108: Meet the woman called in when one of the big consultancies fails with Lisl Macdonald, Marketer & Problem Solver

Call To Action

This week, we thought Phuket and sailed the Thai seas to catch marketer and problem solver, Lisl MacDonald.
With over 30 years of experience in the business, Lisl cut her teeth in London with BT, Virgin, and Ogilvy, before her sense of adventure and curiosity took her to Asia to set up her own consultancy. Obsessed with interrogating ideas, she is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and chairs judging panels for the prestigious MSS Star Awards.
Lisl talks to us on her unusual upbringing on a tiny Scottish island, her ‘white coat and condom’ phase, learning whilst doing at BT, moving to Asia, what kept her in Thailand, finding her job being advertised in The Sunday Times, being the only backpacker with Estee Lauder sun cream, realising that you are not the cultural baseline, her experience as a woman in the industry, ego, complacency, solving oddly shaped problems, and tons more.
We also wade through a shedload of overwhelmingly good listener questions we had in (including one from Call To Action alumni Rory Sutherland).
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You can find Lisl on LinkedIn
She wants you to watch this case study for TMB
And keep your eyes peeled for her book that’s coming soon
Thank you to everyone who has lent their ears and their brains for over 100 episodes of the Call To Action® podcast. It’s a real privilege. Please do share and review the podcast to help more marketers feel better about marketing.
Timestamps
(01:53) - Quick fire questions
(03:51) - Her first-ever jobs on a tiny Scottish island
(05:31) - The 'white coat and condom' phase
(09:02) - Learning whilst doing at BT
(18:12) - Moving to Asia in a dramatic fashion
(21:27) - How to succeed working in Asia
(28:30) - Differences she sees in the trajectory of the industry nowadays
(38:31) - Being a woman in the industry
(49:31) - Listener questions (including one from Rory Sutherland)
(55:36) - 4 pertinent posers
Lisl’s book recommendations are:
Delusions of Brandeur by Ryan Wallman
How to Build a Better Business Plan by Alastair Thomson
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg
Hex by Jenni Fagan
On Connection by Kae Tempest
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
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