There are so many wonderful marketing and advertising stories that need to be heard, but there's so little time. In this podcast, we speak about these stories in short and crisp episodes. Let's do shots! (Presented by Siddhant More from Mad Over Marketing)
Reese Witherspoon Is A Genius
When you think of Reese, you probably think of Legally Blonde, or the more recent Big Little Lies and The Morning Show.But what makes her stand out from everyone else in the industry is her book club.Yes, her book club.She has turned her simple book club into millions and millions of dollars.How did she do that?Let’s do shots!
1/15/2024 • 2 minutes, 58 seconds
We Went To The Moon, But Why?
India has finally landed on the moon, but what next?What does landing on the moon mean for India?What does it mean for our people, our economy, our country?Let’s break it all down in less than 5 minutes
9/3/2023 • 4 minutes, 5 seconds
Tesla's Billion Dollar Side Hustle
Tesla began creating an expansive network of charging stations in the US to ensure their customers were never stranded without charge in the middle of nowhere. Little did they know, it would turn into potentially a 100 billion dollar business.
8/21/2023 • 3 minutes, 48 seconds
Is Metaverse Still A Thing?
Remember when everyone was obsessed with the Metaverse?But now, all of a sudden, no one is talking about it.Why did the idea not take off?Why are companies backing out?Where did it all start to go downhill?We explore it all in under five minutes.
4/18/2023 • 4 minutes, 51 seconds
The Rise and Fall of WeWork
WeWork went from being the highest valued startup of all time to losing almost its entire valuation in a matter of months.At the centre of it all was the most eccentric Founder the startup world has ever seen - Adam Neumann.From global domination to the brink of bankruptcy in a space of 6 months, where did it all go wrong for WeWork?
2/8/2023 • 6 minutes, 53 seconds
How Whisper Broke The Silence
In this episode we break down how Whisper has broken the silence around menstruation, one impactful campaign at a time.
5/7/2022 • 4 minutes, 30 seconds
How Tata Tea Awakened An Entire Nation
In this episode we explore how the iconic Tata Tea, and its agency partner, Lowe Lintas, brought to life the iconic brand POV of "Har subah, sirf utho mat, Jaago Re"
4/13/2022 • 5 minutes, 21 seconds
How Rado Became The Go To Gift At Indian Weddings
In this episode we explore the intriguing relationship between Rado and India, and how it became a mainstay at Indian weddings, with wedding trousseaus not being complete without an iconic Rado in it.
1/28/2022 • 5 minutes, 21 seconds
The Business of Being Roger Federer
In 2018, the long standing deal between Roger Federer and Nike ended. The ace athlete turned this loss into one of the most envious business deals with two other brands. A $300mn deal with Uniqlo and a stake in On worth another $300mn.
12/11/2021 • 3 minutes, 56 seconds
Why China Wants People To Have More Babies
Strict rules such as the infamous one-child policy might have once helped China contain the population explosion, but the working age population in China is shrinking dramatically. In response, the government has announced that couples can have up to three children, but a lot has changed in the last three decades.
12/9/2021 • 5 minutes, 20 seconds
How Michael Jackson Came To Own Almost Every Song By The Beatles
In this episode we explore the story of how Michael Jackson ended up owning the iconic music catalogue of The Beatles, and how Paul McCartney eventually won it back.
12/6/2021 • 6 minutes, 5 seconds
How DeBeers Convinced The Entire World That An Engagement Ring Must Be A Diamond Ring
Ever wondered why people almost exclusively pop the question with diamond rings? In this episode, we explore why diamond rings are by far the most popular engagement rings and the brilliant marketing campaign that made them so.
9/27/2021 • 5 minutes, 15 seconds
How Procter & Gamble Brought Diaper Culture To China
People didn’t need diapers when P&G first introduced Pampers in China. No matter how affordable or convenient, they simply didn’t care for it. So how did Pampers crack a market that was virtually non-existent? Listen to find out.
9/2/2021 • 4 minutes, 30 seconds
The Reason Why McDonald’s Flopped In These Countries
Believe it or not, some people in the world actually dislike McDonald’s so much that they’ve been ousted from the country. Countries like Kenya, Iceland, Bolivia and Nepal don’t have a single McDonald’s outlet. But why has a brand so loved everywhere else in the world failed to succeed in these countries? Listen to find out!
