The Lead Creative

By Mongezi Mtati

The Lead Creative podcast hosts a series of conversations with great minds behind some of the leading brands, businesses, organisations and top ideas that we all love. From advertising thought leaders... more

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FAQs about The Lead Creative:

How many episodes does The Lead Creative have?

The podcast currently has 106 episodes available.

The Lead Creative episodes:

January 21, 2026How KFC Thailand Builds A Culture of Brave Advertising, Marketing and Creative Work
A conversation with Suhayl Limbada, CMO of KFC Thailand, on mirroring culture, earning creative bravery and building global work that resonates locally. From Let There Be Cake to Cannes Lions wins, this episode completes the 360 story after our earlier conversation with Saf Sindhi of Bananas.
More Marketing, Advertising and Brand Building Insights:
Culture must be earned, not extracted
Brave work needs trust, not ego
Heritage brands win when they remember who they are
Risk creates relevance when rooted in truth
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1h 5min
January 15, 2026Building a Loved Challenger Brand That Encourages People To Buy Less Not More
What does it take to build a challenger brand with integrity in a market dominated by global players? In this episode of The Lead Creative, Mongezi Mtati talks to the founder and CEO of Desert Salt, Samantha Skyring, about growing with intention, encouraging customers to buy less, and why attention to detail matters more than scale.
The conversation explores storytelling, founder-led brand trust, social media as a tool for connection, and how long-term thinking creates brands that last.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
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Support the show

___________________________

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Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

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...more
54min
December 22, 2025Creativity, Marketing Effectiveness and the Cost of Short-Termism: Effie Awards Trends
Marketing effectiveness is under pressure as short-term metrics continue to shape decision-making. Recorded at the Effie Awards South Africa as part of The Lead Creative Effies Series, this conversation with Gillian Rightford, Effie Awards South Africa Lead and ACA Executive Director, revisits the long-term cost of short-term thinking, now viewed through award-winning work.
Conversation highlights
Why long-term brand building is back in focus
Why vanity metrics carry less weight in judging
The limits of AI in creative effectiveness
Why playing safe is a brand risk
Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
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X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
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Send us mail!
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

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...more
12min
December 17, 2025Building Loved Brands in an Age of Data and AI
What separates effective marketing from short-term noise? Recorded at the Effie Awards South Africa, this conversation with Thami Majola, Executive Head of Brands and Communications at Vodacom, unpacks advertising effectiveness through a brand and business lens.
Thami shares insights on data-driven marketing, customer understanding, AI and the discipline required to build trusted, loved brands.
Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
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Send us mail!
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

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...more
14min
December 11, 2025The Secret Behind Vaseline’s Advertising and Consumer Success
Simple work is often the hardest to make. In this episode, Kenosi Matsebatlela, Head of Marketing for Vaseline, and Tumi Moutlana, Creative Director at VML, share how trust shaped the Mntana Ka Gogo piece.
We explore why the idea resonated, how cultural memory works in advertising and why clarity outperforms complexity. They share how instinct, chemistry and timing help teams create work that feels familiar and honest.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to keep us fuelled.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
YouTube
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Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

Follow us for more on:

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...more
1h
December 04, 2025Most Advertising Is Afraid to Succeed: Chasing Trends Hurts Brands
Advertising faces a growing challenge: too much work is created to avoid failure rather than pursue meaningful success. In this episode, creative consultant and Number 10 founder Ahmed Tilly breaks down why this mindset persists and how brands can move beyond it.
Ahmed’s work includes Nando’s campaigns across 14 countries and the launches of Virgin Money, 1LifeDirect and Mazda. As Effie Awards South Africa Co-Chair (2024 & 2025) and Loeries Jury President, he offers clear insight into what makes work effective.
Midway through our conversation, he recalled an insight he shared two years ago: trends are diluting creativity.
“Trends are the opposite of creativity. If you’re not different, you’re dead.”
Conversation highlights
True creativity requires resisting trends, not chasing them
Distinctiveness drives real effectiveness
Trend-chasing weakens creativity
Effies work requires rigour and originality
Many marketing issues are rooted in strategy
Thank you to the Effie Awards South Africa team and Soweto Media.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show
___________________________
Follow us for more on:
YouTube
LinkedIn
Instagram
Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

