On Strategy Showcase

Planners talking about brands they've never worked on. This month we talk Travel (Icelandic Tourism & City of Oslo) and Telco (Telstra & the U.S. big three.) Our guest planners are Caleb Smith of W+K, NYC and Rachael Stets of MullenLowe, London. Thanks to System1 and Tracksuit for making this series possible.

Emily Kortlang, CMO of Yerba Madre and former marketing leader at Red Bull, Beats, and Apple, shares insights into the brand's recent refresh. She discusses transitioning from Guayaki to Yerba Madre and its ambitions for mainstream success. The conversation highlights navigating the energy drink market, balancing sustainability with wider appeal, and the emotional connections forged through branding. Kortlang emphasizes maintaining product quality while engaging communities, particularly on college campuses, to bolster brand recognition.

Emily Portnoy, CSO at BBDO, NY, takes us inside this year's Effie judge's room to hear why Favor Delivery won Gold. We then hear from Favor's Chris Rogge and Preacher's Seher Sikandar for the story behind the winning campaign: "How Texas Orders In." You can see all the creative work on our website.

A must listen episode. Telstra's CMO, Brent Smart shares the transformation of this once staid, government-owned Australian telco into a unique and creatively brilliant brand... with the business results that prove it. 

After a rebrand and close to $1 billion in 2024 revenue, Turo is about to move into the early majority market. We talk with Global Head of Brand Strategy, Matt Kerbel. Thanks to Tracksuit (the affordable brand tracking solution) for making this episode possible. More at gotracksuit.com.

Planners talk about brands they've never worked on. Joining our panel of misfits this month are Julian Morgan, Head of Strategy at Rethink and Rachel Pool, Head of Strategy at Ogilvy, NYC. We talk Uber Eats and Corona. Thanks to Tracksuit and System1 for supporting this series.

Georgie Jeffreys of Uber and Kelsey Hodgkin of Special Group, LA join me to share the story behind the amazing "Football is for Food" campaign, featuring Matthew McConaughey and so many others. A brilliant episode.

How an organic social moment changed how a wine brand went to market. Josh's CMO, Dan Kleinman is joined by Tombras' EVP, Head of Strategy, Kelsey Karson and VP, Group Creative Director, Morgan McLees to talk us through their 2025 Gold Effie-winning Josh O'Clock initiative. Thanks to The Effies and Tracksuit for making this episode possible.

As the Official Podcast Partner of the Effies, we recorded nine short interviews with agencies and clients on awards night, before they even knew which Effie they'd won. We talk with Verizon/Ogilvy, McDonald's/W+K, Molson Coors/DDB, Chili's/Mischief, Favor/Preacher, Dramamine/FCB, Leo Burnett/Blood Appetit, VW/Johannes Leonardo. Congrats to all for their wins.

When a show features planners talking about brands they've never worked on, you know it's gonna be fun, or at the very least weird. This month's On the Spot features two brands that appear to be headed in opposite directions: Tesla & Poppi. Guest panelists Ali Chastain, GSD at The Martin Agency and Matt Maynard, Head of Brand at Asana, join our regular panel of misfits. Thanks to System1 and Tracksuit for making this series possible.