8/27/2021 • 6 minutes, 53 seconds
What Happened To Blackberry
In the mid 2000s, BlackBerry was undoubtedly the most popular phone in the world. Seemingly everybody had one, and those who didn't, wanted one. The brand held more than 20% of the global market share. What went wrong? How did an iconic brand become obsolete? Listen to find out.
8/19/2021 • 5 minutes, 52 seconds
The Road Ahead For Tesla In India
In this episode, we unpack the buzz around Tesla finally entering the Indian market, the steps that the carmaker might take to cement its success in India, and how India could take a leaf out of China’s EV playbook to potentially revolutionise EV adoption in the world’s largest democracy.
8/13/2021 • 7 minutes, 55 seconds
How China Churns Out Its Olympic Champions
In this episode, we explore how China has solidified its position as a sports superpower. We take a look at the different strategies the country has employed to harvest the maximum number of gold medals at the games, and take a peek into the country’s infamous sports boarding schools that create world champions out of their students.
8/5/2021 • 6 minutes, 33 seconds
What Is China Doing In Africa
Over the past few years, China has poured in billions of dollars building infrastructure throughout the African continent. While this investment is great for economic development in Africa, what does China have to gain from it? In this episode, we unpack this complicated dynamic and try to understand what exactly is going on in the continent.
7/29/2021 • 7 minutes, 12 seconds
The Subtle Art Of Scent Marketing
In this episode, we explore how brands target your nose in different ways, and no, it’s not just the food industry who’s doing it.
7/23/2021 • 6 minutes, 4 seconds
How The Chupa Chups Brand Remains Forever Young
It’s been over 60 years since the world’s most popular lollipop brand was founded. In this episode, we explore the origins of the Chupa Chups brand, its intriguing connection with the famous Surrealist artist Salvador Dali, and how it went from being a family owned business in Spain to conquering the world (and space before Bezos and Branson could!)
7/16/2021 • 8 minutes, 20 seconds
The Billionaire Space Race
What do Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson have in common? Apart from being multi-billionaires, all three have ambitions of commercialising space with tourism and building colonies with their respective space companies. How close are they to their goals? Are people actually buying into the hype? Listen to find out.
7/9/2021 • 6 minutes, 5 seconds
The Incredible Evolution Of Dating Apps
There’s a lot of conversation about how dating apps have influenced modern romance and even society at large, but in this episode, we explore how dating apps themselves have transformed over the years. From becoming safer and more inclusive, to adapting to unforeseen circumstances such as the pandemic, dating apps are constantly evolving and doing a great job at it too.
7/1/2021 • 7 minutes, 39 seconds
How Humans Made Computers Smarter By Solving CAPTCHAs
Prove you are human to listen to this podcast. Just kidding. In this episode, we take a look at how the ubiquitous CAPTCHA tests have served more than just the purpose of differentiating between humans and bots, and how it has evolved over the two decades of its existence.
6/25/2021 • 6 minutes, 29 seconds
Inside Indonesia's Biggest Tech Merger
Indonesia’s tech scene is heating up. You might’ve heard of Gojek and Tokopedia in passing, but have no idea what they are. In this episode, we decode the two tech startups born out of Indonesia and talk about the merger that made global headlines and went down as the biggest deal ever in Indonesian history.
6/18/2021 • 6 minutes, 7 seconds
How Starbucks Functions As A Bank
A coffee shop disguised as a bank? Doesn’t really make sense at first glance. Surprisingly, Starbucks does function a lot like a bank. In this episode, we’re unpacking one of the most successful marketing strategies ever - The My Starbucks Rewards program and how it’s allowing the global coffee giant to borrow large sums of money from its loyal customers, at a 0% interest rate.
6/10/2021 • 5 minutes, 12 seconds
How Brands Have Commercialized Pride Month
Each year, more and more brands are jumping on the Pride bandwagon to promote themselves as allies to the LGBTQ community. But how many of these efforts are genuine, and not just brands cashing in on what’s trending? In this episode, we explore how Pride has evolved over the decades, how companies are capitalizing on a culture that’s reaching mainstream acceptance, and what they can do to be more than performative allies.
6/4/2021 • 8 minutes, 10 seconds
How Shein Won Over The Gen-Z Shopper
In May 2021, Shein overtook Amazon as the most downloaded shopping app in the US. If you haven’t heard of the company, it's probably because you aren’t its target audience. The brand has been making waves in the Gen Z fashion scene selling the hottest trends at unbelievably low prices for a while now. In this episode, we delve into the origins of Shein, how it cracked the Gen Z online fashion market, and the culture of ultra fast fashion.
