The Marketing Architects

Despite a heightened focus on growth, businesses frequently sideline creativity. Even though unconventional thinking is exactly what’s needed to reach new levels of success. Demand for chief creative officers has declined by 4% since 2018. And marketing roles increasingly prioritize analytical skills over creative talent. This week, Rob and Elena are joined by Chief Creative Officer Steve Babcock to discuss the growing creativity gap and how to fix it. Surprisingly, the answer might not be about hiring more people with “creative” in their title but instead encouraging creativity across all areas of the organization. Topics covered: [05:00] What is the creativity gap?[07:00] Creativity vs artistic ability[10:00] The importance of tying creativity to results[12:00] Domino’s Pizza tracker as an example of creativity driving business results[17:00] Restrictions can encourage creativity[20:00] The future of creative roles in businessesTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 Deloitte Digital Press Release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/is-the-creativity-gap-holding-up-business-transformation-deloitte-digital-and-lions-analysis-launched-ahead-of-2022-cannes-lions-international-festival-of-creativity-indicates-yes-301568677.html2023 MarketingDive Article: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/dominos-pizza-pinpoint-delivery-QSR-marketing/653011/Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

How do you defend marketing’s value through economic changes, a narrowing focus on ROI, and changing ideas about how to build a memorable brand? This week, Elena and Angela are joined by Mary Kyriakidi, Global Thought Leader at Kantar. Mary is the author of Kantar’s evidence-based report “Modern Marketing Dilemmas” which explores some of the most contentious and widely debated topics in marketing today... and what the research says about those topics’ answers. Topics covered: [02:30] How common debates in marketing inspired Kantar’s report[03:45] ROI is only part of accurate marketing measurement[08:00] The role of brand in driving future buyers[13:30] How to measure and evaluate brand equity[18:00] Difference vs differentiation in building brand[23:00] The future of marketing effectivenessTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: Connect with Mary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-kyriakidi-4a5a4a57/2023 Kantar Report: https://www.kantar.com/campaigns/modern-marketing-dilemmasGet more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connected TV. Podcasts. TikTok. Even virtual reality. They all offer advertisers new opportunities to reach potential customers. But emerging channels are inherently risky. This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob dig into eMarketer’s report on the mismatch between the channels consumers spend time with and those marketers invest in most. They also explain why that mismatch can sometimes be the right decision. Because with emerging channels, starting small is often a smart approach, even if you fall behind consumer trends for a bit... so long as you use that time to build your strategy for later.Topics covered: [01:30] Reviewing eMarketer’s “US Time Spent with Media Forecast”[04:30] Meta has the largest discrepancy between consumer time and ad dollars[07:00] The complexity of emerging channels like CTV[09:00] The difficulty of measuring radio and podcasts[14:00] Why a mismatch between consumer behavior and ad spend can make sense[17:30] How Annika Streaming solves CTV’s biggest challengesTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 eMarketer Report: https://content-na1.emarketer.com/us-time-spent-with-media-forecast-20232023 Behind the Numbers Podcast: https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/podcast-daily-imbalance-between-time-spent-ad-dollars-trying-sell-nfl-sunday-ticket-fate-of-huluGet more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The term "marketing effectiveness" has gained attention lately, but what does it really mean? And what’s stopping marketers from developing truly effective work? The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) recently investigated this exact question with a survey of more than 300 marketers. This week, Angela, Rob, and Elena are breaking down the definition of marketing effectiveness, discussing the findings of the WFA’s report, and sharing their own thoughts on how to reach, measure, and educate others on the value of marketing and its impact on the business. Plus, they’re sharing their favorite resources for leveling up your own marketing activities. Topics covered: [02:00] The WFA’s “Creating a Global Culture of Marketing Effectiveness” report[06:30] The need for greater collaboration in marketing and between departments[08:30] What is the definition of marketing effectiveness?[12:30] Including both short- and long-term results to determine effectiveness[15:00] The challenge of measuring marketing results[17:30] The hosts' favorite effectiveness resourcesTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 WFA Report: https://wfanet.org/knowledge/item/2023/08/23/Creating-a-Global-Culture-of-Marketing-EffectivenessGet more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Podcast discusses the success of Barbie's marketing strategy and how marketers can replicate it on a smaller budget. Topics covered include category design, lightning strikes, and the importance of making bold strategic moves to stand out from competitors.

