Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 02:15 In-house vs. Downtown Agencies: Cost Savings or Misconception? 06:55 Just do it! Brand Name Lessons from Nike's Troubles! 13:19 Dom Pérignon perfectly demonstrates the appeal of scarcity. 19:25 Great Whitepaper from Mailchimp - How to Grow Your Brand 22:58 Marketing Moment: Insights from Adweek 2024 32:13 Ad of the Week In the News links: In-house vs. Downtown Agencies: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7253289716513431553/ Brand Name Lessons from Nike's Troubles! https://aswathdamodaran.blogspot.com/2024/10/just-do-it-brand-name-lessons-from.html Dom Pérignon perfectly demonstrates the appeal of scarcity https://www.marketingweek.com/ritson-dom-perignon-appeal-scarcity/ Whitepaper from Mailchimp: https://mailchimp.com/resources/how-to-grow-your-brand/ Marketing Moment: Adweek 2024 Key Learnings: CTV and Retail Media AI’s Role in Advertising Harnessing First-Party Data Omnichannel and Full-Funnel Strategies Privacy and Regulatory Uncertainty Declining Focus on Social Purpose, DEI and Sustainability Ad of the Week: https://youtu.be/qvFnf2EEd20?feature=shared

Welcome to another episode of the Sleeping Barber Podcast! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the fascinating world of marketing strategy and innovation with a special guest, Omar Roubi. Within a business, there appears to be a constant tension between marketing and accounting/finance departments. In this episode, Marc and Vassilis speak with Omar Roubi to explore that relationship and look for some common ground and language that can help marketers better understand their businesses. Our Guest: Omar Roubi https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-roubi-cpa-texas/Host & Director, Education & Content at LumiQ | Accounting Instructor at University of Colorado Denver | Accounting Textbook Author with Top Hat Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/ Timestamps: 0:57 - Intro to Omar 1:47 - About LumiQ 4:50 - Target Canada - Why they Failed 6:22 - What is a capital budget & how does it affect the 4Ps 8:11 - The danger of putting strategy before execution of the 4Ps  10:33 - Big M marketing is different from advertising 12:35 - The value including marketers CMO in Capital budget planning 16:01 - Why No Amount of Budget could have created demand for Target Canada 20:09 - How to justify marketing budgets to accounting 21:45 - Predicting the future vs. Reporting on the past 25:50 - Marketing and accounting education 30:05 - Do we understand what return means?  32:30 - How accountants see brand 34:58 - Goodwill & Settting Expectations 39:22 - A process to improve budgeting 41:08 - Understanding the roles of Finance & Accounting  43:55 - Avoiding WAGs (Wild Ass Guesses) 48:12 - Justifiing ROI: Time is on your side 52:00 - Three tips for marketers to improve financial acumen 58:45 - Post Pod with V and Marc

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠ Links: Title: The Big Dilemma in Advertising Source: Tom Goodwin Link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tomfgoodwin_this-is-the-big-dilemma-in-advertising-activity-7248050327734611968-jbDM Title: IAS To Sell Attention Data to Publishers Source: Marketing Brew Link: https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2024/10/03/ias-to-sell-attention-data-to-publishers Pareto’s Law: How Its Legacy Has Misled Marketers from Focusing on the Most Significant Consumers Source: Andreas Wallin https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/paretos-law-how-its-legacy-has-misled-marketers-from-focusing-wallin-vrruf Privacy laws raise questions for advertisers: Here’s what the numbers say Source: Marketing Dive Link: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/privacy-laws-raising-questions-advertisers-numbers-data-protection/728072/ Timestamps: 00:00 introduction 01:40 The Big Dilemma in Advertising 04:07 IAS To Sell Attention Data to Publishers 06:56 Pareto’s Law: How Its Legacy Has Misled Marketers from Focusing on the Most Significant Consumers 10:15 Privacy laws raise questions for advertisers: Here’s what the numbers say 15:05 McCain by Adam & Eve/DDB: When the chips are down, margins matter. How a focus on long-term emotional brand building reduced price elasticity and increased profits for McCain 22:22 Ad of the Week