5/28/2021 • 8 minutes, 4 seconds
The One Where We Talk About Friends
The final episode of Friends may have aired in 2004, but the show remains popular as ever even in the digital world. In this episode, we unpack just how much of an influence the show has had on our lives, and how it changed the sitcom landscape inspiring many of our favourite shows which followed its path to success.
5/21/2021 • 7 minutes, 18 seconds
Inside Tesla’s Love Affair With China
Tesla has tasted sweet success in China. In this episode, we explore the unique symbiotic relationship between Tesla and China, and how the EV manufacturer entered the Chinese market and became the market leader.
5/13/2021 • 6 minutes, 32 seconds
The Trillion Dollar Privacy War Between Facebook And Apple
While it may be a hot topic right now, Apple and Facebook have been at loggerheads regarding privacy for over a decade now. The two tech giants might not be direct competitors, but their moves have a huge impact on each other’s businesses. With Apple’s rollout of iOS 14.5, things for Facebook are about to change drastically. This episode explains how.
5/6/2021 • 5 minutes, 10 seconds
How George Clooney Accidentally Made A Billion Dollars
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor! In short, that’s the answer. Tune into the episode as we explore how George Clooney made a fortune out of his tequila brand ‘Casamigos’ without intending to make a single penny out of it.
4/29/2021 • 4 minutes, 57 seconds
How Volvo Saved Over A Million Lives
It’s been over sixty years since Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seatbelt. The innovation has saved over a million lives, and continues to do so every day. In this episode, we explore how this invention came about and what has Volvo gained from the breakthrough since 1959.
4/26/2021 • 5 minutes, 4 seconds
How China Is Changing The Way We Shop
With more connected consumers than anywhere else in the world, China has made social media the backbone of commerce. In this episode, we’re unpacking how China is shaping the future of shopping, not just for itself but for the rest of the world - with a focus on the viral social shopping platform Pinduoduo.
4/19/2021 • 6 minutes, 32 seconds
RedBull Is Actually A Marketing Company
If you thought RedBull was an energy drink, think again. It is actually a marketing company, and a really good one at that. Instead of using traditional advertising methods, the brand associates itself with people and events that allow them to communicate what the brand represents - 'an energetic feeling', 'the feeling of being awake', 'the feeling of being alive'.
4/13/2021 • 5 minutes, 4 seconds
How Pepsi's Marketing Campaign Caused Riots in Philippines
Pepsi's marketing fiasco in Philippines, also known as the infamous '349 incident', is a cautionary tale for marketers today. How did a simple promotion lead to riots with grenades and the death of five innocents?
4/5/2021 • 5 minutes, 18 seconds
Why Celebrities Are Obsessed With Launching Beauty Brands
Kylie Jenner, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Katrina Kaif - the list goes on and on. Celebrities can’t seem to stop launching their own cosmetic brands. But what’s driving this trend? We find out in this episode of Let’s Do Shots.
3/25/2021 • 6 minutes, 8 seconds
How Rihanna Is Disrupting The Traditional Lingerie Market
Rihanna might have not dropped an album since 2016, but the pop-star’s lingerie label’s sales are skyrocketing, challenging the legacy of the Victoria’s Secret. This episode explores how Savage X Fenty has solidified itself to become a front runner in the global lingerie market.
3/19/2021 • 4 minutes, 14 seconds
How Bumble’s Founder Became the Youngest Self-Made Female Billionaire
How did Whitney Wolfe Herd, co-founder and CEO of Bumble become the youngest woman to lead a company to an IPO and join the rare female billionaires club? Let’s find out.
3/15/2021 • 4 minutes, 55 seconds
Vaccine Tourism
As soon as the first vaccines were announced in countries like the UK and US, travel agents from around the globe began pitching vaccine tourism to the wealthy. But is it ethical?
2/5/2021 • 3 minutes, 50 seconds
The Rise and Rise of Viagra
Viagra was an accidental discovery, but once it showed up and never looked back. In this episode we talk about how Pfizer chanced upon the little blue pill and where the drug is today.
12/18/2020 • 4 minutes, 40 seconds
Pepsi Once Owned The Sixth Largest Military In The World
Pepsi's foray into the Soviet Union and the country's bizarre obsession with the cola beverage is a story for the ages. In fact, as a result of this obsession, for a brief moment in the 1980s, Pepsi was the 6th largest military operator in the world.
