Potluck

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 Charlotte’s Asian experience, including:

• Curiosity, empathy and a desire to challenge the status quo - the signature ingredients that define how she works 
• Her motivations to focus specifically on the female consumer space
• The ‘multi-modality’ of women, and why brands need to appreciate this more
• Developing vs developed Asian markets: some of the surprising contrasts observed in how female empowerment and progress is being manifested
• The gender equality metrics worth paying attention to in order to see the full picture
• IWD 2021:  the evolution of IWD in an Asian context, how many brands still get it wrong from a marketing perspective and her take on the  theme of #ChoosetoChallenge
• And how women are more likely to be the drivers of a sustainable future...

Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 later this week.

Check-out:
https://www.hellosisterstrategy.com/
https://www.sidebysideasia.com/
https://www.facebook.com/faceforwardsingapore

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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: Hacking Humans: the importance of being brave when it comes to human understanding, a case study in decoding contemporary romance and how the insights agency model needs to evolve

Part 3: Brand Burns: a rapid-fire take on his flavours of the month in the world of branding, why humility and authenticity trumps the 'bullshit' of purpose and the fortunate failure that taught him how to better shepherd ideas with clients

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

Ambrish is the Singapore Managing Director and APAC Strategy Head for the leading brand and design agency, Superunion.

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3 burning questions provide a sizzling finale to our conversation with Superunion's Ambrish Chaudhry...

1. 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
2. Brand Bullshit: there's plenty to call out here!  brands becoming preachy - we discuss why authenticity and core competency can trump the obsession to find higher-order 'purpose', and the risk of jumping on the marketing bandwagon...
3. Fortunate Failure: 'it was ok but next time try harder' - the stinging client feedback that taught Ambrish the criticality of understanding the client's inner agenda (no matter how great the work may be), and how the consultant must learn the art of shepherding ideas through the business (think white rabbits and freeways!

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...

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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 analysis and more specialised methods like semiotics + joining the dots between multiple data sources (embracing secondary data)

A case study working for a regional beauty brand that helped to refresh & grow the equity of the brand around 'Romance'.

The future of the research agency being focused on helping their clients understand the business they are in and grow it

Part 3, Brand Burns to go out tomorrow. Tune in!

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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 philosophy around strategy

- Lessons learned from 'Unlocking Unicorns' in South East Asia, and where brand comes into the picture versus the Silicon Valley start-up scene

-  The importance of brand in Asian boardrooms, and the opportunity for more expansive CMO involvement

Look out for parts  2 and 3 later this week...

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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.potluckpodcast.asia/

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 to social, and the risk of losing sight over what makes sense for your brand to say, and where to say it. Case in point - Bottega Veneta's decision to withdraw from all social media channels.

3) Fortunate Failure:  her perspectives on how every layoff and setback has helped her to leap, grow and stretch in the next chapters of her career, however tough it may be at the time. Something Katie believes is more important than ever for people to appreciate.

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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-centred thinking featured heavily in forming two amazing initiatives that Katie's been pivotal in:

Nike Membership: the balance between celebrating the community and recognizing the individual, the power of an organization looking through the lens of the 'profile' and thinking life-cycle over path-to-purchase

Nike Maternity (M): how it was born, the core insight around pregnancy being the hardest physical test a body can endure and the beautiful 'hack' that is putting Mom at the heart of the business

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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 look from the outside in on her experience of Asia (she used to live in Australia & Japan), so we're asking her to Lift the Lid on Asia in Part 1 of our conversation.
- The sweet-sour (but mostly sweet) taste of working across markets in Asia
- The Galapagos effect: similarities and differences between Japan & Australia
- The unique gifts that Japan has bestowed on her - personal & professional
- Is Asia overhyped: Katie has an opinion on this question, too

Two more parts to follow over the next few days:
part 2: Hacking Humans - where Katie tells us about how she tapped cultural insight for her work on Nike Membership & their new Maternity line
part 3: Brand Burns - where Katie shares her pet peeves with brands and marketing convention

Check out her new website here:
https://drke.co/

Two books mentioned in our conversation: 
The Windup Girl & The Future Is Asian
https://www.amazon.com/Windup-Girl-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/1597801585
https://www.amazon.com/Future-Asian-Global-Twenty-first-Century-ebook/dp/B07F148BBX/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+future+is+asian&qid=1612257398&s=books&sr=1-1

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Drago and Scott stir the pot one last time in 2020. It's short and sweet:

1. What have we learnt about how to better understand people this year? 
2.  (from 11:45) What should brands learn from 2020 and apply to 2021?
3.  (from 22:40) What are our bold predictions for the year ahead?

...and talk briefly about what's next for 2021.

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