The WARC Podcast

Debra Aho Williamson, founder of Sonata Insights and author of the AI Ad Economy newsletter, joins Alex Brownsell, WARC Media’s Head of Content. They explore AI media as a new advertising channel, the fragmentation of consumer attention, and why ad dollars remain concentrated among Google, Meta, and Amazon. Three possible futures emerge, including OpenAI’s bid to challenge today’s giants and the role of visual storytelling in navigating uncertainty.

Suzanne Powers, co-founder and co-CEO of independent strategy business All&, and Tom Morton, founder of Narratory Capital, explore why senior strategists are leaving agencies. They discuss pricing strategic expertise, opportunities beyond advertising briefs, board-ready brand strategy, and guiding businesses through pivots. The conversation also covers productized consulting, AI-powered workflows, independent collaboration, and the case for optimism in strategy.

Erich Joachimsthaler, founder and CEO of VIVALDI and co-author of Brand Leadership, explores strategy beyond the traditional ad brief. He discusses how AI shifts competitive advantage upstream, finding unserved demand spaces, and building portfolios around consumer goals. Examples include Rhode, Tesla, Figma and Liquid Death, plus the role of workarounds, technology and regulation in creating new markets.

Martin Beverley, founder and chief strategist at Ace of Hearts, and Baiba Matisone, brand strategy consultant and Planning Folklore founder, explore how strategy can prove its business value. They discuss value-based agency models, systems thinking, helping CMOs influence the board, and applying creativity beyond advertising. They also examine timeless marketing principles, critical judgment in an AI-shaped industry, and why distinctiveness matters more than ever.

Nikita Walia, partner and strategist at U.N.N.A.M.E.D., and Joe Burns, strategy chief at Quality Meats Creative, explore whether AI will empower or replace strategists. They discuss prototyping ideas, the danger of bland, overly legible brand thinking, and why strategy must reach beyond campaigns into products and business decisions. They also examine empathy, client politics, beauty, and building practical skills.

Steve Bernard, Ocean Outdoor’s insight chief, researches attention and creative effectiveness. Richard Kirk, WPP Media’s planning strategist, focuses on advertising effectiveness and media quality. They explore how out-of-home formats signal brand confidence, quality and recognition, why premium and iconic sites deserve closer study, and how 3D digital screens can amplify omnichannel campaigns. They also discuss quality-adjusted reach and the case for looking beyond CPMs.

Shaan Biglione, co-founder of Kumkuat AI and author of The Vanilla Imperative, examines why American advertising often plays it safe. He explores fiduciary duty, litigation risk, fragmented identities, regional differences, and algorithm-driven consumer tribes. Nike, Liquid Death, and Yeti illustrate how brands can move from niche credibility to mass appeal while stretching, but not breaking, their core.

Kate Rundell, Amazon Business CMO, Vita Molis, a LinkedIn B2B Institute leader, and Imaad Ahmed, a marketing effectiveness researcher, explore video’s overlooked power in B2B. They discuss its impact on market share, ROI, search, trust, and buying groups. Topics include silent-first creative, full-funnel planning, hidden decision-makers, modular production, AI, and CFO-friendly measurement.

Tony de Vizio, Carat’s Global Partnerships Director, and Catherine Driscoll, WARC’s EMEA Commissioning Editor, explore marketing in a divided economy. They unpack the disappearance of the “average consumer,” shifting value perceptions, luxury growth, affordability with dignity, and smarter category and pricing strategies. They also examine how AI may widen consumer divergence and reshape marketing decisions.

Marcus Yong, VP of Global Marketing at travel platform Klook, explores why smaller creators can make a bigger impact. He discusses creator shops, utility-focused travel content, community building, and full-funnel measurement. The conversation also covers paid amplification, flexible briefs, social commerce, and connecting creator activity to bookings and profit.