Welcome to another episode of the Sleeping Barber Podcast! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the fascinating world of marketing strategy and innovation with a special guest, Adam Morgan. Adam is a pioneer in business and marketing, best known for his book "Eat Big Fish," which has inspired countless brands to adopt a challenger mindset. He’s also authored "The Pirate Inside" and "Overthrow" and hosts the podcast "Let's Make Things More Interesting." In this episode, Adam discusses his latest research with System1 and Peter Field on "The Cost of Dull," exploring the financial impact of uninspired advertising. Guest Bio:  Adam Morgan Partner, eatbigfish: Brand and Marketing Consultant On LinkedIn Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠ Timestamps 0:54 - About Adam 3:23 - Defining Dull 4:28 - The data sources of Dull 6:16 - Mediocrity inspired this research 10:01 - 4 the horseman of the dull-ocolypse  14:10 - Do dull ads influence consumer perceptions 17:33 - Optimizing to the average 18:27 - Sponsor - Quatical: Fractional Marketing Leadership 20:46 - The Smarter we get, the duller we get 22:07 - The financial impact of Dull 24:49 - Is average ad creative actually responsible? 27:34  - What makes impactful communication 30:15  - Emotion is more than tears 34:05 - Insurance industry has raised the B2B bar of creativity 36:19 - The % of B2B ads that are dull 41:07 - Attention & reach are different 43:03 - Dull inputs lead to dull outputs 44:10 - What is Risk and what is responsible 48:21 - Using AI in ad creative  52:52 - More about Adam 54:04 - Post Pod with V & Marc Literature: Risk & Responsibility: A lesson in creative responsibility The Cost of Dull with Peter Field — The Challenger Project | The Home of Challenger Brands Let's Make Your Brand More Interesting | Inc.com The £10m cost of dull advertising | WARC | The Feed

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠ Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 01:15 - Nike’s Market Strategy and Challenges 05:31 - Amazon’s Return to Office Mandate 09:52 - Swedish Advertising Insights 13:45 - The Evolution of KPIs in Marketing 25:38 - Ad of the week Links: Title: Did Nike Lose it’s Cool or it’s place? Prof. Koen Pauwels Source: Prof. Koen Pauwels Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/did-nike-lose-its-cool-place-prof-dr-koen-pauwels-0cmqe/?trackingId=8MbCHRTATd%2Bm4DNRnHllsA%3D%3D Amazon Says No To Remote Work - Mandates full 5-day return to office Source: Techcrunch Link: https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/16/amazon-mandates-full-five-day-return-to-office/ Link#2: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-employees-blast-andy-jassy-113949840.html Title: Effective Communication 2024 report by Sveriges Annonsorer & NoA Consulting Source: Sveriges Annonsorer Link: https://www.sverigesannonsorer.se/kunskap/rapporter/effective-communication-2024 Title: Is the KPI still a good indicator of performance? Johnny Corbet Source: Marketing Week Link: https://www.marketingweek.com/kpi-good-indicator-performance/ The Marketing Moment: How KFC Integrated Creative Quality into Their Marketing Effectiveness Assessments Link: https://www.kantar.com/inspiration/advertising-media/how-kfc-integrated-creative-quality-into-their-marketing-effectiveness-assessments Ad of the Week MIRO - collaboration and project management software https://youtu.be/shy3tqvHb4g?si=QyNchqm5jw2e4GDo The Back Story - the production team used Miro to produce the commercial for Miro https://go2.miro.com/how-we-launched-a-national-ad-campaign-with-Miro.html

Welcome to another episode of the Sleeping Barber Podcast! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the world of marketing effectiveness with special guest James Hurman. James, the founder of Previously Unavailable and the Masters of Advertising Effectiveness program, shares his deep insights into the startup ecosystem, the importance of balancing customer acquisition costs (CAC) with brand awareness, and the concept of future demand. This episode is packed with valuable knowledge on how to build sustainable marketing strategies that drive long-term success. Enjoy the show! Our Guest: James Hurman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshurman/ Founder Previously Unavailable - Innovation Studio Founder & Programme Director of the Masters of Advertising Effectiveness course with WARC Co-founder of Tracksuit - a SaaS brand health tracking system Co-author with Peter Field on the Cannes Lions / WARC publication called Creative Effectiveness Ladder Author of a new book for startups called Future Demand and The Case for Creativity Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠ Timestamps: 0:00 - Episode Introduction 3:28 –the trouble with CAC & the startup playbook 6:39 – why future demand (brand building) is important for startups 10:15 – is demand generation possible 15:04 – Why CAC gets worse without brand awareness 17:30 – Split budgets between brand and performance marketing 19:00 – James’ journey into effectiveness 24:14 – What is effectiveness? 26:35 – The Creative Effectiveness ladder 32:35 – Do ads wear out or wear in? 37:10 – The customer need behind Tracksuit’s brand health tracking SaaS 41:10 – Lessons for early-stage startups 44:53 – The power of industry expertise inside a startup 47:58 – Building Effectiveness knowledge inside companies 51:15 – Much of what marketers are taught is wrong 53:30 – Marketing evidence needs to wear in 54:15 – how to learn more about James 55:09 - Post Pod with V and Marc Background Research & Literature: James on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshurman/ Tracksuit https://www.gotracksuit.com/us Previously Unavailable https://www.previously.co/ Creative Effectiveness Ladder https://www.lionscreativity.com/creative-effectiveness-ladder The Principle of Future Demand https://www.previously.co/projects/the-principle-of-future-demand

Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week. Enjoy the show! Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠ Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 1:56 - Efficiency Delusion 4:54 - iOS 18 What Does It Mean For Marketers 12:30 - Brand Has Never Been More Important For B2B 17:14 - Google Lose Appeal in EU 19:56 - The Marketing Moment - Dr. Pepper Links: Story #1 Title: The Efficiency Delusion Source: Paul Worthington blog OffKilter Link: https://www.invencion.com/off-kilter Story #2a Title: iOS 18: What do the new AI features mean for Email Marketing? Source: DeployTeq Link: https://deployteq.com/ios-18-what-do-the-new-ai-features-mean-for-email-marketing/ Story #2b Title: iOS 18: Apple Visual Intelligence – search using your iPhone camera Source: Search Engine Land Link: https://searchengineland.com/apple-visual-intelligence-search-using-your-iphone-camera-446419 Story #3 Title: Brand Has ‘Never Been More Important in B2B Marketing’, research reveals Source: Marketing Week Link: https://www.marketingweek.com/brand-more-important-b2b/ Story #4 Title: Nike: Google loses appeal against EU’s $2.7B Shopping antitrust case, as bloc also wins $15B Apple state aid appeal Source: Masimo Guanaco on LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/nike-epic-saga-value-destruction-massimo-giunco-llplf Marketing Moment: Dr. Pepper Just Took over Pepsi: Could Coca-Cola be Next? Source: Andrew Tindall in The Drum Link: https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2024/09/02/dr-pepper-just-overtook-pepsi-could-coca-cola-be-next The Background: Coke, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper once dominated the U.S. soda market, but by the end of 2023, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper were tied with an 8.3% market share. Dr. Pepper's success is due to both its own strategy and Pepsi's failures. Case #1 - Branding & Rebranding: While Coca-Cola maintained a consistent brand identity, Pepsi underwent multiple major redesigns. Dr. Pepper, launched in 1885, kept its unique positioning, benefiting from a distinct brand and flavor profile. The brand leveraged its unique classification as a "Pepper Soda" to expand its distribution network. The Cola Wars: Pepsi focused on taste tests and high-profile campaigns, including controversial ads, while the overall market saw a shift towards bottled water and diverse flavors. Pepsi emphasized zero sugar and snacks. Dr. Pepper’s Strategy: Unlike its competitors, Dr. Pepper avoided the "Cola Wars" and focused on its distinctiveness, committing to an eSOV (excess share of voice) strategy and consistently improving ad quality. As Gen Z becomes the key demographic, Dr. Pepper continues to focus on its 139-year-old positioning as a unique blend of 23 flavors while adapting its creative approach to resonate with younger consumers. We Play Different - The North Face Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7qHeUak1RU&list=TLGGQEylHYKkXDwxMDA5MjAyNA&t=18s Agency: B-Reel The North Face aimed to reconnect with its core audience across fashion and outdoor sports while appealing to a younger demographic unfamiliar with its heritage. Campaign narrative and execution The campaign, "We Always Have Your Back," utilizes storytelling and visual spectacle to bridge The North Face's legacy in extreme outdoor exploration with its contemporary status as a streetwear icon. Narrated by Alex Honnold, the campaign emphasizes unity and support in adventure.

In our latest podcast episode of the Sleeping Barber Podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Prof. Dan Ariely, a renowned behavioural economist and the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioural Economics at Duke University. Dan is also the co-founder of several companies, including BeWorks, and the author of eight books, his latest being "MisbeLIEf." This episode dives deep into the fascinating world of behavioural economics, focusing on how misinformation and stress can significantly impact decision-making in both personal and business environments. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Our Guest: Prof. Dan Ariely - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danariely/ James B Duke Professor of Behavioural Economics at Duke University Co-founder of multiple companies including BEWorks - the world’s leading behavioral change firm Author of 8 books, including Predictably Irrational and the most recent MisbeLIEf TEDTalk Speaker Our Hosts: Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/ Timestamps: 0:52 - Intro to Dan 3:36 - Behavioural Economics of Choice: The Economist Subscription 7:21 - The human brain is like a swiss army knife 9:30 - The inspiration of MisbeLIEf - COVID & death threats 12:59 - All of us have the potential to become misbelievers 15:15 - Mistrust in businesses & business leaders 16:30 - Stress affects our ability to trust 18:58 - Psychological resilience is affected by social connections 21:06 - Social isolation for employees hired during COVID 21:44 - Treating employees well can improve stock market returns 25:15 - ETF to track holdings based on how employees feel about where they work 25:44 - The trouble with counting the % of women in senior positions 30:38 - Two types of stress, one is harmful 32:33 - Seeing patterns where there are none 34:56 - The 2 components of misbelief 37:10 - Brands & influencers 39:47 - Improving trust on social networks 42:53 - We need to get better at consuming information 44:35 - People come to marketers too late 46:38 - Removing confirmation bias by changing the way we search 47:44 - Flush toilets and learning to understand 51:16 - Rather than argue the facts, accept ambiguity 53:50 - How to change people’s minds 55:05 - Why ostracism is so destructive 56:30 - Learn more about Dan 59:05 - Post-Pod Discussion with Marc and V Background Research & Literature: Dan’s Website https://danariely.com/  Links to all his papers, videos etc.  https://danariely.com/resources/#v-thoughts-of-the-week Links to his books https://danariely.com/books/  Center of Advanced Hindsight https://advanced-hindsight.com/ Irrational Capital ETF https://finance.yahoo.com/news/irrational-capitals-hapi-outperforming-p-120000068.html Center for Advanced Bureaucracy  https://centerforbureaucracy.com/  The Life We Should Live https://www.thelifeweshouldlive.com/

