Best Independent Arabia Podcasts Podcasts (2025)

1
Strategy Clarity On A Page - Sit and Talk, DC 1:03:19

2h ago1:03:19

1:03:19

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 Th…

1
Explain Saudi Arabia To Me - Omar Alomran, Thmanyah 38:47

26d ago38:47

38:47

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. F…

1
All Reach Is Not Created Equal (Plus Distinctiveness Vs Differentiation) - Felipe Tomaz from Oxford, Tom Roach from Jellyfish 50:20

2M ago50:20

50:20

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…

1
Over-thinking, Procrastination, And Self-Doubt - Ipsita Das, Personal Development Coach 38:56

2M ago38:56

38:56

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…

1
How To Better Pitch To Clients - Steve Walls, Moon Rabbit 49:34

3M ago49:34

49:34

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 b…

1
A Magician Who's A Strategist - Or Is It The Other Way Around? - Mike Jacobson, Strategist & Magician 38:40

2M ago38:40

38:40

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 ou…

1
Strategic Territories And Starting Ideas - Joe Burns, Creative Quality Meats 32:03

3M ago32:03

32:03

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://w…

1
Are You Sure You're Using The Word "Culture" Properly, Strategists? - Lucien Etori, McCann NY CSO 42:51

3M ago42:51

42:51

Lucien Etori is the Chief Strategy Officer of McCann New York. He grew up moving around a lot as well as a fan of several music subcultures. This has led him to question the way a lot of advertising people use the word "culture". What do people mean by "culture" and "the culture" and "be part of the culture" and "to do work at the speed of culture"…

1
Going Full-time As An Independent Cultural Strategist - Jenny Chang, Constellation Theory 46:58

3M ago46:58

46:58

The last time I spoke with Jenny Chang was four years ago. Since then, she's worked in agencies and for Lego and has now launched her own company, Constellation Theory. In this episode of Sweathead, we discuss this journey as well as what it's like to build a business around yourself. Jenny is hosting our upcoming strategy conference The Sweathead …

1
Neurodivergence As A Chief Strategy Officer - Kevin Chesters, CSO, Author of The Creative Nudge 48:31

3M ago48:31

48:31

Kevin Chesters has CSO’d it all - Ogilvy, Wieden + Kennedy, Dentsu and more. He’s started a business. He’s sold a business. He’s also started writing a book and finished writing a book, which is the hardest part of starting to write a book. It’s called The Creative Nudge. Kevin is speaking at our fourth Sweathead Do-Together about how to say your i…

1
What Creatives Want From Strategists (And Brand Tracking 101) - James Hurman, once the world’s number 1 planner 46:44

4M ago46:44

46:44

James Hurman was once the number one planner in the world. Now, he runs an innovation studio called Previously Unavailable, he teaches a Master of Advertising Effectiveness with the crew at WARC and Cannes Lions, and he directs brand-tracking company Tracksuit. In this episode, we discuss James’s 18 months in the creative department and what he lea…

1
How To Deal With Feeling Stuck In An Advertising Career - Iuren Ramiro 36:07

4M ago36:07

36:07

How often does your advertising career feel stuck? How often do you compare your career to other people’s careers? What do you do to get your career un-stuck? Iuren Ramiro is a Strategy Director at Agência WE in São Paulo. He’s also on the ANA and Lions CMO Growth Councils. In this episode, we discuss Iuren’s own journey through the darkness as wel…

1
Persuasion - How To Sell Your Ideas - Maytê Carvalho, CSO 45:29

4M ago45:29

45:29

Maytê Carvalho won a special version of Brazil’s The Apprentice television show when she was 18 years old. People told her she was persuasive. They told her to write a book about it. But, first, Maytê decided to study persuasion and ended up getting a Master’s degree focusing on it. She also became a Research Fellow at the Berkeley Global Society. …

1
What Thousands Of Strategists Whisper - Georgetown, DC - Walk & Talk 1:08:30

4M ago1:08:30

1:08:30

Come for a walk around Washington DC as I discuss the ten things strategists whisper to me and debrief you on 14 events in 5 countries for 700 people over the past two weeks. Find our classes here: http://www.sweathead.com Find me here: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

1
Leaving New York, Impostor Syndrome, Teaching Strategists - Walk and Talk, NYC 30:26

5M ago30:26

30:26

Join me on a walk from Times Square to the Flatiron District as we discuss some big life changes, my masterclasses in Asia, impostor syndrome, and teaching strategists. Find me @ http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

1
Are Fractional CMOs Tiny - Or Do They Just Do A Fraction Of CMO Work In A Fraction Of The Time? - Fractional CMO, John Lyons 44:44

