Potluck

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 our convo for a quick-fire round:

Flavour of the Month:  on Jocelyn's fave recent brands out of China. 
Brand Bullshit: on what's wrong with ad creativity awards.
Fortunate Failure: on the importance of not getting things right.

Plus, we get Jocelyn's take on our forthcoming food-themed episodes.

The Full Feast to drop tomorrow!

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

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...
- Top-down to bottom-up: the evolution of her approach to strategy, and how this is a response to China's commercial revolution 
- How bottom-up doesn't need to be a byword for 'tactical'
- Brand 'mega collaborations':  why the hype is real, but the value to brands needs to be questioned...

Stay tuned for part 3 - 'Brand Burns'.

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

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 delicious feast that is part 1 of our convo:

- The various personal & professional experiences Jocelyn's had along the cultural continuum of Canada-Hong Kong-Shanghai
- The importance of a third-person perspective in cross-cultural comparisons
-  Where's the fun gone? The need to bring fun back into strategy
- The role of truisms & the value of trends in crafting strategy
- Creativity in its different manifestations in the West v China
- Evolving nature of the comms business & the role of the collective business model

 Dropping parts 2 and 3 later this week – stay tuned!

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

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 looking to be at the heart of it all.

We bring this to life through a deep-dive on Ajay's own research - VIDEO GAMES, COVID-19 AND CHINESE YOUTH - including his take on the cultural significance of Esports, the emerging commercial opportunities and the risks and pitfalls to avoid, particularly for non-endemic brands.

And to wash all of that down, there's 'Brand Burns', where Heineken's response to the ESL, NFT (over?) hype, and learnings from a Hedge Fund internship are all under fire.

Please note: the opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal opinions of Ajay Jilka, and do not represent those of his employer. 

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

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 around the broader world of commerce, and not taking shortcuts - you need to do your homework!

Plus we get Ajay's take on our forthcoming food-themed episodes, and the clash between convenience and sustainability when it comes to the world of on-demand food.

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

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 the driver of national pride

2) Commercial opportunities – including his involvement in Nike’s League of Legends apparel deal

3) Reputational risks and stigmas to navigate

Plus, we’ll hear his big take-aways for non-endemic brands looking to enter this space.

Please note: the opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of Ajay Jilka, and do not represent those of his employer.

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

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 a whole new ballpark

-       As China has risen, how has sports marketing evolved?

-       Singapore and Esports: why the time is now…

-       Where do brands start? Mapping out a strategic framework of the Esports landscape

-       Getting to grips with the players and fans; tips for a cultural immersion

 Dropping parts 2 and 3 later this week – stay tuned!

Please note: the  opinions expressed in this podcast are the personal views of Ajay Jilka, and do not represent those of his employer.

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

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: Hacking Humans: the importance of adopting empathetic approaches in research and being involved in all stages of the planning cycle. Also, why life-stage is more critical to understanding women than men.

Part 3: Brand Burns: a rapid-fire take on her flavours of the month in the world of branding, why brands should be more humble and tips about how to work in Asian markets.

And if you'd like to listen to each part in a more bite-sized way, please see the earlier episodes in this series.

Charlotte is Founder & MD of research agency Hello Sister focusing on female marketing and employee diversity consultancy Side by Side.

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

Finally, in part 3, three burning questions to complete our celebration of IWD and the feast with Charlotte Wilkinson of Hello Sister.

1. 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')
2. Brand Bullshit:  our guest has a beef with brands that are full of themselves (spoiler alert - most brands!) and believe they are more important to people's lives than they actually are. She also uses the F word - not that one...
3. Fortunate Failure: the importance of trial and error when working across Asia on one's journey to finding the best partners and approaches

And ahead of Potluck's food-themed mini series, we continue to hear our guest's take on what they would like us to investigate further.

Keep it brewing...

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

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 implications of working with female vs male researchers (and clients) 
• Charlotte’s focus on being involved across the planning cycle - not just upfront ideas, but striving to ensure the  execution isn’t overriding the nuances of the prevailing insights and conveying women appropriately
• How life-stage is an even more critical lens for understanding women through
• And with political and social structures failing, where brands can play a bigger role in championing related social causes

Plus we discuss the birth of Side by Side, and how insights experience translated into a timely opportunity to help clients change behaviour and embed diversity and inclusion in all they do: from recruitment to training and HR policy. Which, in an Asian context, often means re-assessing the suitability of globally developed practices.

www.potluckpodcast.asia/