Follow us for more on:

YouTube

LinkedIn

Instagram
...more
28min
November 25, 2025From Chappies to Cadbury: How Mondelez Builds Heritage Brands That Lead Culture
How do heritage brands stay relevant in a world full of choice? At the Effie Awards South Africa, we sat down with Arpan Sur, CMO of the Sub-Saharan Africa Business Unit at Mondelez, to discuss marketing effectiveness, cultural leadership, and what makes brands like Chappies and Cadbury endure.
Arpan shares why “marketing should lead culture”, how brands build rituals, and why effective work must deliver his “trifecta” of consumer impact, business outcomes, and fame. As an Effie Awards South Africa juror, he explains the rigorous judging process and what trends stood out this year.
Highlights:
Why Chappies became a cultural category cue.
The rise of “value as effectiveness” in inflationary markets.
Why clear, focused briefs deliver stronger work.
Thank you to the Effies for the platform.
Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
YouTube
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Send us mail!
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

Follow us for more on:

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...more
18min
November 18, 2025Marketing That Matters: Vaseline, Heritage and the Power of Insight
The challenge for many leading brands is staying relevant in categories where functional claims and pricing pressure can erode brand value. As part of our Effie Awards South Africa series, which explores marketing and advertising effectiveness with leading marketers and advertising trailblazers, I spoke to Elizabeth Mokwena, Executive Marketing Director at Unilever, about why emotion still matters.
Conversation Highlights
Emotion as a driver of marketing effectiveness
How Vaseline’s “Mntana ka Gogo” refreshed a heritage brand
Parallels with Pete Case and Ogilvy’s international Vaseline collaboration
Finding universal human truths leads to universally compelling big ideas
Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show

___________________________

Follow us for more on:
YouTube
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Send us mail!
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

Follow us for more on:

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...more
20min
November 17, 2025Marketing Connects Business with People and Communities: Brian Yuyi, CEO of MASA
How do we ensure that marketing has a seat at the business table? That’s one of the questions explored with Brian Yuyi, CEO of the Marketing Association of South Africa (MASA), in this episode of The Lead Creative recorded at the IMC Conference.
The conversation looks at how to give marketing a stronger voice in business, inspire the next generation to join the profession, and elevate those already driving growth and creativity.
“Marketing is business and business is marketing,” says Brian. “It’s not about making marketing the centre of everything — it’s the connector between business and consumers.”
He also reflects on how MASA continues to professionalise and unite the industry under one tent through education, accreditation and advocacy.
Conversation highlights:
Giving marketing a stronger voice in business.
Nurturing young talent to grow the profession.
Uniting the marketing ecosystem through MASA.
Produced in collaboration with our partners, Soweto Media.
___________________________
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Support the show
___________________________

Follow us for more on:
YouTube
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Send us mail!
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

Follow us for more on:

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...more
19min
November 13, 2025Pete Case on How Enduring Client-Agency Partnerships Build Better Brands
Brands grow through trust and shared ambition. Pete Case, CEO and Creative Chairman of Ogilvy South Africa, joins The Lead Creative to discuss how long-term client–agency partnerships help brands like Volkswagen, KFC, Audi and Carling Black Label thrive.
“Trust is the most important ingredient. It’s what allows us to put new, untested ideas in front of clients.”
Key insights include:
How longevity fuels creativity and commercial success.
Why trust leads to braver, more effective work.
Lessons in leadership and purpose from Pete Case.
___________________________
To keep us fuelled, buy us coffee here.
___________________________
The Lead Creative Podcast is available on:
Apple
Spotify
YouTube
Follow us on:
LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Instagram
Send us mail!
Make a donation to Threads for Ikasi, a foundation that provides school uniforms, dignity packs and other essentials to children in townships, rural areas and under-resourced communities.
To support them, go to: https://threadsforikasi.org
Support the show
Buy us coffee here to help us grow.

Follow us for more on:

YouTube

LinkedIn

Instagram
...more
58min

FAQs about The Lead Creative:

How many episodes does The Lead Creative have?

The podcast currently has 106 episodes available.