12/2/2020 • 3 minutes, 56 seconds
Lamborghini Made Sports Cars Just to Get Back At Ferrari
The first Lamborghini ever was a tractor. The only reason they started making luxury sports car was because of a meeting with Enzo Ferrari which didn't end well.
11/26/2020 • 3 minutes, 54 seconds
The Bizarre Similarity Between Starbucks and McDonald's
In this episode we speak about the bizarre series of events that Ray Kroc (McDonald's) and Howard Schultz (Starbucks) went through early on in their career and how similar it was to each other, even though they were happening in different decades altogether.
10/12/2020 • 4 minutes, 3 seconds
How Social Media Steals Our Attention
I watched 'The Social Dilemma' on Netflix, and couldn't resist speaking to you about how the entire 'attention grasping' construct works on social media, and how important features like 'push notifications' have changed over the years.
9/17/2020 • 6 minutes, 10 seconds
The Reason Behind Victoria's Secret's Fall From The Top
From a brand loved by everyone, to a brand caught in the middle of controversy, a lot has changed for Victoria's Secret in the last few years. In this episode we explore what led to their dramatic fall, and why they failed to reinvent themselves.
9/7/2020 • 5 minutes, 53 seconds
Why Coca Cola Was Driven Out Of India, And How It Came Back
The recent ban of PUBG from India and the immediate introduction of an Indian clone called FAU-G, is very similar to what happened in 1977 with Coca Cola. Coca Cola was driven out of the country, and a slew of home made cola brands were launched, Thums Up being one of them.
9/5/2020 • 4 minutes, 24 seconds
Why Bill Gates Saved Apple From Going Bankrupt In 1997
In 1997, Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy, when Steve Jobs made a deal with Bill Gates. Microsoft prevented Apple from going out of business, but why did Bill Gates spend money to save his fiercest rivals?
9/3/2020 • 6 minutes, 10 seconds
How KFC Became A Christmas Tradition In Japan
In Japan, KFC sells 10 times more chicken in December than they do in any other month. No Christmas celebration in Japan is complete without a KFC meal. In this episode we explore how this was made possible through a well planned marketing campaign almost 50 years ago.
8/31/2020 • 5 minutes, 9 seconds
KFC's Love Story With China
China loves KFC! There are more KFC locations in China than there are in the USA. But how did KFC become the most successful restaurant chain in China?
8/26/2020 • 5 minutes, 46 seconds
The Story Behind Apple's Insane Valuation
In this episode we explore what drove Apple to achieving the ginormous two trillion dollar market cap, and the answer is not iPhones.
8/21/2020 • 6 minutes, 17 seconds
Red Bull Does Not Give You Wings
What happens when people take advertising slogans literally, and hold brands to it?
8/18/2020 • 3 minutes, 26 seconds
Why Is Norway Crazy About Electric Cars
In this episode we explore the paradox that Norway has found itself in. A country where more than 50% of the cars are electric, and at the same time a country which is one of the biggest oil exporters in the world. So how did Norway achieve this penetration of electric cars in the first place?
8/10/2020 • 3 minutes, 8 seconds
Why Do Ads Follow You On The Internet
You just searched for a pair of shoes on a website, and now you are being shown ads for shoes everywhere you go on the internet. Here's how it happens.
8/5/2020 • 4 minutes, 18 seconds
Spotify Changed The Way We Listen To Music
The story of how we moved from listening to free pirated music illegally, to paying a monthly subscription to Spotify and other streaming platforms.
7/31/2020 • 4 minutes, 45 seconds
The Rise of Audio Content
What makes audio content so compelling in 2020, and is it here to stay?
7/8/2020 • 4 minutes, 35 seconds
Fairness Creams
Our obsession with fair skin dates back decades. With the backdrop of #BlackLivesMatter, companies selling fairness creams have announced some changes. Is it enough? Is it fair?
7/1/2020 • 4 minutes, 8 seconds
Creative Ideas
If an idea sounds outrageous, don't dismiss it. The outrageousness of the idea is exactly what makes it creative.
6/23/2020 • 3 minutes, 32 seconds
The Story Behind Michelin Stars
Have you ever thought about how Michelin, a tyre manufacturing company ended up giving stars and certifications to restaurants?
6/19/2020 • 3 minutes, 8 seconds
Coca Cola and Pepsi
In this episode we talk about how a few Coca Cola employees tried selling secrets to Pepsi in 2006, and how it played out.