
Sweathead, A Strategy Podcast
How do you get good at strategy? Whether you’re into brand strategy, advertising strategy, digital strategy, social media strategy, or you just love doing strategy but you get frustrated at how people use the word, Sweathead will help you delve into the practices and minds of some of the world’s most wonderful strategists. We're in our sixth year and have surpassed 1,500,000 listens! Hit SUBSCRIBE, tell your friends, and leave a kind rating. Real-time action is @markpollard and @sweathead.
You can find strategy classes and "Strategy Is Your Words" here: http://www.sweathead.com.
Latest episodes

Jun 22, 2023 • 36min
The Self-Improving Agency - Raluca Kovacs, CSO, Publicis Romania (Effie Index Series)
Raluca Kovacs is Chief Strategy Officer of Publicis Worldwide in Romania. Romania is a competitive advertising country. It seems like one of those hotbeds that not enough of us know about. It's a hotbed that has created several agencies that frequently feature in award shows and in the Effie Index.
In this episode, Raluca shares with us the culture at Publicis in Romania. You'll hear a big emphasis on learning and self-improving.
You can find Raluca here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raluca-kovacs-6987464/
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You can find the Sweathead report What Strategists Want From Work here: https://bit.ly/what-strategists-want
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Next strategy event:
The Sweathead Strategy Summer Camp - Starts July 18, 2023
Details: http://www.sweathead.com.
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Sign up for our newsletters:
https://sweathead.com/newsletter/strategy-for-life/
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Sweathead is a support group for strategists and account planners around the world.
We host conferences, online courses, live events, and podcasts. We also train companies.
Find out about our company training here: https://sweathead.com/teams/

Jun 19, 2023 • 33min
Strategy Gold In The Desert - CSO Mario Morby Reveals The Secrets Of FP7McCann, UAE (Effie Index Series)
Mario Morby is Regional Head of Strategy at FP7McCann. He's based in Dubai. In case you didn't know, Dubai is very different from Birmingham in the UK, where Mario was working before joining FP7McCann.
FP7McCann is prolific and Mario takes us on an intellectual tour of what makes the agency so good.
You can find Mario here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariomorby
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You can find the Sweathead report What Strategists Want From Work here: https://bit.ly/what-strategists-want
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Next strategy event:
The Sweathead Strategy Summer Camp - Starts July 18, 2023
Details: http://www.sweathead.com.
**
Sign up for our newsletters:
https://sweathead.com/newsletter/strategy-for-life/
**
Sweathead is a support group for strategists and account planners around the world.
We host conferences, online courses, live events, and podcasts. We also train companies.
Find out about our company training here: https://sweathead.com/teams/

Jun 15, 2023 • 38min
How High Expectations And Pressure Lead To World-Beating Advertising - Javier Quintero, GUT (Effie Index Series)
Javier Quintero is Chief Strategy Officer of GUT in Buenos Aires. Every decade a handful of agencies appear and then tear up the industry as we know it and GUT is currently doing this.
In this episode, Javier explains to us how GUT does creative briefs and how they put pressure on their work so that nothing crap leaves the building.
You can find Javier here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/javiquintero/
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You can find the Sweathead report What Strategists Want From Work here: https://bit.ly/what-strategists-want
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Next strategy event:
The Sweathead Strategy Summer Camp - Starts July 18, 2023
Details: http://www.sweathead.com.
**
Sign up for our newsletters:
https://sweathead.com/newsletter/strategy-for-life/
**
Sweathead is a support group for strategists and account planners around the world.
We host conferences, online courses, live events, and podcasts. We also train companies.
Find out about our company training here: https://sweathead.com/teams/

Jun 12, 2023 • 31min
Ogilvy Pakistan's Director Of Strategy Zahra Ali Explains What Makes The Agency So Effective (Effie Index Series)
Zahra Ali runs strategy at Ogilvy in Karachi. She's helped the agency win so many awards that the agency is listed in the Effie Index.
In this episode, Zahra explains the culture of Ogilvy Karachi to us and takes us through some award-winning work.
You can find Zahra here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahra-ali-037bb616/
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You can find the Sweathead report What Strategists Want From Work here: https://bit.ly/what-strategists-want
**
Next strategy event:
The Sweathead Strategy Summer Camp - Starts July 18, 2023
Details: http://www.sweathead.com.
**
Sign up for our newsletters:
https://sweathead.com/newsletter/strategy-for-life/
**
Sweathead is a support group for strategists and account planners around the world.
We host conferences, online courses, live events, and podcasts. We also train companies.
Find out about our company training here: https://sweathead.com/teams/

