The Marketing Architects

Reaching large audiences is powerful. But they still need to be the right large audiences. Because even the biggest brands can't afford to skip targeting. Even on mass-reach marketing channels like TV, radio and print.In this episode, Elena, Angela and Rob are joined by VP of Strategy Dan Cleveland to discuss the MarketingWeek article “Even sophisticated mass marketers need targeting.” The team explores the marketing industry’s shift toward mass marketing, but homes in on the need to use mass marketing strategically to drive meaningful results. Like how mass marketing does not equal marketing to everyone you possibly can. (And how mass media can be used for performance marketing, too). Topics covered: [02:25] Recapping Mark Ritson’s article “Even sophisticated mass marketers need targeting”[05:45] Using mass media for strategic growth beyond digital[10:00] How to better define and understand your target audience[17:00] Using response to guide targeting for brick-and-mortar businesses [20:00] Using incremental reach to drive performance[23:00] What does good budget stewardship look like? To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 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.

Airbnb is the only public VC-backed company founded in the US in the last 15 years that is meaningfully profitable. How did they do it? They dramatically changed their approach to marketing.Two years ago, Airbnb started prioritizing brand-building while limiting their previous focus on search advertising. In this episode, Elena, Angela and Rob discuss the Airbnb success story, why finding a balance of performance and brand marketing is crucial for business growth, and whether this approach could make sense for brands across multiple categories and life stages.Topics covered: [01:00] Why Airbnb changed their marketing mix[05:30] How Airbnb “became a verb” despite not creating their category[09:00] How TV advertising reduces digital dependency and the “Google tax”[11:00] How other brands like Adidas have also used brand building for growth[14:30] Why digital-focused brands lean into brand marketing[18:30] Turning marketing into a growth-driver To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2019 MarketingWeek Article 2023 MarketingWeek Article 2022 eMarketer Report Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Brand is far more measurable today than even five years ago. So why are we still questioning brand’s value? Maybe because it’s tough to know exactly how to grow brand—and defend its importance to the business.In this episode, Elena, Angela and Rob tackle brand misconceptions from a performance marketer’s perspective. They discuss what it means to build brand awareness and drive tangible business results related to brand growth. Their conclusion? While building brand may seem like a “fluffy” goal, research continually shows it leads to increased revenue and greater customer loyalty. But done right, brand growth should always be measurable. Topics covered: [01:45] Brand awareness vs performance marketing[05:30] How can marketers defend brand’s ability to drive business results?[7:00] Defining brand awareness and measuring brand growth[12:00] How to grow your brand[16:30] What physical availability looks like for online businesses[18:40] What business stage is right for focusing on brand-building? To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2020 The Marketing Student Article 2013 WARC Article 2023 BuiltIn Article 2012 Scientific American Article Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Behavioral targeting has undeniably changed marketing and advertising, fueling the online advertising industry’s growth to $540 billion globally. But what’s the real impact... for marketers and for consumers?In this episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob discuss a recent article featured in The New York Times that digs into what it means to target (and be targeted) online. They explain the different types of targeting available to marketers, pros and cons of each, and why it’s important to be skeptical when evaluating data to determine the success of marketing campaigns. Just a heads up? We’re big fans of contextual targeting. Topics covered: [00:45] Reviewing “If It’s Advertised to You Online, You Probably Shouldn’t Buy It” from The New York Times[04:30] What are the different types of online targeting?[10:00] What are the benefits and downsides of behavioral targeting?[17:00] Exploring contextual targeting vs behavioral targeting with a study by HP[22:00] How do you know when marketing is really performing?To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 New York Times Article 2023 SSRN Report 2022 AdButler Blog Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

TikTok has over 100 million American users, and US marketers will spend more than $11 billion on the app by the end of 2023. So what happens if the app is banned? In this episode, we’re reviewing everything from the earliest rumors of a ban to the latest court hearings. Elena, Angela, and Rob delve into the discussion around banning TikTok, what it means for marketers, and why even the threat of a ban has implications for data privacy on social platforms ranging from Facebook to Snapchat. They wrap up the conversation with advice for how marketers can shield their campaigns from volatility and unpredictability while acknowledging the growing attention on protecting consumer data. Topics covered: [01:15] The timeline of events around the TikTok ban [4:30] TikTok as an example of social media intersecting with politics [6:30] How the potential ban impacts marketers [9:25] Data privacy concerns on social platforms [14:00] How consumer sentiment around data privacy is changing[16:30] The importance of diversifying your marketing mix To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 The Drum Article 2023 The Drum Article 2020 MarketingWeek Article Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

