Stories capture human attention like nothing else. The best advertising doesn't just explain features, it creates emotional connections that make your message stick. When brands tell compelling stories, they're perceived as more trustworthy than those relying on straightforward product messaging. Elena, Angela, and Rob explore the science behind storytelling in marketing, from neurological engagement to the Hero's Journey framework. They discuss balancing emotional narratives with practical info...
Mar 11, 2025•27 min•Ep. 103
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore how brand salience differs from simple awareness. They reveal why connecting your brand to multiple buying situations matters more than basic brand recognition or even brand love. Topics covered: [01:00] "Conceptualizing and Measuring B...
Mar 06, 2025•9 min•Ep. 48
A recent study comparing AI-driven research to traditional focus groups found synthetic research is faster, more efficient, and better at spotting trends in massive datasets than human-to-human methods. Elena, Angela, and Rob explore how synthetic audiences are revolutionizing market research, from creative pretesting to consumer behavior prediction. Learn how Marketing Architects developed ScriptSooth, an AI-powered creative testing platform proven to predict TV commercial success, and discover...
Mar 04, 2025•24 min•Ep. 102
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore how last-touch attribution leads marketers to overvalue certain ads and make poor bidding decisions. They reveal why having no attribution model could be better than using last-touch attribution alone. Topics covered: [01:00] "Beyond th...
Feb 27, 2025•10 min•Ep. 47
When consumers deliberately avoid buying situations to cut costs, brands risk losing their mental connection with shoppers. The key to staying relevant? Defending existing category entry points while creating new ones. Elena, Angela, and Rob explore what makes category entry points effective and how brands can build them. They discuss different types of CEPs, from needs-based to emotional triggers, and share examples of brands that have mastered them. Plus, learn why broad reach media like TV he...
Feb 25, 2025•22 min•Ep. 101
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore new research that challenges how marketers approach media mix planning. They reveal why optimizing for reach alone leaves significant brand lift on the table. Topics covered: [01:00] "The Effects of Advertising Media Channel Combination...
Feb 20, 2025•10 min•Ep. 46
According to the World Federation of Advertisers, digital ad fraud may become the second largest source of criminal income in the world after drug trafficking. For marketers spending billions on digital ads, this isn't just concerning—it's a crisis. This week, Elena and Rob are joined by "The Ad Contrarian" Bob Hoffman. As a former agency CEO turned industry critic, Bob shares his unfiltered perspective on digital advertising's dangers, from invasive tracking to rampant fraud. Plus, hear his tho...
Feb 18, 2025•37 min•Ep. 100
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore how boring advertising drains marketing budgets and hinders brand growth. They reveal the staggering cost of dull ads and which industries struggle most with creating engaging content. Topics covered: [01:00] "The Extraordinary Cost of ...
Feb 13, 2025•13 min•Ep. 45
Only half of marketers believe they understand marketing effectiveness principles according to WARC. Even worse, many US marketers lag their global peers in applying these proven frameworks for growth. Elena, Angela, and Rob break down the most important marketing effectiveness principles every marketer should know. They examine why these principles work, how to apply them to your brand, and what happens when marketers ignore them. Plus, learn why broad reach and brand building still matter, eve...
Feb 11, 2025•28 min•Ep. 99
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore what drives ROI for Super Bowl advertisers by examining six years of sales data across nearly 200 media markets. They reveal why some brands see significant returns while others struggle to justify the investment. Topics covered: [01:00...
Feb 06, 2025•12 min•Ep. 44
A 30-second Super Bowl spot now costs over $7 million—a 337% increase since 1999. But does this massive investment drive real results? And what separates the memorable ads from the forgettable ones? Elena, Angela, and Rob explore what makes Super Bowl ads effective, from creative principles to strategic considerations. Drawing from both successful and failed campaigns, the team shares what marketers should watch for in the commercials during this year's big game plus why even great creative can'...
Feb 04, 2025•26 min•Ep. 98
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore how traditional advertising, display ads, and paid search impact brand value during mergers and acquisitions. Their discussion reveals surprising insights about which channels create lasting brand equity. Topics covered: [01:00] "Digita...
Jan 30, 2025•12 min•Ep. 43
Since 2010, the efficiency of highly creative campaigns has halved according to research by Peter Field. And the cost of dull advertising? U.S. brands would need to spend an additional $189 billion annually to make underperforming ads as effective as top performers. Elena, Angela, and Rob examine what's driving this creative crisis and how marketers can produce more effective campaigns. From the importance of audience research and strategic planning to creating memorable audio mnemonics and char...
Jan 28, 2025•33 min•Ep. 97
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore how cultural imprinting helps brands grow quickly by shifting societal perceptions rather than individual opinions. They reveal why mass media channels remain crucial for building common knowledge about brands. Topics covered: [01:00] "...
Jan 23, 2025•11 min•Ep. 42
41% of agencies bill by the hour, but only 24% of marketers prefer this model. As AI reshapes marketing, traditional agency structures are cracking. So what comes next? This week, Elena and Rob tackle the evolving agency landscape. They explore why the term "agency" might disappear within three years, how AI is pushing the industry toward platform-based solutions, and what marketers should look for in strategic partners. Whether you're considering bringing services in-house or evaluating new age...
Jan 21, 2025•31 min•Ep. 96
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore how advertising affects consumers' sensitivity to price changes, particularly for premium and niche brands. They discover that even competitors' ads can benefit your brand by increasing category attention. Topics covered: [01:00] "Adver...
