For the final episode of Season One of Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand, we're tackling a prickly one:  What happens to the multi-million-dollar health and wellness industry when one class of drugs fundamentally changes a problem it has spent decades trying to solve?

GLP-1 medications aren't just changing conversations around weight loss. They're influencing the language of wellness, the businesses being built around it, the creators we're watching, the bodies we're seeing in campaigns and, potentially, our perception of what "healthy" looks like.

And what responsibility do marketers and brands have when there's money to be made from the shift?

For years, mainstream wellness messaging encouraged us to move our bodies, eat well, take our supplements, get our steps, improve our sleep and work on our gut health.

But somewhere along the way, wellness stopped being a category and became an identity.

Now GLP-1 medications are disrupting one of the largest commercial engines underneath the wellness industry: weight management.

We're not debating whether GLP-1 medications have an appropriate medical role — that's a conversation for patients and their healthcare professionals.

We're interested in the marketing and brand implications.

If consumer behaviour changes dramatically, what happens to the fitness programs, weight-loss businesses, supplements, food brands and influencers that built businesses around the old model?

And when a commercial opportunity emerges, where should brands draw the ethical line?

We unpack:

• GLP-1s and the changing wellness economy
• Sam Wood's Ollo for Women and the evolution of traditional fitness businesses, 28bySamWood
• SkinnyTok and the return of thinness online
• Body positivity, sizing and the responsibility of fashion brands
• Influencer transparency around weight loss
• Protein, creatine, NMN and wellness marketing
• Where brands should draw the ethical line
• Why LivEat offers a different model for health and wellness
• Gemma Diamond, Lisa DeSantis and Sophia Beg pushing back against shrinking body ideals
• Sydney Airport's response to Sophia Beg's gluten-free criticism in our final Well Played or No Played

🎧 Follow or subscribe to Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand wherever you listen so Season Two lands automatically.

⭐ Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify — it makes a huge difference to an independent podcast.

📲 Follow and share Well Played on social and send your favourite episode to another marketer, founder or brand obsessive.

📩 Sign up to Well Played to stay connected with our independent podcast and be first to hear what's coming in Season Two.

And keep sending us what deserves a Well Played… or No Played.

Until Season Two, play on.

Much love,

Kate & Esther.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand, the Australian marketing podcast where Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware unpack the biggest shifts shaping brand strategy, consumer behaviour, marketing and culture.

This week, we're diving into one of the most fascinating (and divisive) trends in modern retail:  Dupe Culture.

From MCoBeauty and  Charlotte Tilbury to Lululemon, Target, Kmart and luxury fashion, consumers are increasingly choosing products inspired by premium brands, but what does that mean for originality, brand equity and long-term business success?

Are dupes democratising luxury by making great design more accessible?

Or are they quietly eroding the creativity and investment that original brands spend years building?

In this episode, Esther and Kate unpack the ethics, psychology, legalities and marketing strategy behind the global rise of dupe culture, and ask one question every marketer should consider: Can you copy the product... without copying the brand?

In this episode:

✨ Why dupe culture has become a billion-dollar marketing movement.

✨ The difference between a dupe, a counterfeit and brand inspiration.

✨ The role of creators like Nina Pool and Driven By Beauty Jade in debunking the dupes on the internet.

✨ Why MCoBeauty has become Australia's most recognisable dupe brand.

✨ The growing tension between Charlotte Tilbury and the beauty dupe movement.

✨ How TikTok has accelerated consumer demand for affordable alternatives.

✨ Why consumers happily buy dupes in some categories, but not others?

✨ What luxury brands can learn from imitation.

✨ How Lululemon, Amazon and digital marketplaces are responding.

✨ Why brand equity, craftsmanship and Brand Lore matter more than ever.

✨ Well Played or No Played this week touches on Australian skincare brand Boring Without You.. Founder David Rooney took a calculated risk by partnering with creator Blue Eyed Kayla Jade for the launch of the brand's REM Repair product.

