. For the 25th episode of Sweathead, I thought I'd read it to you and add a little extra context (but not too much). Over 90,000 people have read this article. The accompanying drawing has appeared in all sorts of places - CVs, presentations about strategy, business plans. And while I promise to re-write it and make it, you know, decent writing at some point, that didn't stop me from wanting to read it to you. Here it is: http://www.markpollard.net/how-to-do-account-planning-a-simple-approach/ ---- Internets: YouTube: http://bit.ly/2Ji3zNt Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Tony Clement has worked data in agencies in Sydney, London, and New York. We've worked together in two of these places - Leo Burnett in Sydney about a decade ago and then at Brooklyn's Big Spaceship. Tony has the rare background of having worked with a lot of different types of data - CRM and direct marketing, advertising effectiveness measurement, web analytics, and social, and, in his time in New York, he worked on several Google brands, YouTube, and Samsung. The guy is legit. In this interview, we discuss: - Why data struggles in agencies - How to get data to work better - The politics of data - Growing up in 26 different places - Fatherhood You can find Tony at: http://twitter.com/tonyclement http://www.instagram.com/tonyclement ---- Internets: YouTube: http://bit.ly/2Ji3zNt Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Tony Effik is SVP, Client Strategy at NBCUniversal and an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University. Before, he ran Media & Connections at R/GA and he was CSO of Publicis. Big titles. The thing is, talking to Tony makes me think of this Dilated Peoples lyric: "I work the angles sharp and precise." Everything he has done in life is work the angles. From Nigeria to a housing estate in London to New York. From selling ads to making them. From trying to understand what angle would work for his life and for a possible customer. There is the sound of a beard rubbing against a microphone in this conversation. But maybe it's just Tony working out his next angle. You can find Tony at https://twitter.com/aeffik ---- Internets: YouTube: https://bit.ly/2Ji3zNt Community: http://www.sweathead.co Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Gareth Kay co-founded Chapter after a stint as CSO of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and leading planning at Modernista! in Boston. However, he's originally from England where he achieved a MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford. So his planning bonafides are well bonfided. In this 40-minute interrogation, I hit Gareth with 150 questions. OK. Maybe 30. It's fast-paced. We cover a lot of planning topics that some people might think are below them to discuss. Not us! - What is planning? - Planning vs strategy - does it matter? - Does planning work? - Has planning always had a credibility issue? - What makes a good planner? - Why does planning struggle in agencies? - Are there nuances in the USA that make planning harder? You can find Gareth at http://twitter.com/garethk Video: http://www.sweathead.co Mark: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dscjW5

Vikki Ross copywrites. That means she finds words for brands to help those brands express themselves in ways that are unique and compelling. Vikki Ross also trains, mentors, and judges. She does these things with the School of Communications Arts 2.0, SheSays, Creative Equals, Who’s Your Momma?, and D&AD. And she co-runs an event for copywriters in London called Copy Capital. Yes, she keeps busy. Mad busy. In this interview, we discuss: - What makes good copywriting - Giving feedback to writers - Respecting the craft You can find Vikki at http://www.vikkirosswrites.com and http://twitter.com/VikkiRossWrites Video: http://www.sweathead.co Mark: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dscjW5

Why have so few women progressed into senior roles within creative departments? Dr Kasey Windels has researched this. In 2008, she analyzed the 1984, 1994, and 2004 issues of the Communication Arts Advertising Annual, and learned that only 3% of the creative directors across those issues were women. She's also spoken to a lot of female creatives. This is an important discussion. We cover: - What the 3% number actually means - What gets in the way of women moving ahead - How Kasey approaches qualitative research - Her coming work on mental health in advertising You can find Dr Windels at http://kaseywindels.com and https://twitter.com/windels. Video: http://www.sweathead.co Mark: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Sweathead newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dscjW5

