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 challenging the common belief that focusing on heavy buyers is key to driving sales. They discuss how light buyers and non-buyers often hold the most untapped potential for brand growth. Topics covered: [00:45] "Where is the Br...
Sep 19, 2024•7 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Is marketing truly intuitive, or should it be treated more like a science? Are American marketers falling behind their global counterparts? And why do so many marketers misinterpret the data they collect? This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Byron Sharp, professor of marketing science and director of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. They explore evidence-based marketing, challenge common misconceptions, and discuss why many marketing practices aren't as effective as we think. Plus, learn...
Sep 17, 2024•31 min•Ep 78•Transcript available on Metacast 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 sophisticated advertising algorithms can skew A/B test results, potentially leading marketers to draw misleading conclusions about ad performance. Topics covered: [00:45] "Where A-B Testing Goes Wrong” [02:00] Divergent delivery in ...
Sep 12, 2024•9 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast Only 61% of marketing metrics tracked are meaningful to business, brand, and performance. The rest? Vanity metrics. What happens when marketers focus on the wrong numbers? This week, Elena’s joined by VP Analytics Matt Hultgren to discuss the perils of marketing misattribution. They explore how overvaluing certain metrics can lead to wasted budgets and misguided strategies. Matt shares insights on identifying misattribution, its consequences, and practical steps to improve measurement accuracy. ...
Sep 10, 2024•26 min•Ep 77•Transcript available on Metacast 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 the content of TV shows influences viewer perceptions of advertisements. They discuss new research on the "halo effect," and its implications for ad effectiveness across different TV genres. Topics covered: [01:00] "The Influence of...
Sep 05, 2024•9 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast 95% of iOS users opt out of ad tracking. A judge ruled Google acted illegally to maintain its search monopoly. And the company backtracked on plans to eliminate third-party cookies... A lot is happening in the world of search. This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob explore the changing landscape of search marketing. They discuss Google's evolving role, the effectiveness of targeting strategies, and how AI chatbots are reshaping search behavior. Learn how to prepare your brand for a future where consu...
Sep 03, 2024•29 min•Ep 76•Transcript available on Metacast 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 recent data on CMO tenure, revealing that the role may be more stable than commonly perceived. They discuss surprising statistics about tenure length, differences between B2B and B2C brands, and career progression for CMOs. Topics cover...
Aug 29, 2024•8 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast Brand extensions gain an average of 8.3% more market share and have 8.7% lower advertising costs compared to new brands entering a category. But they also come with risks. This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob explore the world of brand extensions. They discuss research on what makes extensions succeed or fail, share examples of extensions gone right (and very wrong), and debate whether Dyson's new headphones are genius or folly. Plus, learn why Lego might be the greatest brand extension success sto...
Aug 27, 2024•28 min•Ep 75•Transcript available on Metacast 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 reveal how influencer marketing’s success hinges on aligning the right influencer with the right product for the right audience. Topics covered: [01:05] “Understanding Influencer Marketing: The Role of Congruence Between Influencers, Products a...
Aug 22, 2024•12 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast Patagonia. Dove. Ben & Jerry’s. These are just some of the brands that have leaned into purpose-led messaging over the last decade. But could brand purpose be just another marketing trend that misses the mark? In this episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob discuss the rise of brand purpose and its effectiveness as a marketing strategy. They explore the history of corporate social responsibility, debate whether purpose-driven campaigns really drive results, and share examples of brands that get it r...
Aug 20, 2024•25 min•Ep 74•Transcript available on Metacast 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 discuss how dynamic content in video ads captures and holds attention, emphasizing that movement and change are crucial for making ads more engaging and memorable. Topics covered: [00:45] “Influence of Dynamic Content on Visual Attention During...
Aug 15, 2024•11 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Up to 50% of business value comes from brand. Plus, strong brands tend to outperform the stock market, justify higher prices, and drive customer loyalty. So why is brand building often seen as nothing more than an extra cost? In this episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob dig into the real value of brand. They explore how to measure brand's impact, creative best practices for building brand, and which channels are most effective for brand building. Plus, hosts test their knowledge with a quick quiz on ...
Aug 13, 2024•27 min•Ep 73•Transcript available on Metacast 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 discuss how sponsoring sports events can boost brand perception and sales. They explore the importance of engaging participants in experiential marketing. Topics covered: [00:40] “An Empirical Exploration of Sports Sponsorship” [01:40] Sponsori...
Aug 08, 2024•10 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Brands spend billions every year to run TV ads during the most popular programs. But are these expensive timeslots worth it? This week, Elena, Angela, Rob, and special guest VP Media Ron Blevins explore common misconceptions about media quality. Learn why low-cost inventory doesn't always mean low quality, how to evaluate media beyond traditional metrics, and where brands can find opportunities to gain a competitive advantage. Topics covered: [01:00] Defining media quality [05:00] Ron's backgrou...
Aug 06, 2024•25 min•Ep 72•Transcript available on Metacast 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 discuss why first-party data is more reliable and cost-effective than third-party data. They learn that investing in first-party data is essential for accuracy and avoids high costs associated with third party data. Topics covered: [00:50] “Is ...