This is an essential listen for marketers, founders, communications leaders and anyone responsible for protecting a brand’s reputation online. New episodes every Thursday.  Follow us on Instagram and TikTok:  @wellplayedpod

We’d love you to leave us a review or share with your networks if you’ve enjoyed this episode.  We are an independently run podcast and every share and follow gives us a great opportunity to get our message and content out to the right listeners.  

Much love, Kate & Esther.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a brand crisis unfolds online, silence is never neutral.  What happens when your brand suddenly becomes the internet’s whipping boy?

In Episode 8 of Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand, Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware unpack the new rules of brand crisis management, where backlash moves faster than a traditional media statement and every customer, creator and former collaborator has a public platform.

Through two very different real-time case studies, we look at what happens when brands respond defensively, emotionally or too slowly, and why the goal in a crisis should not be to win the argument, but to win back trust.

Using the controversies surrounding New Zealand streetwear brand Huffer and Australian sunscreen brand Ultra Violette, they explore what happens when brands block criticism, respond emotionally or rely on traditional PR outlets while the real conversation is unfolding online.  

It raises a fundamental question for modern brands: when a crisis is happening on social media, can you still manage it through traditional PR outlets and frameworks or do you meet the crisis where it is unfolding?

Ultra Violette’s recovery offers a fascinating lesson in the power of existing brand equity, community trust and continuing to show up, even when the public conversation becomes uncomfortable.

Plus, Kate recalls managing the social media tsunami surrounding Australia’s failed online Census launch, and The Natural Confectionery Company’s Giant Snakes ad receives the Well Played or No Played treatment.

• Huffer
• Ultra Violette
• CHOICE
• The Natural Confectionery Company
• Tesla
• Kmart
• Mecca
• Adore Beauty
• Chemist Warehouse
• Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Census
• Wilkinson Group
• Contemporary 100
• Elijah Major
• Ash London
• Crazy Auntie Anne
• Zoe Foster Blake
• Elon Musk
• Donald Trump
• Peter Wilkinson
• Robert Irwin

This is an essential listen for marketers, founders, communications leaders and anyone responsible for protecting a brand’s reputation online. New episodes every Thursday.  Follow us on Instagram and TikTok:  @wellplayedpod

We’d love you to leave us a review or share with your networks if you’ve enjoyed this episode.  We are an independently run podcast and every share and follow gives us a great opportunity to get our message and content out to the right listeners.  

Much love, Kate & Esther.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand, the Australian marketing podcast where Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware unpack the biggest ideas shaping marketing strategy, brand building, consumer behaviour and culture.

This week we're diving into one of our favourite topics yet:  Brand Lore.  Not law as in legislation...

Lore as in the rituals, stories, symbols, traditions and emotional connections that make brands unforgettable.

What is it that makes someone instantly recognise Aesop from the scent of a hand wash? Why do people refill the same bottle for years? Why does Taylor Swift have fans analysing every lyric and Easter egg? And why are brands like Dove, Country Road, RM Williams and Samantha Wills remembered long after a campaign has finished?

This episode explores why the world's most iconic brands don't simply sell products.  They create worlds.

Lore isn't your logo. It isn't your colour palette. And it isn't your latest campaign. It's the stories your customers tell about you when you're not in the room.

This week we discuss:

✨ Brand lore and emotional branding

✨ Aesop's extraordinary customer experience

✨ Samantha Wills' reflections on founder brands

✨ Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty

✨ Taylor Swift's Easter eggs

✨ RM Williams, Country Road and sensory branding

✨ ABC Australia's creator-led content strategy

New episodes every Friday.  Follow us on Instagram and TikTok:  @wellplayedpod

We’d love you to leave us a review or share with your networks if you’ve enjoyed this episode.  We are an independently run podcast and every share and follow gives us a great opportunity to get our message and content out to the right listeners.  Much love, Kate & Esther.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand, the Australian marketing podcast where Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware unpack the biggest shifts shaping marketing strategy, consumer behaviour, brand building and modern business.