5M ago44:44

44:44

John Lyons is a fractional CMO. This might mean that he's a fraction of a CMO and that he's either very small or only does a fraction of what a CMO usually does. Well, that's what I think when I see the title "Fractional CMO" - Oh, it's a thumb-sized CMO doing 10% of the CMO job. But, in this chat, John puts me straight while also sharing his thoug…

1
The Present Of Strategy - WARC's Lena Roland 34:17

6M ago34:17

34:17

Lena Roland is Content Director, Strategy at WARC. This means she's dealing with all of you as she explores and gathers the smart minds in the world and what they're doing to market and advertise effectively. In this episode, we chat about the present of strategy - what we're both hearing from strategists around the world. If you'd like to share wh…

1
Reflections About A Week At The Cannes Lions Festival Of Creativity 39:09

7M ago39:09

39:09

Join me by the river Vitava in Prague for a beer and a chat about the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival.

1
Simple Ways To Fix Your Strategy Work - Sit and Talk 48:06

8M ago48:06

48:06

- The power of paper - Summarize stingily - Digging into problems - Fixing presentations Find out about my masterclasses: http://www.sweathead.com Download the ebook "How To Do Strategy" http://www.sweathead.com Find me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

1
Artificial Intelligence In Advertising - Toygun Yilmazer, CSO TBWA Istanbul 34:57

8M ago34:57

34:57

Toygun is Chief Strategy Office at TBWA in Istanbul, one of my favorite cities on the planet. He recently presented his thoughts about artificial intelligence at SxSW. We discuss these thoughts as well as Turkey. You can find Toygun here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toygun-yilmazer-29810267/ ** For details about our upcoming strategy masterclasses …

1
Are Strategy Frameworks Dumb? - Joe Burns, Group Strategy Director, Quality Meats Creative 43:01

8M ago43:01

43:01

Joe was Head of Strategy at BBH in New York but decided to go to an indie shop Quality Meats as a Group Strategy Director. We discuss this move as well as a survey that suggested a lot of strategists think strategy frameworks do more harm than good. You can find Joe here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-burns-bb73a31b/ ** For details about our upco…

1
The Daily Challenges Facing Good Comms Planning - Mani Schlisser, OBERLAND 38:45

9M ago38:45

38:45

Mani Schlisser is Director of Strategy at OBERLAND in New York. He's had big comms planning roles at Ogilvy, Mekanism, and Chiat Day. In this chat, we talk about Comms Planning 101 but also get into the daily challenges facing anyone creating advertising right now: - What's happening on the social media platforms, and - What agencies are getting wr…

1
A World Champion Of The Cannes Young Lions Plus A Contender - Monika Farkašová, David Cerveny 35:52

9M ago35:52

35:52

Monika Farkašová (from agency Triad) has won the Young Lions so I'm now calling her World Champion because "Winner" is boring. The Young Lions takes the best young talent from around the world and pits them against each other in a ferocious battle of minds for 24 hours in Cannes every June. David Cerveny (from agency Zaraguza) is a frequent contend…

1
Cultural Intelligence for Marketers: Building an Inclusive Marketing Strategy - Dr Anastasia Karklina Gabriel 38:46

9M ago38:46

38:46

Dr Anastasia Karklina Gabriel has just published her first book "Cultural Intelligence for Marketers: Building an Inclusive Marketing Strategy". Having earned a PhD, Anastasia has consulted for many agencies and now works in Reddit's Global Insights team. In this chat, we discuss a few of the key concepts in the book as well as the experience of wr…

1
Stop Collaborating And Listen - Why Do Workshops Defeat Us? - Rob Estreitinho, Salmon Theory 38:51

10M ago38:51

38:51

Rob Estreitinho and I have just dropped a deck for you. It's called "Stop Collaborating And Listen". In it, we discuss why workshops are being forced on everyone right now, how this isn't always a good thing, and what to do about it. You can find the deck here: http://bit.ly/stopcollaboratingandlisten…

1
Top Ten Strategist Traits - Live From Hell's Kitchen 38:51

10M ago38:51

38:51

You can find out about our upcoming masterclasses at http://www.sweathead.com Mark is here: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

1
How To Have Award-Winning Ideas - Alexandre Kazuo Kubo, Lucas Ribeiro 44:51

10M ago44:51

44:51

Alexandre Kazuo Kubo and Lucas Ribeiro are Associate Creative Directors at McCann New York. Recently, they published a guide on having and expressing award-winning advertising ideas. It's relatively rare for employed big-agency creatives to publish like this so I took the opportunity to get them to talk us through their free guide while forcing the…

