Objects: things we covet, collect, display, share and utilise. But what do they mean as ‘stuff’ increasingly integrates with our digital lives, or even morphs into virtual worlds? Who better to ask than Justin Peyton from Wunderman Thompson, whose BRAND N3XT platform explores the people and ideas that are working to make Web3 and Metaverse a positive force for people, business and society. In Potluck’s latest episode, hear Justin’s thoughts on… ·       How he defines the Metaverse amidst all...

This time, it's Chris Arning who's come to stir the pot with Drago and Scott. Chris runs boutique consultancy Creative Semiotics, teaches an online course titled How to Do Semiotics in Seven Weeks and is the co-founder of Semiofest, and more... What did we get up to stirring up: - We start off with that perennial question of what is Semiotics. - Chris shares some examples from applying Semiotics to work in Asia; Chris is an unashamed Japanophile, so of course he mixes in Japan examples,...

Potluck returns for our 3rd season, and the first episode of 2022. Pei Ying Loh is Head & Co-Founder of Kontinentalist, an organisation dedicated to telling data-driven stories about Asia.  As a collective of writers, designers, developers and data-visualisers, they tackle topics connected to Culture, Politics, People and History through various creative approaches. Our discussion charts: - The parallels between Pei Ying’s background in History and storytelling, and Kontinentalist’s...

Before Scott and Drago hang their aprons and ladles for the year, they sit down to stir the pot one last time in 2021. The two hosts discuss their favourite parts of the conversations they've had throughout the year with Katie Dreke, Ambrish Chaudhry, Charlotte Wilkinson, Ajay Jilka, Jocelyn Tse, Simon Chadwick, Vasuki Shastry and Peter Smyth. Among other things, they're discussing... - If Asia's not overhyped, then what is it? ...and some words of caution about the future of Asia in a...

Hear the full feast of our conversation with Peter Smyth, a man of many talents, analogies and stories! We follow his cycle from Toronto to Hong Kong, onwards to Tokyo – and now back. Where his career has spanned both big agency life (BBDO) and the world of luxury marketing with Louis Vuitton and latterly Van Cleef & Arpels. We lift the lid on Asia and particularly Japan via his deft tips for navigating Japanese culture (it’s all about finding your role in the play), the Darwinian...

In the third and final part of our conversation with Peter Smyth, we have the usual conversation for this segment around three main areas: Flavour of the Month, where we travel back in time to Honda motorbike's entry into the US in 1962. In Brand B******t, Pete takes on the linearity of decision making in business and marketing strategy. Fortunate Failures draws the curtain on Pete's experience as a young account exec carrying boards for the BBDO creatives in Toronto and how that...

In Part 2 - ‘Hacking Humans’, we fold in the next layer of our conversation with Peter Smyth. This time, Drago and I enjoy hearing his modus operandi for understanding people and culture… ·       ‘Thinking in bets’, and how life is far more poker than chess ·       How great insight boils down to great people illuminating the opportunity ahead… ·       Balancing gut instinct vs. ‘what the data is saying’, both-ism and the art of integrated thinking (why the separation between art and...

Drago and Scott are stirring the pot - with Peter Smyth, Head of Marketing & Comms at Van Cleef & Arpels Japan. A strategy legend in Japan, Peter is with BBDO for 16 years - in Toronto, HK and Tokyo.  He then moves to client side to become VP of Comms and Marketing at Louis Vuitton Japan before joining Van Cleef. Peter has been in Japan for 16 years until his recent move to Toronto with his family. In part 1 Lifting the Lid on Asia you can hear:  - How far Pete can take a dish...

Settle down to hear the full feast of our conversation with Vasuki Shastry, author of 'Has Asia Lost It? Dynamic Past, Turbulent Future'.   Vasuki is an inspiring writer, thinker and leader; formerly of the IMF and Standard Chartered Bank, building on his earlier experience in journalism and academia. Today  he’s an Associate Asia Pacific Fellow at the thinktank Chatham House, and Senior Fellow for the US Chamber of Commerce. We discuss his book through our usual three segments... Lifting...

From Dante's inferno, to Brand Burns...rounding off our conversation with Vasuki is our quickfire segment...  Flavour(s) of the month: on a lighter note, we touch on the eclectic range of literature that’s on his summer reading list, and how fiction can play an important part in grasping cultural realities. Brand b******t: how the decoupling of the US and China markets is far from inevitable, and why the related talk of conflict is thrown around with too much abandon. Fortunate failure: how...

A 20-minute ride through Mumbai with an auto rickshaw driver, two contrasting realities, and a sudden epiphany for our author. In part 2, Vasuki discusses how human stories helped him anchor the heavy hitting challenges facing developing Asia today. We zoom in on two of the eight ‘circles of hell’ discussed in the book: 1) The Middle Class Trap: how the path towards an aspirational and vibrant middle class in developing Asia is filled with obstacles, including: -  Massification of education:...