Welcome back to another episode of The Barber’s Brief! Where Marc and Vassilis discuss marketing and business news that has caught their eye, they highlight our marketing moment, get into audience QA, and finish off by highlighting an ad of the week. Enjoy the show! Our Hosts: Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠ Get in touch with our hosts: Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/ Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠ Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 2:38 - Update to Google’s Pmax Reporting 5:37 - Using the Playting to Win Framework for Competitor Analysis 9:37 - Google Cancels The Cookie Deprivation 12:55 - The Power of Aunthicity 19:02 - The Marketing Moment - The Dollar Shave Club 26:25 - Ad of The Week 30:04 - Coming Up Next Week, Dan Ariely Links: Story #1 Title: Google adds new PMax reporting, generative AI tools Source: Search Engine Land Link: https://searchengineland.com/build-modern-digital-marketing-plan-444367 Story #2 Title: The Best Strategy Icebreaker Source: Roger Martin Medium Link: https://rogermartin.medium.com/the-best-strategy-icebreaker-0c9b6ae58461 Story #3 Title: Google Won’t Kill Off Cookies, Consumers Will – And That’s How It Should Be Source: Adexchanger Link: https://www.adexchanger.com/data-driven-thinking/google-wont-kill-off-cookies-consumers-will-and-thats-how-it-should-be/ Story #4 Title: Nike: AN epic saga of value destruction Source: Masimo Guanaco on LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/nike-epic-saga-value-destruction-massimo-giunco-llplf Marketing Moment: Dollar Shave Club's Viral Launch: A Marketing Masterclass Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI The Birth of Dollar Shave Club Founded in 2011 by Michael Dubin and Mark Levine, Dollar Shave Club aimed to solve a common consumer pain point: overpriced and inconvenient razor purchases. The company's subscription-based model promised high-quality razors delivered directly to customers' doors at a fraction of the cost, challenging the traditional retail model. The Viral Video: "Our Blades Are F***ing Great" Key Elements of the Video: Authenticity: Michael Dubin's natural and relatable delivery made the brand feel genuine and trustworthy. Humor: The script was packed with memorable jokes and absurd scenarios that entertained while conveying the product's value proposition. Simplicity: The video clearly explained the problem (expensive, inconvenient razors) and DSC's solution in an easily digestible format. Shareability: The entertaining nature and concise length made it highly shareable across social media platforms. Immediate Impact: Within 48 hours of its release, the video amassed over 12,000 orders, crashing the company's servers due to the unexpected traffic surge. Results and Growth The viral success of the video translated into exponential growth for DSC. Customer Acquisition: The company gained a massive influx of subscribers, building a strong customer base rapidly. Investor Confidence: The buzz attracted substantial investments, fueling further expansion and product development. Industry Disruption: DSC's success challenged established brands, leading to shifts in marketing strategies and pricing models within the industry. Acquisition: In 2016, Unilever acquired Dollar Shave Club for a reported $1 billion, highlighting the monumental success achieved through innovative marketing. Ad of the Week McDonalds - first full AI-generated video that I’m aware of via john james https://www.linkedin.com/posts/officialjohnjames_ai-advertising-ugcPost-7231841679882731520-_Hcq/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android Mcdonalds Japan has released a polished ad using AI that cost the creator $50 in tools. The implications for worldwide advertising supply chain are huge

Dan White, a marketing innovator and former CMO, dives into evidence-based advertising strategies and insights from his new book. He discusses the balance between short-term performance and long-term brand building, highlighting the importance of brand memory and emotional connections. The conversation challenges misconceptions about advertising effectiveness and critiques traditional views on ad frequency. White emphasizes the necessity for simplicity in marketing while advocating for smart budgeting and leveraging existing brand assets to connect better with consumers.