In Part 2 of our conversation with Olivia Plotnick, founder of Wai Social, we go beyond Chinese New Year campaigns to explore what's really happening on the ground across China — far from the Shanghai bubble.

Last year, Olivia completed something remarkable: a 60-day solo journey through 32 lower-tier Chinese cities, covering over 1,200 kilometres on foot, documenting retail transformation and consumer behaviour along the way. In this episode, she shares what inspired the trip, the methodology behind it, and the observations that have reshaped her thinking.

We discuss how China's super app ecosystem creates unique customer journeys, why physical retail is shifting from sales channel to experience channel, and what it means that Chinese EV brands and sportswear now dominate mall floors that once belonged to foreign luxury. Olivia also shares her observations on the rising influence of older generations in China — digitally savvy, travel-hungry, and quick to adopt AI.

Our listeners will learn about:

• What inspired Olivia's 60-day, 32-city journey — and why she wouldn't do it the same way again
• How China's super apps create customer journeys unlike anything in the West
• Why stores are becoming next-level "experience channels"
• The rise of premium Chinese brands and what that means for foreign competitors
• Coffee shops as indicators of economic health, domestic travel, and reverse migration
• How older Chinese consumers are embracing digital platforms and AI tools
• Why fostering a culture of curiosity - and resisting the urge to generalise - is an essential practice for brands in China

Follow Olivia and Wai Social:

• Substack: https://substack.com/@oliviaplotnick
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-plotnick/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oliviaplotnick

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In this episode, Potluck hosts Scott and Drago sit down face-to-face with Singapore's most recognisable voice - that of Angel Teo.

Angelique Nicolette Teo, aka Angel, is host of the BIG SHOW on Kiss92 - one of Singapore’s most popular and iconic morning radio shows, Angel’s been in the public eye—and ear—for the past 20+ years as an EMCEE, moderator, host, model and online creator. Her incredible career has been straddling, to great success, entertainment and bussiness.

Angel stirs the pot to talk about personal branding, longevity, storytelling and commercial credibility.

The listeners will learn about a number of fascinating tension that Angel is negotiating in her career and personal interests:

- Resilience and longevity: how does one stay relevant in an increasingly fragmented media market - especially as a female entertainer and business person?

- Travel stories & sustainability stories: how does one tell engaging stories about the two while recognising the inherent tension?

- Authenticity & commercial credibility: how does a public figure build and maintain an authentic persona that is true to who they are, but also a viable commercial asset?

...and more...

You can follow Angel here:

https://www.youtube.com/@angeliqueteo

https://www.tiktok.com/@angeliqueteoofficial

https://www.facebook.com/angeliquenicoletteteo/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeliquenteo/

Subscribe and follow Potluck here:

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/potluck/id1491720768

https://open.spotify.com/show/15I5xbuwJn0bq8MsPD616n?si=4a5b40d9ca164c63

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In this episode of Potluck, hosts Scott and Drago discuss Chinese New Year 2026 with Olivia Plotnick, founder of Wai Social, a Shanghai-based agency helping global brands navigate China's unique social media ecosystem. Olivia's insights regularly feature in the Financial Times and Jing Daily, and she's become a go-to voice on what it actually takes to connect with Chinese consumers.

Olivia unpacks the defining shift of this year's CNY campaigns: a move from collective celebration toward self-nurturing. She explains how brands like ON Running and Nike are validating holiday fatigue and positioning restraint as a premium value, while local brands like Semir are harnessing co-creation to let consumers shape the narrative.

We also explore why younger consumers are skipping the trip home, how gifting is becoming more about "me" than "we," and what foreign brands can learn from domestic players who compete on speed, quality, and cultural fluency.

Our listeners will learn about:

• The shift from family obligation to self-nurturing — and what's driving it
• Why ON Running's quiet, cinematic approach stood out in a noisy CNY landscape
• How Nike reframed sport as a psychological tool, not a performance metric
• Apple's CNY film and the power of learning to say no
• Semir's UGC-driven "What Kind of Horse" campaign and co-creation as creative engine
• ToSummer's nostalgic, handcraft-led approach to slowing down
• The new gifting mindset: buying for yourself, not others
• Top advice for foreign brands navigating China's CNY moment — and when not to force localisation

Campaign links:

• Apple CNY 2026: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fnfFdy9LlAHg3V-lkZ-JAA
• ON Running CNY 2026: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Fsukf-CKiikqlCI873aO-w
• Semir "What Kind of Horse is Semir?": https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/4jKN49jLfjnVbel_E4Y8cg
• ToSummer "Bamboo Horse, Youthful Journey": https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/E920qeTMl0SvzzzmB3avYw

Follow Olivia and Wai Social:

• Substack: https://substack.com/@oliviaplotnick

Subscribe and follow Potluck here:

www.potluckpodcast.asia/

www.potluckpodcast.asia/