AI is probably the hottest topic in business right now. And while the core technology is far from new, the launch of ChatGPT has kickstarted a fresh frenzy around AI’s implications for marketers especially. In fact, marketing might be the category of work most impacted by artificial intelligence. In this episode, Elena is joined by Marketing Architects founder Chuck Hengel to discuss how marketers should approach experimenting with AI to improve both efficiency and quality of their work, what it means to look at AI as a “partner in creativity,” and how much the entire industry is still learning as the technology continues to evolve. Topics covered: [02:20] How did AI become the biggest topic in marketing news?[07:25] AI’s potential is much more than increasing efficiency[09:30] Where should marketers begin to apply AI to their daily work?[20:00] Why AI’s value is inherent to its ability to process massive amounts of data[22:10] How to develop guardrails to protect from AI’s downsides[25:00] Lean into learning with AI to become super-marketersTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast.Resources: 2023 Adexchanger Article 2017 The Marketing AI Institute Article 2023 The Marketing AI Show Podcast 2023 Quartz Article Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

There are more than 130 marketing metrics. But how many really determine marketing effectiveness? Especially for brand-building channels like TV, radio, and print advertising? Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet when it comes to marketing measurement. But there are ways to design your campaign to be as measurable as possible. And to be more confident in your results. VP of Analytics Matt Hultgren joins Angela and Elena to discuss how measurement best practices have changed and the importance of using multiple models to understand marketing’s full impact. Topics covered: [01:07] Why marketing measurement is so difficult[4:58] Why last touch attribution doesn’t tell the full story[11:10] How to set up a measurable TV test[16:21] Top-down vs bottom-up marketing measurement[20:27] CTV’s ongoing measurement challenges[24:35] The micro/macro/business measurement frameworkTo learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 The Chartered Institute of Marketing Article 2021 Ruler Analytics Report 2021 Marketing Architects Article Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Budget cuts. Layoffs. Rethinking your entire marketing strategy? The economy can be confusing. How marketers should respond to economic downturns can be equally difficult to navigate. Research shows brands that maintain or increase ad spend during an economic downturn perform better long term. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Angela, Rob, and Elena share advice on how marketers can use economic uncertainty as an opportunity to step into leadership roles and even grow market share for their businesses. And how to get others on board by using data to defend your decisions. Topics covered: [00:58] How Hyundai grew market share during a recession[4:10] What is happening with the economy?[9:58] How are advertisers reacting to economic uncertainty?[14:48] How CMOs can step into leadership roles during a crisis[16:18] Should you advertise during a recession?[18:25] Avoiding tone-deaf messaging To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2023 The Conference Board Article MarketingProfs Article 2023 The Undefeated Marketing Podcast 2023 Forbes Article 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 balance broad reach and highly targeted marketing efforts? Angela and Elena are joined by Chief Creative Officer Rob DeMars to talk about the challenges and opportunities marketers face in finding the right balance for their businesses. Learn how the HurryCane became the best-selling cane in the US only after reaching broad audiences, the history of performance marketing, and the team’s thoughts on Les Binet and Peter Field’s 60/40 rule for balancing brand and sales activation. Hint: there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer. But many marketers lean too far in one direction. Topics covered: [00:45] Developing the HurryCane, the number one cane in the US[05:21] Brand marketing vs performance marketing[09:28] The challenges of highly targeted marketing[13:20] Reviewing the 60/40 rule[22:10] How to choose marketing channels for your business To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2021 MarketingWeek Article 2021 MarketingWeek Article 2021 LinkedIn Article Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

As a marketer, what is the danger of relying too heavily on digital advertising? Angela Voss, Rob DeMars, and Elena Hengel tackle this question in the first-ever episode of The Marketing Architects. Too many businesses are facing the consequences of an overreliance on digital advertising, from ad fraud to limited growth potential. Hear how brands like Airbnb have side-stepped these digital downsides and the importance of having a balanced marketing mix that embraces both digital and traditional channels.Topics covered: [00:00] Introducing The Marketing Architects [03:25] How Airbnb found success with traditional marketing channels [07:55] The risks of digital advertising [11:22] How brands achieve consistent growth [13:54] How traditional channels build memory and trust[16:32] The importance of both traditional and digital marketing channels To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast. Resources: 2022 Wall Street Journal Article 2023 AdAge Article 2020 MarketingWeek Article 2022 CNBC Article 2021 Campaign Article Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.