The Marketing Architects

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 a study reviewing behavioral advertising’s impact on consumer welfare, with some surprising results. Hint: behavioral advertising’s not as helpful for consumers as you might think!Topics covered:   [01:00] Introducing Behavioral Advertising and Consumer Welfare[02:00] Defining behavioral targeting[04:30] Study results on behavioral advertising’s impact[05:30] How you might interact with behavioral ads[06:00] Behavioral vs contextual targeting  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast  Resources: Schnadower Mustri, Eduardo and Adjerid, Idris and Acquisti, Alessandro, Behavioral Advertising and Consumer Welfare: An Empirical Investigation (March 23, 2023). Available at:  https://ssrn.com/abstract=4398428  or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4398428  Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The rise of video-driven social platforms. Evolving privacy regulations limiting advertisers’ access to targeting and reporting data. Meta’s dominance finally facing challengers... Social media is changing for good.In this episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob unpack the evolution of social media marketing, influenced heavily by Facebook's introduction of dynamic, algorithm-driven experiences. The conversation explores the need for platform diversification, the implications of privacy changes on targeting, and why video content now claims more than half of social ad budgets. Topics covered:   [01:30] How Facebook transformed social media forever[04:00] Snapchat and Reddit’s potential for growth[06:30] The risk of over-dependence on Meta[08:00] How privacy changes affect social attribution[09:30] How to make the most of social video[14:30] How to measure the effectiveness of social marketing[16:30] Organic vs paid social  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast  Resources: 2024 Mashable Article: https://mashable.com/article/facebook-changed-social-media Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this Nerd Alert segment of the podcast, Elena and Rob dive into the challenges of marketing research, emphasizing the need for more focus on strategies over tactics. They discuss the short-termism issue in marketing and the importance of developing new marketing theories. The podcast offers valuable insights for marketers looking to bridge the gap between research and practice.

The old 80/20 rule is simply wrong. The top 20% of buyers actually account for only 50% of sales. So is brand loyalty still the secret to efficient growth or is the smart move to pursue new customers?In this episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob discuss the ongoing debate about whether it’s better to focus on building brand loyalty or driving new customer acquisition. The team reviews studies highlighting the importance of emotional connection and positive brand experiences in fostering both customer loyalty and acquisition, leading them to ask whether the two strategies really stand in opposition or could, just maybe, work together.Topics covered:[01:00] What’s the fuss around brand loyalty all about?[03:30] How quality and brand experience affect loyalty[06:00] Debating acquisition vs retention for growth[10:00] The history of ‘double jeopardy’[18:00] How effective are loyalty programs, really?[21:30] How loyalty programs can be a source for first-party data  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast  Resources: 2023 Kantar Article: https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/brands/modern-marketing-dilemmas-is-it-still-ok-to-talk-about-brand-loyalty Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Programmatic advertising is bigger than ever. AI’s transforming media buying. Ad fraud continues to grow. And now, MFA (made for advertising) sites have emerged as top contenders for ad dollars. Clearly, there are a few reasons to be concerned about media quality.In today's episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob are addressing the impact of AI on digital advertising, the rise of made-for-advertising (MFA) inventory, the costs and benefits of offline vs online media, and how much brand safety really matters.Topics covered:   [01:00] Global ad spend will double its growth this year, thanks to AI[02:30] What are MFA sites?[04:00] Balancing cost and quality in media buys[08:00] Why low-quality inventory isn’t cost-effective[10:30] How offline channels differ from digital[14:30] How to judge media quality[15:30] AI’s impact on digital advertising  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast  Resources: 2023 ANA Report: https://www.ana.net/miccontent/show/id/rr-2023-12-ana-programmatic-media-supply-chain-transparency-study2024 WARC Article: https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/opinion/why-media-quality-will-take-centre-stage-in-2024/en-gb/6531 Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Kim Kardashian and Skims. Snoop Dogg’s 'smokeless’ stunt for Solo Brands. And of course, celebrity-packed Super Bowl commercials. What’s the true power of star power in advertising?This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are discussing the benefits (and risks) of using a celebrity to promote your brand. Because while celebrities can drive strong attention to your ad, they typically come with high price tags, can feel inauthentic if they aren’t clearly connected to your brand, and can even draw attention away from your product or service through the ‘vampire effect.’ The team talks through when a celebrity might not be the right choice and how to find the right partner when you are pursuing a celebrity endorser.Topics covered: [01:30] The types of celebrity endorsements[02:30] The history of celebrities in advertising[05:30] How celebrities drive greater attention in ads[08:00] The pros and cons of partnering with a celebrity[11:30] Using characters vs celebrities[13:00] How to choose the right celebrity for your brand[17:30] Marketing Architects’ celebrity fantasy draftTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 Knowledge at Wharton Article: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/the-marketing-psychology-behind-celebrity-endorsements/Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The podcast discusses the balance between digital and offline marketing channels for brand-building, emphasizing the effectiveness of offline channels. Topics cover marketers' bias towards digital, limitations of online advertising, barriers to testing offline channels, and strategies for testing offline on a budget. The importance of TV advertising for business growth is highlighted, along with the introduction of Misfits & Machines.

VP of Analytics Matt Hultgren joins the hosts to debate reach vs frequency in marketing. Topics include defining reach and frequency, the value of first impressions, streaming TV frequency, creative quality impact, and planning a campaign for both reach and frequency.

The US might be behind in marketing effectiveness—at least according to Mark Ritson. But why? What does the state of marketing effectiveness and research really look like?This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Dr. Mitch Olsen, marketing professor and director of undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame, to answer that very question. With rich experience in both the corporate and academic worlds of marketing, Mitch shares his thoughts on the state of marketing effectiveness in the US, the process behind publishing marketing research, and how the next generation of marketers are being taught to prioritize business outcomes in their work. Topics covered: [02:00] Mark Ritson’s take on effectiveness in the US[03:30] Mitch’s experience marketing at P&G and transition to academia[11:30] The process of publishing marketing research[16:30] Is the US actually behind on effectiveness?[23:30] What marketing education looks like today[26:00] How is TV advertising discussed in the classroom?To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 MarketingWeek Article: https://www.marketingweek.com/effectiveness-ignorance-american-marketing/Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The biggest ad platforms are leaning into media mix modeling, even when that means giving other ad channels more credit than their own. Why? Well, MMM might just be making a comeback. This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by VP Strategy Dan Cleveland and Director of Analytics Jordan Rossler to talk about all things MMM. They’re digging into the pros and cons of the model, how new tools have made MMM more accessible than ever, and the importance of tying marketing investments back to business results. Topics covered: [02:00] Why Facebook, Google and Amazon are adopting MMM[04:30] What is media mix modeling (MMM)?[05:30] Why marketers aren’t satisfied with last-click attribution[10:00] How MMM provides a holistic view of performance[13:00] Meta’s Robyn vs Google’s Lightweight[16:30] Why MMM struggles to measure brand impacts[21:30] How AI will change MMMTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 Adexchanger Article: https://www.adexchanger.com/measurement/why-facebook-google-and-amazon-are-embracing-media-mix-modeling/Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.