Jun 8, 2023 • 40min
How Strategists Work In One Of The World's Most Effective Advertising Agencies - Victor Stroe, Leo Burnett (Effie Index Series)
Victor Stroe is Associate Director and Head of Strategy at Leo Burnett in Bucharest, Romania. His office was ranked the eleventh most effective in the world according to the 2022 Effie Index). Romania has a prolific and competitive advertising industry–it's just not that internationally known.
In this episode, we discuss Leo Burnett's mindset and culture, what helps the agency win so many awards, and how strategists fit in.
You can find Victor here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-stroe-5511979/
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You can find the Sweathead report What Strategists Want From Work here: https://bit.ly/what-strategists-want
**
Next strategy event:
The Sweathead Strategy Summer Camp - Starts July 18, 2023
Details: http://www.sweathead.com.
**
Sign up for our newsletters:
https://sweathead.com/newsletter/strategy-for-life/
**
Sweathead is a support group for strategists and account planners around the world.
We host conferences, online courses, live events, and podcasts. We also train companies.
Find out about our company training here: https://sweathead.com/teams/

Jun 5, 2023 • 42min
Interesting And Useful Is The Way To CSO Ryan O’Connell’s Heart - Ogvily (Effie Index Series)
Ryan O'Connell is Chief Strategy Officer of Ogilvy in Sydney, Australia. His office ranked in the Effie Index and we wanted to find out why.
In this episode, Ryan talks about the need to be interesting and useful while also comparing notes between the two agencies he's spent the longest time in: Clemenger BBDO and Ogilvy.
You can find Ryan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-o-connell-43854212/
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You can find the Sweathead report What Strategists Want From Work here: https://bit.ly/what-strategists-want
**
Next strategy event:
The Sweathead Strategy Summer Camp - Starts July 18, 2023
Details: http://www.sweathead.com.
**
Sign up for our newsletters:
https://sweathead.com/newsletter/strategy-for-life/
**
Sweathead is a support group for strategists and account planners around the world.
We host conferences, online courses, live events, and podcasts. We also train companies.
Find out about our company training here: https://sweathead.com/teams/

Jun 1, 2023 • 37min
Is Niche Marketing Making It Harder To Reach People? - Amber Chenevert, PhD, VMLY&R
Amber Chenevert is Managing Director, Strategy & Insights as well as Global Culture Studio Lead at VMLY&R. She's a PhD and has taught advertising.
In this episode we discuss a question that's been on her mind recently: "Is niche marketing making it harder to reach ppl?"
You can find Amber here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-chenevert-phd-027a4b1/
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You can find the Sweathead report What Strategists Want From Work here: https://bit.ly/what-strategists-want
**
Next strategy event:
The Sweathead Strategy Summer Camp - Starts July 18, 2023
Details: http://www.sweathead.com.
**
Sign up for our newsletters:
https://sweathead.com/newsletter/strategy-for-life/
**
Sweathead is a support group for strategists and account planners around the world.
We host conferences, online courses, live events, and podcasts. We also train companies.
Find out about our company training here: https://sweathead.com/teams/

May 29, 2023 • 38min
A Gentle Comparison Of Strategy At BBDO And VMLY&R - David Moreno, BBDO (Effie Index Series)
David Moreno recently moved to BBDO, Atlanta, where he's EVP, Strategy Lead. Prior to this, David was Managing Director, Strategy and Insights at VMLY&R. Big titles in big agencies doing big things.
In this episode, David gently compares the two and gives us his first impressions of BBDO and what makes the agency so good at making effective advertising.
You can find David here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-moreno-577b928/
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You can find the Sweathead report What Strategists Want From Work here: https://bit.ly/what-strategists-want
**
Next strategy event:
The Sweathead Strategy Summer Camp - Starts July 18, 2023
Details: http://www.sweathead.com.
**
Sign up for our newsletters:
https://sweathead.com/newsletter/strategy-for-life/
**
Sweathead is a support group for strategists and account planners around the world.
We host conferences, online courses, live events, and podcasts. We also train companies.
Find out about our company training here: https://sweathead.com/teams/

4 snips
May 8, 2023 • 36min
The First Decade+ Of A Career (And Putting Yourself Online) - Aisha Hakim, ACD, 72andSunny
Aisha Hakim is an associate creative director at 72andSunny. She's also prolific online. Aisha will be hosting a masterclass called "The Art Of Deck-Making" for us on May 17. Aisha originally published a deck about deck-making to Twitter and then to LinkedIn. The deck went a little viral and it still pops up every few months.
In this episode, we discuss all of this.
You can find Aisha here: https://aishamadeit.com/
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Next strategy event:
The Art of Deck-Making with Aisha Hakim
Details: http://www.sweathead.com.
**
Sign up for our newsletters:
https://sweathead.com/newsletter/strategy-for-life/
**
Sweathead is a support group for strategists and account planners around the world.
We host conferences, online courses, live events, and podcasts. We also train companies.
Find out about our company training here: https://sweathead.com/teams/

May 4, 2023 • 43min
What Strategists Want From Work, Best Places For Strategists To Work, And Getting Old In Advertising - Monologue, Hell's Kitchen, NYC
It's May 4. Today marks three years since Sweathead launch its first online class. And, to celebrate, we've published a new report "What Strategists Want From Work".
In this report, you'll learn:
1. What strategists want from the companies they work at,
2. What strategy bosses want from their strategists,
3. What makes a strategy career happen,
4. The top strategy bosses that people want to work for, and
5. The companies strategists most want to work at.
Find it here: https://mailchi.mp/sweathead/what-strategists-want-2023
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