This week, we're asking a provocative question:

As AI makes everything faster, is slowing down becoming the ultimate luxury?

In this episode, Esther and Kate explore the growing movement towards slow living, analogue experiences, human craftsmanship and intentional brand building, asking whether authenticity, originality and genuine human connection are becoming the new markers of luxury.

✨ The rise of slow living in an AI-powered world

✨ Claude AI, ChatGPT and Shopify AI

✨ Flamingo Estate's incredible brand story

✨ Lucy Folk's approach to luxury branding

✨ The origins of the Slow Movement

✨ Etsy's brilliant "Shop Other Jeffs" campaign

✨ Why great brands create rituals, not just products

The conversation begins with reflections from the opening of Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, where every detail, from Indigenous food suppliers and procurement to architecture, ceramics and storytelling, demonstrates what happens when a brand is built around values rather than trends. Esther and Kate also discuss the work of chef Amanda Garner, whose expertise in native ingredients and regional food culture helped shape the venue's culinary experience.

If you're interested in marketing strategy, consumer behaviour, branding, digital culture, nostalgia marketing, experiential marketing and customer experience, subscribe to Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand.

New episodes every Friday.  Follow us on Instagram and TikTok:  @wellplayedpod

We’d love you to leave us a review or share with your networks if you’ve enjoyed this episode.  We are an independently run podcast and every share and follow gives us a great opportunity to get our message and content out to the right listeners.  Much love, Kate & Esther.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're exploring one of the biggest movements influencing marketing right now: nostalgia.

From McDonald's revealing that Grimace is actually a taste bud, to Fishwife's wildly successful New York pop-up, analogue photography, independent magazines and London's Moodboard Making & Coffee Atelier, brands are increasingly looking backwards to create stronger emotional connections with today's consumers.

Esther shares why Fishwife has become one of the most talked about consumer brands in the US, generating more than $100,000 in sales in six days through an experiential retail activation that blended beautiful packaging, storytelling and community, in NYC.

Meanwhile, Kate explores why creators like Rossi D are capturing millions of views by reintroducing nostalgic cultural conversations, proving that memory, humour and shared experiences remain some of the internet's most powerful currencies.

The discussion also explores how brands including Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok are influencing a return to analogue creativity, while communities like Girls Who Meet and Lucky Duck are encouraging people to slow down through craft workshops, snail mail, book swaps and offline connection. Bring back the independent magazines for the win, like the Teen magazine recently launched by Refinery29 ex-alumna, Paula James-Martinez. 

The conversation spans everything from Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, HuTong Dumpling Bar, the State Library Victoria, Geelong Gallery's Discovering the Impressionists exhibition, London's Borough Market, and Richard Glover's book The Land Before Avocado to unpack why consumers are craving familiarity, ritual and tangible experiences in an increasingly digital world.

In Well Played or No lay, Esther and Kate take on QOVES, a facial analysis platform going hard on paid advertising, raising important questions about beauty standards, fear-based marketing and the ethics of AI in branding.

Together they unpack:

✨ The return of analogue culture

✨ Fishwife's colourful retail strategy

✨ McDonald's iconic brand characters

✨ Why magazines are making a comeback

✨ Slow living and community-led businesses

✨ Mood boards, craft and creativity

✨ The rise of nostalgia marketing

✨ AI-powered beauty marketing and ethics

✨ How emotional connection influences consumer behaviour

If you're interested in marketing strategy, consumer behaviour, branding, digital culture, nostalgia marketing, experiential marketing and customer experience, subscribe to Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand.

New episodes every Friday. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok: @wellplayedpod

We’d love you to leave us a review or share with your networks if you’ve enjoyed this episode. We are an independently run podcast and every share and follow gives us a great opportunity to get our message and content out to the right listeners. Much love, Kate & Esther.

Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand is an Australian marketing podcast where Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware unpack the cultural trends, consumer behaviour and brand strategies shaping modern business.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're joined by Josh Henry-Hicks, Founder of Insightly Media, son of City Beach founder Brett Henry-Hicks, and brother of the CEO of Australian fashion label DISSH, Lucy Henry-Hicks

One of Australia’s leading retail and ecommerce growth strategists, now based in LA and Founder of Insightly Media, Josh Henry-Hicks has helped some of the world's fastest-growing consumer brands scale through performance marketing, organic social and consumer psychology.  

Growing up inside one of Australia's most successful retail families before helping scale digital marketing agency MuteSix, later acquired by Dentsu, Josh has built a career at the intersection of retail, consumer psychology, performance marketing & ecommerce, and is now classified as one of Australia’s leading retail and ecommerce growth strategists, now based in LA.

After hearing Josh's keynote at The Social Summit in Melbourne, Esther and Kate knew they had to continue the conversation.

Together, they unpack why the traditional social media playbook no longer works, why brands need to move beyond demographics and embrace micro niches, how organic social has become one of the most powerful customer acquisition channels, and why understanding consumer psychology is now one of the biggest competitive advantages in modern marketing.

Topics include:

✨ Organic social strategy 

✨ Consumer psychology

✨ Micro niches

✨ TikTok and Instagram algorithms

✨ Why likes don't matter anymore

✨ AI in marketing

✨ UGC creators

✨ LinkedIn strategy

This week's discussion looks at Alex Earle's skincare launch.

Instead of relying on influencer marketing, Alex built anticipation through:

• New York billboards
• Hidden clues
• Influencer puzzle pieces
• Organic storytelling
• Community participation

The result? A campaign driven by curiosity instead of advertising.

We also discuss what marketers can learn from Taylor Swift's famous "Easter egg" marketing strategy and why anticipation remains one of the most powerful marketing tools available.

Whether you're a marketer, founder, business owner or brand leader, this episode is packed with practical insights into organic social media, AI, UGC creators, consumer psychology, digital marketing, ecommerce growth and the future of brand building.

New episodes every Friday.

Follow us:

Instagram: @wellplayedpod

TikTok: @wellplayedpod

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Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand is an Australian marketing podcast where Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware unpack the cultural trends, consumer behaviour and brand strategies shaping modern business.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we entering a new era of experiential marketing?

In Episode 3 of Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand, Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware explore why consumers are craving real-life connection, why community is becoming increasingly important and why brands are investing heavily in experiences again.

This week we discuss:

✨ The return of experiential marketing

✨ Community versus audience

✨ The Lip Liner Index and changing consumer behaviour

✨ Creator-led entertainment and niche communities

✨ Coachella's brand activations

✨ Mecca at the Australian Open

✨ Frank Green's personalised vending machine experience

✨ Mastercard's frictionless retail activation

✨ Dirty Darlene and AI-powered creator marketing

✨ Why belonging and emotional connection remain powerful drivers of brand growth

Whether you're a marketer, founder, business owner or brand leader, this episode is packed with insights on marketing strategy, consumer behaviour, community building, experiential marketing and customer experience.

Esther brings a much lighter moment to the conversation with Corporate Canine Noods, a creator account proving that even dogs can become brands.

Follow @wellplayedpod and subscribe wherever you listen.

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Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand is an Australian marketing podcast where Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware unpack the cultural trends, consumer behaviour and brand strategies shaping modern business.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 2 of Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand, Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware explore authenticity, personal branding, creator-led marketing and the long game of building brand trust.

This week we discuss:

✨ The upcoming Discovering the Impressionists exhibition at The Geelong Gallery

✨ Michelle Obama's appearance in Australia and authentic leadership, brought out to Australia by the Growth Faculty. 