Know Vice? RG Logan works for their agency Virtue. He's worked in advertising, social, and digital agencies, but now spends his days helping brands to create content worth watching. We discuss: - What a publisher agency even does - Creating ideas of importance - "Branded content" - doing it good, doing it bad - Feeling comfortable doing something drastic Video: http://www.sweathead.co RG Logan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rglogan Mark: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Sweathead newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dscjW5

Jocelyn Lai has assembled teams at Droga5, R/GA, and GSD&M. She now does this for companies all over the place through her own consultancy in Pittsburgh, JSL Talent Consulting. We discuss: - Ways to re-energize your career - Reflecting on whether advertising is for you anymore - How to move beyond your advertising career Video: http://www.sweathead.co Jocelyn on Twitter: http://twitter.com/jocelynslai Mark: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dscjW5

The Drum's Bennett D. Bennett once worked as a copywriter inside a large New York agency but now writes about agencies and the media world in which they live. He's also hosting a free portfolio program over summer: https://www.theconceptingclass.org/ We discuss: - What's going on with agencies right now? - The Upfronts and New Fronts - Diversity in the key of "real talk" (The Pipeline Is Blocked, Progress Isn't Cute, Roadblocks Ahead) - Career burnout - Where does a hybrid work? - The American idea "Everything is up for grabs" Video: http://www.sweathead.co Bennett on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theacecapade The Drum: http://www.thedrum.com Mark: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dscjW5

CSO Adam Pierno thinks you think too much, not too well. This was Hamlet's problem. Adam also thinks all your social media looks the same. Hamlet would have killed at social media. Straight out of Pheonix, Arizona, where Adam CSO's for Santy, podcasts 'The Strategy Inside Everything', and recently released his book 'Under Think It', we discuss: - Agency culture in NYC, Boston, Atlanta, and Arizona - How everything looks like Pinterest on Pinterest - A framework for thinking about making unique social media - Dealing with depression Video: http://www.sweathead.co Adam on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/apierno 'Under Think It ' on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Under-Think-Adam-Pierno/dp/0999399004 Mark: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dscjW5

Meet Chelsea Coleman and Rachelle DiGregorio. They recently formed Flock, a community of women from the University of Oregon that helps each other get jobs, get paid, and shine. Flock is a gang and chances are that if you think for a living you spend too much time alone and you need a gang. Get a gang. In this interview we discuss: - Making that running jump from college to agency - Common problems with internships - Starting salaries - Making mentorship work - Communities organized around gender - The WAIT RUle (Why Am I Talking?) - #TimesUp Video: http://www.sweathead.co For more: Flock website: http://hey-flock.com/ Flock Twitter: https://twitter.com/hey_flock Flock Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/hey_flock/ Flock Email: [email protected] Chelsea: http://twitter.com/chelseaLcoleman Rachelle: http://twitter.com/rachelledigreg Mark: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dscjW5

Rachel Mercer is an Executive Strategy Director at R/GA in New York City. In fact, she just started the job. Three weeks ago. And we discuss this but we also discuss: - American culture shock in London - Finding a way into strategy - The short eras of digital agency work - Managing teams - Pressures on doing good work - And a lot of other stuff Video: http://www.sweathead.co Rachel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachelmercer Mark: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dscjW5

Whenever someone working in strategy or marketing says, "I just want to do work that has more meaning," Malaka's face is one of the faces that rushes through my head as an example of someone who is building a life and career around meaning. After a flirtation with the music industry and the agency world, Malaka has spent much of her career writing about some of the most challenging topics our world confronts - conflict and poverty. Based in Washington D.C., Malaka has worked for ONE.ORG, the Malala Fund, and is now an editor at NPR. She is also working on a graphic novel "I Was Their American Dream," in which she's capturing stories about growing up in some fourth dimension straddling Egypt, America, and the Philipines. Video: http://www.sweathead.co Malaka on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malakagharib Malaka on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MalakaGharib Mark: http://www.twitter.com/markpollard Email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dscjW5