Drago & Scott are stirring the pot - with Vasuki Shastry, author of Has Asia Lost It? Dynamic Past, Turbulent Future.   He starts his career in journalism with Business India and India Today in Mumbai, then works with the Business Times in Jakarta and Singapore. After that Vasuki is in the press centre of the IMF, acting as their Asia Pacific spokesperson during the Asia financial crisis.  Vasuki then becomes Head of Public Affairs for the IMF and Standard Chartered Bank in London. Today,...

As we enter a poignant summer of sport,  we have a timely conversation with Professor Simon Chadwick, Global Professor of Eurasian Sport at Emlyon Business School (based in Paris & Shanghai). As a writer, academic, consultant and speaker in the global sport industry, Simon  has particular expertise working at the intersection of sport, business, politics and technology, especially in a Eurasian context. We stir the pot with Simon on a range of topics, including: - What fascinates him...

Top-down to Bottom-up; this full feast episode cover all 3 parts of our conversation with strategist Jocelyn Tse. Through the lens of a career that has spanned the big creative agency world in China and Hong Kong, and most recently as the founder of the independent collective MMSN, we get Joceyln's take on: -  How both an outside-in and human-centred approach has brought her success - Creativity in a Chinese context, and how it differs from Western markets - The rise of the collective agency...

Drago & Scott are stirring the pot - with Jocelyn Tse, Founder & Lead Strategist, MMSN.  Multi-award-winning strategist, Jocelyn brings a rich insider's perspective on strategy and the industry as a whole from her work with all major comms holding companies across Hong Kong & Shanghai: TBWA, Ogilvy, JWT & digital experience agency Isobar, to name a few... Tune in for part 3 of our convo for a quick-fire round: Flavour of the Month:  on Jocelyn's fave recent brands out of...

In part two of our discussion with strategist Jocelyn Tse, we turn to hacking humans. This is where we roll up our sleeves and talk about her shortcuts and tips  for understanding real people and culture. We hear from Jocelyn on: - The importance of being 'human' in her role, and the risk in seeing the world through data alone - When the moderator leaves the room, all is revealed... - Top-down to bottom-up: the evolution of her approach to strategy, and how this is a response to China's...

Drago & Scott are stirring the pot - with Jocelyn Tse, Founder & Lead Strategist, MMSN.  Multi-award-winning strategist, Jocelyn brings a rich insider's perspective on strategy and the industry as a whole from her work with all major comms holding companies across Hong Kong & Shanghai: TBWA, Ogilvy, JWT & digital experience agency Isobar, to name a few... Tune in for this delicious feast that is part 1 of our convo: - The various personal & professional experiences...

Wrapping thing up with Ajay Jilka, it's time for our quickfire round of 3 burning questions... Flavour of the Month:  how Heineken emerged with credit in response to the European Super League fall-out Brand B******t: cutting through the hype around NFTs, the natural crossover with gaming and the opportunity for collectibles Fortunate Failure: how a Hedge Fund internship taught him lessons around the broader world of commerce, and not taking shortcuts - you need to do your homework! Plus...

Ajay Jilka works at the exhilarating intersection of Esports and brand partnerships, a space ripe with opportunities across Asia and indeed the globe. In this full feast episode,  we take you inside the world of sports marketing in China, learnings from Ajay's journey working in traditional sports through to the new frontier of gaming and ESports, and what the playbook looks like for brands looking to be at the heart of it all. We bring this to life through a deep-dive on Ajay's own...

VIDEO GAMES, COVID-19 AND CHINESE YOUTH – in part 2 we learn about some of Ajay’s hacks for understanding the real people behind the rise of Esports. All through the lens of his recent report involving research among 16-21 year old Chinese gamers.  As a ‘perfect storm’ forms around the opportunity for brands, we unpack some of the big themes from 3 angles: 1) Cultural significance of Esports, and the driver of national pride 2) Commercial opportunities – including his involvement in Nike’s...

Going head-to-head with a Mobile Legend!  Drago and I stir the pot with Ajay Jilka. In part 1 of 3, we lift the lid on Ajay’s experience of sports marketing in China and the region at large. From the afterglow of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, to the explosion of Esports, we chart how Ajay has broken new ground throughout his career, including: -       Escaping from the jaws of a hedge fund, and on to a whole new ballpark -       As China has risen, how has sports marketing evolved? -     ...

Enjoy the full feast of our 3-part discussion with Charlotte Wilkinson of HelloSister & SidebySide.Part 1: Lifting the lid on Asia: lessons in curiosity, empathy and desire to challenge the status quo. We also learn about how female empowerment...

Finally, in part 3, three burning questions to complete our celebration of IWD and the feast with Charlotte Wilkinson of Hello Sister.Flavour of the month:  Charlie speaks about brands that are doing it right, but more brands need to do bolder work to...

In part 2 of our discussion, we delve into Charlotte's 'hacks' for deeper human understanding and insight generation, particularly when it comes to women, including:How challenging, more empathetic approaches are necessary to get to the heart of women's...