✨ The LinkedIn algorithm and personal brand development

✨ Why marketing is a long-term strategy

✨ Osha Günsberg and authentic content creation

✨ Apple's colourful new laptop launch, NEO, and their customer/creator ‘review’ led marketing strategy

✨ Spotify's disco ball rebrand and the power of nostalgia marketing

✨ Community versus audience and why brands need two-way conversations

If you're interested in marketing strategy, digital marketing, personal branding, consumer behaviour, creator culture and brand leadership, this episode is for you. Leave us a review and share it with fellow marketers, founders or business owners.

Follow us on Instagram and TikTok: @wellplayedpod

We'd love to hear from you:

• What's your earliest Spotify memory?
• What brands are doing authenticity well?
• Are you building your personal brand on LinkedIn?

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Well Played: Conversations on Marketing and Brand is an Australian marketing podcast where Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware unpack the cultural trends, consumer behaviour and brand strategies shaping modern business.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the very first episode of Well Played: Conversations on marketing and brand, an Australian marketing podcast exploring brand strategy, marketing leadership, digital marketing, consumer behaviour and the trends shaping modern business.

Hosts Esther Kelleher and Kate Ware share the career experiences that shaped their approach to marketing strategy, brand building and customer experience. From Esther's early days at Sportsgirl and leadership role at Etsy Australia, to Kate's agency journey working across digital marketing, social media and business growth, this episode introduces the perspectives behind the podcast.

As experienced marketing leaders, Esther and Kate discuss why they believe there is a gap in the market for honest conversations about branding, marketing careers, consumer behaviour and the realities of building businesses in today's rapidly changing landscape. With a dose of mid life wisdom and life.

The conversation explores the rise of the creator economy, creator-led brands and personal branding, alongside the growing role of AI in marketing and what this means for businesses, founders and marketers alike.

In this episode they discuss Canva's bold approach to AI training, the increasing value of marketing generalists and why authentic storytelling remains one of the most powerful tools in modern brand strategy.

This week's discussion explores emerging marketing trends including:

• Women in SPAM (Social Media, Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing)
• Creator-led brands and personal branding
• Authentic content creation
• Founder-led marketing
• Consumer connection in an AI-driven world
• The future of digital marketing and creator commerce

Esther shares why the creator Eta_birthing caught her attention and the growing movement of creators becoming brands in their own right, while Kate discusses why authenticity continues to outperform formulaic content strategies.

This week's brand marketing debate focuses on two organisations making headlines:

Esther and Kate unpack why Lifeblood's 'Unstoppable' campaign is one of Australia's strongest recent examples of purpose-driven marketing, brand storytelling and emotional customer connection. The campaign demonstrates how even highly regulated organisations can build meaningful brand engagement through powerful storytelling, community impact and creative execution.

The hosts debate Shein's acquisition of Everlane and what it means for sustainability, ethical fashion, ecommerce marketing, supply chain transparency and long-term brand trust. Is this a strategic move toward a more sustainable future, or does it dilute everything Everlane has stood for?

• Why marketing generalists are becoming increasingly valuable
• How creator-led brands are changing consumer behaviour
• The growing importance of personal branding
• What marketers can learn from Canva's AI strategy
• Why storytelling remains essential for brand building
• How commercial outcomes and marketing strategy must work together
• Lessons from Lifeblood's purpose-led marketing campaign
• The future implications of the Shein and Everlane acquisition

• Sportsgirl
• Etsy
• Kmart
• Cadbury
• Canva
• Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
• Everlane
• Shein
• Messy Monkeys
• Beyond The Bump

• Esther Kelleher
• Kate Ware
• George Fox
• Tina Arena
• Adele Petropolis
• Georgie Roderick

If you enjoy conversations about marketing strategy, brand building, digital marketing, customer experience, consumer behaviour, creator culture, AI in marketing and business growth, we'd love you to subscribe, leave a review and share the podcast with your network.

Follow us on Instagram @wellplayedpod and TikTok: @wellplayedpod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.