Watch my first raw travel YouTube video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0josxmlLCKU&t=1437s

It features strategists and friends Julian Cole and Jack Appleby.

I also take you on a tour of NYC and share what the city has taught me.

Julian: https://www.instagram.com/juliancole.strategy/

Jack: https://www.instagram.com/jackapplebyny/

Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Strategy training (including our events in LATAM in March/April 2025): http://www.sweathead.com

Lee Ci En and Amy Daroukakis have been collecting trend reports in a Google for years now. You've probably fiended for access :)

The thing is, trends can be useful but a lot of trend reports are not.

In this episode, we discuss:

- 7 trends they think we need to pay attention to,

Amy Daroukakis, Founder, Culture Concierge

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amydaroukakis/

Lee Ci En, Media Strategist at Publicis Groupe

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-ci-en/

Strategy ebooks and training:

http://www.sweathead.com

Mark Pollard

http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

In this episode, I reflect about some of the countries I visited in 2024 - from The Maldives to Saudi Arabia. I also talk about the mindset required to reach clarity, big personal reflections, and my upcoming attempt at YouTube.

Read about clarity here:

https://mailchi.mp/sweathead/clarity-on-a-page

https://mailchi.mp/sweathead/what-is-this-mood

The one-page documents are in Best Strategists Club:

https://www.instagram.com/markpollard/

Find details about our LATAM events in March and April and other training here:

http://www.sweathead.com

I'm in Riyadh this week. It's my first time. I'm here for a new creator conference called Impaq Makers. It's run by the Ministry of Media.

I spent a few days exploring the city and speaking to people. But a strategist friend Faisal Alshareef told me about a big YouTube channel here called Thmanyah. I asked if I could meet them and interview them. Faisal made it happen.

Thmanyah have a Guinness World Record for the most-viewed YouTube video but, if you're like me, I bet you've never seen it.

One of Thmanyah's public faces is Omar Almoran. He hosts a weekly news podcast called the Alfajr Podcast.

In this episode, recorded in the Thmanyah office, I try to understand the kinds of change happening in Saudi Arabia as well as their scale and pace.

You can find Omar here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-alomran-kfupm/

Follow me here:

http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Strategy classes are here:

http://www.sweathead.com

Felipe Tomaz is Associate Professor of Marketing at the Saïd Business School at University of Oxford.

He's about to publish a paper in the Journal of Marketing after analyzing 1,000 campaigns and a million customer journeys via Kantar and Wavemaker.

With this paper, he'll be showing that "not all reach is created equal" as well as how few campaigns are actually effective.

I invited Tom Roach to join me for this chat.

Links

Felipe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drfelipethomaz

Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-roach-5b468026/

Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

For strategy training, check out http://www.sweathead.com

Ipsita Das often reaches millions of people every month. While she was studying media and psychology at he New School, her Instagram account started to pop.

Now, she works with tens of people every week. She tries to help them with the thoughts in their minds that are holding them back.

In this episode, we discuss the five issues Ipsita hears about more.

Ipsita will be teaching at our 2024 Sweathead Do-Together. Find tickets at http://www.sweathead.com.

Links:

Ipsita: https://www.instagram.com/helloipsita/

Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Steve Walls has had big strategy jobs at TBWA, Ogilvy, Publicis Groupe, and more. But, now, he lives in Zurich, works with Moon Rabbit, and sees agency pitches from the other side - as someone helping marketers get more out of their agencies.

In this episode, we discuss what Steve sees agencies get right and wrong in the pitch process.

Steve will be teaching at our 2024 Sweathead Do-Together. Find tickets at http://www.sweathead.com.

Links:

Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-walls-bb533638

Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

I’m halfway through a trip to the UAE, Sri Lanka, and The Maldives and I wanted to share some observations as well as hypothetical strategies.

Find details for my masterclasses and our upcoming conference The Sweathead Do-Together at www.sweathead.com

Say Hi: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

Mike Jacobson has worked in strategy for years. But he's been a magician for decades.

Not long ago, he appeared on America's Got Talent. That's how good he is.

In this episode, Mike breaks down the business of magic as well as how what he's learned from being a magician and strategist has helped both of his crafts, something he'll be teaching at our upcoming strategy conference The Sweathead Do-Together.

Links:

Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobsonmike/

Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

The Sweathead Do-Together: https://sweathead.com/the-sweathead-do-together-2024/

I recently spoke with Joe about strategy frameworks and whether they're dumb.

In this episode, we discuss strategic territories, which is one of those tools that is either useful or offensive, depending on how people use it.

Joe will teach us how to use territories at our upcoming strategy conference The Sweathead Do-Together.

Links:

Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-burns-bb73a31b/

Mark: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

The Sweathead Do-Together: https://sweathead.com/the-sweathead-do-together-2024/