1
The Wrongs And Rights Of Brand Strategy Workshops - Camilla Petty 38:29

10M ago38:29

38:29

Camilla Petty recently released a workshop guide from 15 years of experience in advertising. I've run hundreds of these things and have thoughts. So we got together to discuss what makes a workshop work as well as the things that don't. You can get 25% off Camilla's guide using the code SWEATY at checkout: https://oddkid.co/store/brandstrategyworks…

1
Brand Strategy In Venture Capital - Michael Miraflor 41:36

11M ago41:36

41:36

Michael Miraflor is Chief Brand Officer at Hannah Grey Venture Capital. His agency life started in media agencies then lead him to MediaLink and, now, into VC. In this episode, we discuss his journey as well as what exactly he is doing right now. You can find Michael here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirateck/ You can find Mark here: http://www.ins…

1
The Techno Mindset For Strategists - Luis Miranda, Strategist & Techno Producer 37:53

11M ago37:53

37:53

Cofounder of the Account Planning Group (APG) in Spain, Luis Miranda is a freelance strategist based in Los Angeles but also a music producer and DJ. In this episode, we see what strategists can learn from techno. Obviously. You can find Luis here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luismiranda1/ You can find Mark here: http://www.instagram.com/markpollar…

1
B2B Marketing Creativity - Carolyn Barclay and David Moore 39:22

11M ago39:22

39:22

Carolyn Barclay and David Moore run Kingswood & Palmerston. They work with B2B marketers whom they push to do interesting work. We discuss creativity in B2B advertising as well as Carolyn and David's business. You might know David from his Twitter and LinkedIn sharing of advertising made by advertising agencies to promote advertising agencies. Caro…

1
The Taylor Swift Conspiracy, Creative Teams, and Job Loss - Walk And Talk, Times Square 48:32

11M ago48:32

48:32

You can find these bits as essays here: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

1
The Most Important B2B Marketing Ideas With LinkedIn's Ty Heath 46:18

12M ago46:18

46:18

Ty Heath is the Director of the LinkedIn B2B Institute. The B2B Institute works with some of the world's leading marketing academics to find counter-intuitive ideas that can have a ridiculous impact on B2B brands.In this interview, we discuss B2B Marketing 101.You can find Ty here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyronaheath/You can download our "How To…

1
The Strategy To Revive One Of The World’s Biggest Fashion Brands - Esprit - Ana Andjelic, Chief Brand Officer 47:10

1y ago47:10

47:10

Ana Andjelic has a PhD, has worked in many of your favorite New York advertising and digital agencies, and now has a massive role at Esprit as the Chief Brand Office and the Chief Marketing Officer. This means Ana is responsible for anything that leaves the office. I caught up with her in the Esprit office to find out how her and the team are reviv…

1
Going Hard On LinkedIn - Alex M H Smith, Basic Arts 40:54

1y ago40:54

40:54

There was a time on LinkedIn that was before Alex M H Smith and a time on LinkedIn that was after Alex M H Smith. Every week, tens of thousands of people now see Alex's posts about strategy in their feed but it wasn't always this way.In this episode, we discuss what Alex is up to and how he uses social media. We were going to talk about some of his…

1
How Hallmark Went From Greetings Cards To Advertising Agency - Trish Berrong 37:43

1y ago37:43

37:43

Trish Berrong is a copywriter and strategist who spent decades at greeting card company Hallmark. She's not only written greeting cards but she helped Hallmark develop an in-house agency that went from serving Hallmark to serving external clients. And this is what we discuss.You can find Trish here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishberrong/**Find o…

1
Your Personal Development Plan Template - Hell's Kitchen, NYC 25:46

1y ago25:46

25:46

You can find a link to the personal development template here: https://sweathead.com/personal-plan Sign up for The Sweathead Get-Ahead free livestream from London here: https://sweathead.com/sweathead-get-ahead/ My London Masterclass tickets are here: https://sweathead.com/london-strategy-masterclass-with-mark-pollard/ And you can grab free ebooks …

1
Better Relationships With The Creative Department - Anirban Roy, Head of Strategy at Wieden + Kennedy, India 39:40

1y ago39:40

39:40

Anirban Roy is Head of Strategy at Wieden + Kennedy in India. They have offices in Delhi and Mumbai. In this interview, we discuss good relationships with creative teams - whether it's common, what makes them difficult, and what makes them work. You can find Anirban here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirbanroyplanner/ ** Find out about our strategy…

1
Humor In Advertising - What Does The Research Say? - Polly Wyn Jones, Kantar 32:53

1y ago32:53

32:53

Polly Wyn Jones has been anlayzing advertising for over 30 years. In the past two years, she's published two articles about humor in advertising - how it ebbed and flowed over the past 2 decades, the kinds of humor there are in ads, and if it's coming back. And this is what we discuss. You can find Polly's two articles here 1. https://www.kantar.co…