Aug 01, 2024•10 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast NBC Universal paid nearly $8 billion for Olympic broadcast rights through 2032. But is sports marketing really worth the cost? This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob dive into the world of sports marketing as the Summer Olympics kick off. They explore the surprising scale of sports advertising, the evolution of athlete endorsements, and whether Olympic sponsorships are worth the premium price tag. Plus, hear why many brands could get more for their dollars by looking beyond major sporting events. Top...
Jul 30, 2024•23 min•Ep 71•Transcript available on Metacast 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 discuss how marketers can leverage framing and decoy effects to sway consumer choices and boost confidence in their decisions. Topics covered: [00:40] “Changing Decisions: The Interaction Between Framing and Decoy Effects” [01:30] Background on...
Jul 25, 2024•11 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast Removing TV from a marketing campaign can reduce its impact by 39%. That’s a massive drop—and evidence of the impact including TV in your marketing mix has. This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob discuss the most effective marketing channel combinations. They explore how TV boosts other channels' performance, the creative challenges inherent to multi-channel campaigns, and the complexities of buying and measuring across channels. Plus, hear their takes on which two channels they'd choose for a D2C br...
Jul 23, 2024•28 min•Ep 70•Transcript available on Metacast 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 dive into the new world of Large Language Models (LLMs), revealing how AI models are shaking up market research with impressive accuracy. They also stress the need to blend this cutting-edge tech with traditional methods for better insights and...
Jul 18, 2024•10 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast Artificial intelligence is taking over the world of market research with its ability to accurately predict human responses. But how can you best use AI to help make informed decisions about your business? This episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob dive into the world of AI-driven market research, exploring the latest advancements in and practical applications of large language models (LLMs) for better understanding your audience. Topics covered: [0:47] Exploring AI and market research with LLMs [1:03]...
Jul 16, 2024•26 min•Ep 69•Transcript available on Metacast 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 discuss research showing that starting customer surveys with open-ended positive questions can boost spending and loyalty by reinforcing positive memories and attitudes, making it a simple yet powerful strategy for increasing sales. Topics cove...
Jul 11, 2024•9 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast How much should your competition influence your marketing strategy? When should you focus on them? And when does it make more sense to ignore them? In this episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob discuss competition in marketing. Together, they review strategies for brands navigating competitive pressure and share real-world examples of how some companies have positioned themselves against their rivals. Plus, learn why standing out is sometimes easiest when you don’t obsess over your rivals for consumer...
Jul 09, 2024•25 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast Every marketer dreams of crafting unforgettable, creative campaigns. But what does creativity really look like? How can you consistently achieve it? And why do so many campaigns fall short of the mark? This week, we’re tackling these questions head-on. Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by VP of Creative Vivienne Wan to uncover the secrets of creativity in advertising and how you can harness this power to create effective campaigns. Topics covered: [0:53] Importance of creativity in marketing [5:...
Jul 02, 2024•30 min•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast 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 discuss how loyalty programs boost spending, especially among light and moderate buyers, when tailored rewards are offered. They learn that customizing incentives based on purchasing habits can enhance a program’s effectiveness. Topics covered:...
Jun 27, 2024•9 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast Why has America fallen behind the world in marketing effectiveness knowledge? And what can we do to catch up? This episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by professor, consultant, and columnist Dr. Mark Ritson. Based on his experience as both a marketing academic and practitioner, Mark shares his thoughts on the state of marketing effectiveness in the US, what we can learn from the history of marketing, and the importance of balancing research with active testing to discover marketing strate...
Jun 25, 2024•40 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast 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 psychological targeting enhances digital marketing performance. Together, they explain how matching ads to audience traits can offer a more personalized—and effective—approach. Topics covered: [00:45] “Psychological Targeting as an ...
Jun 20, 2024•10 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know AI influencers drive more engagement than real humans do? Or that consumers buy less, not more, from your brand the longer they’re a customer? Or why you always buy the large popcorn at the movie theater, even though you’d be happy with a smaller size? This episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob are sharing some of their favorite (and most surprising) research on marketing principles and consumer behavior. Plus, they dig into how marketers should apply these learnings to their own strategi...
Jun 18, 2024•27 min•Ep 65•Transcript available on Metacast 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 learn about the value of using irrelevant attributes to set your brand apart from competitors. They explore why even meaningless differentiation can positively impact consumer preference and make your brand memorable. Topics covered: [01:05] “M...
Jun 13, 2024•12 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Connected TV is one of the most popular new marketing channels of 2024. According to eMarketer, CTV ad revenue will reach $28 billion this year. But it’s also one of the most complex and confusing channels. This episode is dedicated to fixing that. Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Director of Advanced TV Marrika Zapiler to break down how CTV works and why it’s attracting so much attention right now. Plus learn how to work around the channel’s complexities to drive performance with CTV campai...
Jun 11, 2024•34 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast 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 take a closer look at the impact celebrities have on consumer buying decisions. Plus, they dig into the psychological and biological reasons as to why celebrity endorsements can be so effective. Topics covered: [00:55] “How Celebrity Status Eng...
Jun 06, 2024•10 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast 
