For many beverage brands, the biggest competitive advantage is no longer just a better product. It is a better story, a sharper strategy, and a clearer understanding of why consumers choose one brand over another. That is precisely where Mark Pollard, CEO of Sweathead and one of the world’s most respected brand strategy experts, comes in.
Pollard will join The New Pour Summit to help Africa’s beverage professionals rethink how they approach branding, advertising, and commercial growth in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Based in New York, Pollard has spent more than two decades helping global brands transform complex business challenges into simple, powerful creative strategies. Through Sweathead, his strategy training company, he has trained marketers, planners, founders, agencies, and corporate teams around the world to think more clearly, write stronger creative briefs, and build brands that people genuinely remember.
His client portfolio spans some of the world’s most recognizable organisations, including Audi, Hilton, The Economist, Electronic Arts, Meta (Facebook), Twitter, Mozilla, Wall Street Journal, SoFi, McCann, Havas, Euronews, Complex Media, and many others.
Before founding Sweathead, Pollard led strategy teams at some of advertising’s most influential agencies, including Leo Burnett New York, Edelman New York, and Big Spaceship, following earlier roles in Sydney with Leo Burnett, McCann, and Ogilvy. His career began in advertising at just 19 years old, giving him decades of experience helping brands navigate changing consumer behaviour and evolving media landscapes.
He is also the author of the acclaimed book Strategy Is Your Words, a Kickstarter-funded publication that has sold more than 8,000 copies worldwide. The book has become a practical guide for strategists, marketers, and creative professionals seeking better ways to develop insight-driven campaigns and stronger brand positioning.
Pollard is equally recognised as an educator. His strategy workshops have been delivered to organisations including Twitter Next, Wall Street Journal, Pinterest, Vanguard, Uber Eats, and agencies across multiple continents. Beyond corporate training, he has spoken at major global events including Cannes Lions, TEDx, AIGA, Google Firestarters, Miami Ad School, and numerous universities and industry conferences worldwide.
His reputation has earned praise from senior marketing leaders across the industry. Mark Cripps, Chief Marketing Officer of The Economist, described him as “the marketing lion that definitely does not sleep at night,” while executives from Meta, Twitter, and Decoded have credited his workshops with fundamentally changing how their teams think about strategy and creativity.
At The New Pour Summit, Pollard’s session will focus on helping beverage executives, marketers, founders, agencies, and innovation teams develop commercially effective brand strategies that move beyond tactics and into long-term competitive advantage.
As Africa’s beverage industry becomes more sophisticated, success increasingly depends on more than manufacturing capacity, distribution reach, or product innovation. Winning brands will be those that communicate with clarity, create emotional relevance, and consistently position themselves in ways consumers understand and value. Pollard’s expertise sits squarely at that intersection.
For delegates attending The New Pour Summit, his presentation offers an opportunity to learn directly from one of the world’s leading strategic thinkers, gaining practical frameworks that can immediately improve marketing effectiveness, strengthen brand positioning, and inspire more impactful creative work.
For beverage businesses looking to future-proof their brands in Africa’s rapidly evolving market, this session promises ideas that can shape campaigns long after the summit concludes.
Secure your spot at The New Pour Summit today by registering here:
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