1
Is There Really Less Humor In Advertising Right Now? - Paul Fisher, Head of Strategy, BBDO Dublin 40:59

1y ago40:59

40:59

Paul Fisher, Head of Strategy at BBDO Dublin, woke up with a mission one Sunday a couple of weeks ago. He wanted to confirm or debunk a belief that there's less humor in advertising than before. He spent hours trawling through and categorizing campaigns. And I thought it would be worth speaking to someone who feels like this is a good way to spend …

1
Getting Strategy Jobs At Netflix, CashApp, Nike, Apple And More - Grace Gordon, CashApp 42:20

1y ago42:20

42:20

Grace Gordon is an Australian who's worked with a list of companies many strategists would dream of working with: Netflix, CashApp, Nike, Apple, The Fader, Refinery29, as well as various agencies. In fact, we worked together at Big Spaceship a decade ago. In this chat, we discuss living and working the USA as Australians as well as what Grace learn…

1
Setting Your Next Marketing Budget - This Time With Evidence - Marc Binkley, Fractional CMO 37:15

1y ago37:15

37:15

Marc is a fractional CMO based in Calgary, Canada. He recently published a deck to help marketers work out how to set their budgets based on evidence. You can find the deck here: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7134918764252299264/⁠ You can find Marc here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/…

1
Shocking Truths About Insights In Advertising (I'm joking - but, yeah, "insights") 39:50

1y ago39:50

39:50

You can download a free 45-page ebook on insights, including a chapter from my book "Strategy Is Your Words" here: https://mailchi.mp/sweathead/mastering-insights You can find out about The Insight Masterclass that I'm teaching on Wednesday, December 6, online here: http://sweathead.com/the-insight-masterclass-mark-pollard…

1
The Marketing Sciences Suggest: Make Your Brand Think And Act Broad - Julien Normand, Publicis 40:29

1y ago40:29

40:29

Julien Normand is Global Strategy Lead for Publicis LEON @ Publicis Media in Singapore. Recently, he wrote a piece called "The Silent Ascent Of Super Light Buyers," in which he shares research that suggests marketers need to pay attention to people who don't buy them very often.You can find Julien here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/julien-normand-101…

1
I Got A Hair Transplant In Turkey - Istanbul, Walk and Talk 40:36

1+ y ago40:36

40:36

I was going to keep it private but people started to find out. I got a hair transplant. And I had a second operation to get a lipoma removed. At the end of this episode I talk a little about functional versus emotional advertising. But most of the episode is about hair and Istanbul. You can find videos about the experience on my Instagram: http://w…

1
A 1AM Interview With The Team That Got Women’s Names Onto Street Signs In Tbilisi - Ad Black Sea 25:16

1+ y ago25:16

25:16

Watergunz won two golds at the recent Ad Black Sea festival for a campaign called “Women Who Don’t Exist”. They won in the Impact category for Creative Strategy and Sustainable Development Goals. Their campaign managed to get the Tbilisi government to change street names to the names of accomplished women. I was fortunate to be the one who handed t…

1
So This Head Of Strategy Just Quit His Job At JWT On Stage - Ad Black Sea, Batumi, Georgia 47:51

1+ y ago47:51

47:51

It’s the final day of the Georgian advertising festival Ad Black Sea. The campaign winners will be announced soon. In this episode, I talk with fellow speaker Marie Reig Florensa, Ad Black Sea and agency Winfors founder Vato Lavtaradze, and Lado Malazonia who quit his job on stage during one of my sessions and in front of perhaps 800 people…and his…

1
4 Students Share Their Work And Experience From The Sweathead Strategy Accelerator - Dulce Vazquez, Rodolfo Andres Estrada, Sarah Mahoney, Victoria Gates-Fleming 49:00

1+ y ago49:00

49:00

The next Sweathead Strategy Accelerator happens in October, 2023. It's a 4-week program that will teach you about The Four Points framework, linear and lateral thinking, the importance of problems, how to write insights, and how to write strategy. This next accelerator is our fifth public accelerator so we thought we'd invite some previous students…

1
How To Fix Your Presentations - Sit And Talk, Hell's Kitchen, NYC 44:42

1+ y ago44:42

44:42

In this episode, I share some of the student work from the Sweathead Strategy Accelerator as well as dive into some tips on how to improve your presentations. You can download 70+ pages of student work here: https://mailchi.mp/sweathead/9vtxjz2jqq

1
When To Quit Your Strategy Career - São Paulo, Sit And Talk 30:33

1+ y ago30:33

30:33

In this episode, I discuss a couple of recent essays—when it’s time to quit and how to help a strategy team that’s swirling all over the place. If you enjoy it, share it. And come say hi on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/markpollard

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