Research from System1 and Pinterest found that digital ads rated highly for emotion resulted in a staggering 90% average increase in brand favorability. And this isn’t the first time research has proven emotion’s effects on ad performance. The IPA reports that 43% of emotional ad campaigns lead to very large business effects across sales, market share, loyalty and new customers, compared to only 23% of rational campaigns. Clearly, emotion is a valuable creative lever. But how do you use it well? This week, Angela, Elena, and Rob are talking about making sure customers feel your ads, which emotions are most effective in driving positive brand associations, and why humor can be an overlooked but incredibly impactful emotion when used correctly. Topics covered: [01:30] Research proves ads that tap into emotion perform better[04:30] Why positive emotions drive greater brand equity than negative ones[07:00] The role of humor in driving ad performance[10:00] Why the right emotion varies by industry[12:00] How pretesting lets you push boundaries in creative[16:00] How to use marketing channels to amplify emotional connectionsTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 MarketingTech Article: https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2023/jul/24/emotional-digital-ads-drive-brand-lift-and-recall/2023 Kantar Article: https://www.kantar.com/company-news/digital-ads-which-evoke-strong-emotions-are-four-times-more-likely-to-drive--brand-equity2022 Kantar Article: https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/advertising-media/how-to-get-humour-right-in-advertising2023 The Drum Article: https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2023/02/28/heart-over-head-why-you-should-move-away-rational-marketing2021 The B2B Institute Report: https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/b2b-institute/b2b-creativeGet more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Nearly half of marketers believe senior stakeholders focus too much on ROI. Because while it’s the top metric the C-Suite cares about, ROI alone doesn’t show marketing’s full impact.Proving marketing’s value to the business isn’t a new challenge. But it is a persistent one. This week, Elena and Angela are joined by John Wojcik, VP New Business and Solution Development at Brother USA and former CMO at The Zebra, to discuss strategies marketers can use to communicate the value of their work to larger business goals and growth.Topics covered: [02:00] The top marketing metrics senior stakeholders care about[04:30] Balancing brand and performance initiatives[06:00] How the size and scale of a company affect marketing goals[09:30] Advice for pitching leadership on brand efforts like TV advertising[16:30] Connecting marketing to a brand’s growth strategy[19:00] The importance of relationships for communicating marketing goalsTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: Connect with John 2023 MarketingWeek Article Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Based on an analysis of 2,500 B2B ads, one thing is very clear: B2B needs a new creative formula, one that’s actually effective. This week, Ty Heath, Director of Market Engagement at The B2B Institute, a think tank funded by LinkedIn, joins Angela, Rob, and Elena to talk about why B2B advertising struggles with creative effectiveness. They cover why marketing to businesses is still marketing to people and explore the ABLE formula’s guide to developing B2B creative that people will remember. Topics covered: [02:00] The problem with B2B ad creative[04:30] Connecting brand investments to business results[08:00] Why a lack of likeability harms creative effectiveness[14:00] What Disney teaches us about applying a consistent creative formula[18:00] Examples of B2B ads that aren’t boring[23:00] Using the ABLE formula to develop effective creative[29:00] Why awareness is the first hurdle B2B marketers need to clearTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: Connect with Ty 2023 Adweek Article Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The battle over whether marketers should focus on sales or brand results has raged for years now. But while many marketers are now embracing both, this philosophy of “bothism” has only recently been applied to TV advertising.This week, VP Client Growth Devan Futterer joins Elena and Angela to talk about ways they’ve seen brands set up TV campaigns to drive both long- and short-term results. It starts with a media strategy optimized for reach, requires thoughtfully produced creative, and of course, means measuring results immediately after your campaign launches and months down the road. Topics covered: [01:30] Defining bothism and the brand vs performance debate[05:00] How to apply bothism to TV advertising[06:30] How to measure brand and sales in a TV campaign[09:30] TV’s halo effect on other marketing channels[12:30] How Nuts.com used TV advertising for short- and long-term results[17:00] Recapping principles for successful TV advertisingTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2020 MarketingWeek Article 2021 McKinsey Article Effectv Report Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Targeting the right customer at the right time is a marketer’s dream—but only if the price is right.This is the second of three episodes reviewing a report released by Marketing Architects called “Reach, Revenue and ROI: 3 Principles for Effective TV Advertising.” This week, Elena and Rob are joined by VP of Analytics Matt Hultgren to talk about the tradeoffs between targeting and cost, the importance of reach in a media plan, and how to leverage technology to get the most out of traditional media channels.Topics covered: [01:00] Reviewing the high costs of traditional marketing channels [02:50] How to calculate the value of reach[04:15] How creative costs pile up for marketers[05:45] Explaining the marketing cost/value debate [09:50] How to set up traditional media tests cost effectively[13:50] Questions to ask your future television agency [15:30] How to decide what to spend on a mass media test [17:25] What success on mass reach channels looks like To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 Cost of Super Bowl Commercials 2023 MarketingWeek Article 2023 WARC Article 2023 Marketplace Article Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.