Jan 16, 2025•10 min•Ep. 41
Broadcast TV accounts for 94% of all attention-weighted video advertising. While a YouTube ad garners just 4.5 seconds of attention on average and a Facebook ad only one second, a TV commercial commands a full 15 seconds of active viewer attention. Elena, Angela, and Rob reveal four secrets to TV advertising success that most marketers don't know. They explore why TV remains the most effective marketing channel, discuss how audio drives TV commercial performance, and explain why traditional medi...
Jan 14, 2025•27 min•Ep. 95
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore a large-scale eBay experiment that challenges common assumptions about paid search advertising effectiveness. They discover that brand-keyword ads often reach customers who would have found the site anyway, and even non-branded keywords...
Jan 09, 2025•12 min•Ep. 40
Last year, marketers were hopeful that the U.S. would embrace marketing effectiveness. Instead, economic uncertainty drove a focus on short-term gains. What does 2025 have in store? And which 2024 predictions actually came true? In this episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob review their 2024 marketing predictions before sharing the shifts they believe will shape marketing in 2025. From the growing importance of zero-click content to a complete reimagining of targeting strategy, hear how major changes ...
Jan 07, 2025•28 min•Ep. 94
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore how attention metrics correlate with profitability across different media channels, diving into new research that reveals surprising insights about the relationship between consumer attention and campaign success. Topics covered: [01:00...
Jan 02, 2025•13 min•Ep. 39
Marketing effectiveness topped the charts this year. The most popular marketing articles and podcasts of 2024 centered on marketing fundamentals, effectiveness studies, and evidence-based strategies. Elena, Angela, and Rob analyze which brands demonstrated marketing effectiveness principles in 2024 and saw results. From Uber Eats' consistent TV strategy to Elf Beauty's physical availability dominance, learn what separated winning brands from the rest. Plus, discover why one luxury automotive bra...
Dec 31, 2024•42 min•Ep. 93
Bud Light learned the hard way that brand assets matter. Their competitor Modelo grew from $4.8B to $6.1B in revenue while Bud Light fell to $3.6B, proving how quickly the market can shift when brands make controversial moves. And that’s just one example from a year filled with marketing lessons. This week, Elena joins Conor Byrne, host of That's What I Call Marketing, and Marc Binkley and Vassilis Douros from The Sleeping Barber as they break down this year's biggest marketing successes and stu...
Dec 23, 2024•51 min•Ep. 92
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore research showing how consumer behavior has evolved, examining whether value-driven choices truly impact purchasing decisions. Topics covered: [01:00] "Evolution and Trends in Consumer Behavior" [02:35] Eight major themes in consumer res...
Dec 19, 2024•10 min•Ep. 38
AI won't replace humans. But it will dramatically change how we work. And brands that don't commit to AI will eventually find themselves struggling to keep up with savvy competitors, according to tech expert Shelly Palmer. So what’s really at stake here? In this episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Shelly Palmer, CEO of The Palmer Group and professor at Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, to discuss AI's impact on marketing. Shelly offers an unflinching look at why marketers are h...
Dec 17, 2024•36 min•Ep. 91
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore how gender stereotypes in advertising affect viewers of both genders, discovering that these portrayals can create negative cross-gender effects that impact brand perception. Topics covered: [01:00] "Gender Stereotypes in Advertising Ha...
Dec 12, 2024•13 min•Ep. 37
In healthcare marketing, product and marketing are inseparable. But in many industries, marketers have become disconnected from the products they promote. What does this mean for marketing effectiveness? Exact Sciences CMO Jaime LaMontagne joins Elena and Angela to explore how staying connected to product drives better marketing outcomes. Drawing from her extensive healthcare marketing experience, Jaime shares advice on balancing multiple stakeholders, strict regulations, and evolving patient ex...
Dec 10, 2024•38 min•Ep. 90
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore how sunlight influences consumer spending habits, revealing that brighter days lead to bigger sales across all product categories. Topics covered: [01:05] "The Effect of Weather on Consumer Spending" [02:45] How mood impacts purchasing ...
Dec 05, 2024•8 min•Ep. 36
36% of US brands and agencies cite frequency management as a top concern this year. And 81% of consumers unsubscribe when brands send too many messages. So when should you worry about showing your ads too many times? Elena, Angela, and Rob explore what truly causes ad fatigue, why it's different from creative wear-out, and how to prevent both. Plus, hear surprising research on why positive ads wear out faster than negative ones and why video ads tend to cause less fatigue than static ads. Topics...
Dec 03, 2024•22 min•Ep. 89
On average, millennials stay with an employer for just two years and nine months. But after 17 years leading marketing at CARFAX's Banking and Insurance Group, Jon-Erik Valetti has cracked the code on marketing and sales alignment. In this episode, Elena and Angela explore how Jon-Erik transformed B2B marketing within a major consumer brand. From viewing marketing as a revenue center to building a thought leadership strategy that resonates with millennial buyers who make up 75% of B2B buying tea...
Nov 26, 2024•30 min•Ep. 88
Welcome to Nerd Alert, a series of special episodes bridging the gap between marketing academia and practitioners. We’re breaking down highly involved, complex research into plain language and takeaways any marketer can use. In this episode, Elena and Rob explore why customer participation in product assembly or creation can significantly boost perceived value and brand attachment, even when the result isn't perfect. Topics covered: [01:00] "The IKEA Effect: When Labor Leads to Love" [02:00] How...
Nov 21, 2024•8 min•Ep. 35
