The Marketing Architects
Introducing a research-first podcast that builds revenue, not condos.Answer questions on the biggest marketing trends and news with discussions based in marketing, psychology and economics research. Along the way, learn about marketing accountability, category leadership, brand-building and much more.Featuring a team of experienced marketers whose blueprints for success are marketing strategies actually proven to work.
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The Performance-to-Brand Playbook with Peter Sengenberger
A premium supplement brand saw retail sales jump 40% in six months after one strategic shift: switching from direct response TV to brand advertising. That single result changed 25-year media pro Peter Sengenberger's entire belief system. <br /><br />In this episode, Elena and Rob are joined by Peter Sengenberger, former demand gen and brand strategy lead at BambooHR. Peter explains why over-reliance on performance channels creates a "doom loop," why brand advertising builds what he calls "prepaid demand," and how his "depth of message" framework ranks media by the quality of impressions they deliver. <br /><br /><br />Topics covered: <br />[00:00] Performance mark...
Nerd Alert: Why Ads Reach Older Consumers Less
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. <br /><br />In this episode, Elena and Rob examine why advertising consistently underperforms with consumers over 60 and find the answer has less to do with older brains and more to do with where marketers are pointing their media budgets. <br /><br />Topics covered: <br />[00:02:00] "Differences in Advertising Effectiveness Across Age Groups[00:03:00] How researchers measured mental availability across 1,500 [00:04:00] The associative penetration gap between age groups[00:07:00] How the purchase funnel nar...
The Death of the Funnel
Concern about short-termism among marketers jumped from 25% in 2022 to 55% in 2025. Budget allocation barely moved. The funnel may not be dead, but it might be damaging your brand.<br /><br />This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob debate whether the marketing funnel still belongs in the boardroom. They unpack why the funnel persists despite strong evidence against it, how ad platforms reinforce flawed thinking for commercial reasons, and what alternatives actually work. <br /><br /><br />Topics covered:<br />• [01:00] Marketing Week article on why funnel reinvention is backfiring<br />• [02:00] The funnel as a mental shortcut vs. a map of how people buy<br />• [05:00] How ad platfo...
Nerd Alert: When Consumers Punish Acquired Brands
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. <br /><br />In this episode, Elena and Rob explore why consumers sometimes turn on brands after an acquisition, even when the product hasn't changed, and what marketers can do to soften the blow.<br /><br />Topics covered:[02:05] "When and Why Consumers React Negatively to Brand Acquisitions: A Values Authenticity Account"[03:00] What is values authenticity, and why does it matter?[04:05] Why the underdog effect isn't the real culprit[04:40...
Synthetic Research and the Future of Marketing with Peter Weinberg
95% of senior marketing leaders are already using or planning to use synthetic data within 12 months. So why are so many marketers still on the fence?<br /><br />In this episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob talk with Peter Weinberg, co-founder of Evidenza and former head of research at LinkedIn’s B2B Institute. They discuss where to start with synthetic audiences, how to assess accuracy, and why brand building still matters as AI changes how people search and decide.<br /><br />Topics covered:<br />• [00:00] Introductions and what synthetic research actually is<br />• [03:00] Why 95% of marketing leaders plan to use synthetic data within 12...
Nerd Alert: Your Strongest Distinctive Brand Asset
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. <br /><br />In this episode, Elena and Rob explore the first large-scale benchmarking study of distinctive brand assets, and the results challenge some long-held assumptions about which assets actually stick in consumer memory. <br /><br />Topics covered:[01:35] "Shape-Based Assets Are Strongest: Benchmarking Distinctive Brand Asset Performance Across Industries"[02:55] What is a distinctive brand asset?[03:30] Fame vs. uniqueness: the two dimensions of distinctiveness[04:15] Why color is the weakest...
Two-Thirds of American Marketers Would Fail a Basic Marketing Test with Mark Ritson
More than 40% of American marketers can't define positioning. And 84% of those same marketers rate themselves as above average. Both can't be right.<br /><br />This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Mark Ritson, marketing professor, consultant, and creator of the Mini MBA. Mark walks through his new research with Ipsos on US marketing knowledge, explains why formal training is the single biggest predictor of marketing competence, and shares the one concept every marketer should prioritize. The conversation also covers market orientation, how AI is reshaping marketing careers, and what it takes to stay relevant in the years ahead.<...
Nerd Alert: But AI Told Me So!
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. <br /><br />In this episode, Elena and Rob examine how large language models like ChatGPT recommend vendors. They unpack why visibility in AI-generated lists doesn't always mean credibility, and what marketers can do about it. <br /><br />Topics covered:[01:00] "Visibility is Not Equal to Credibility: Self-Promotion Bias in LLM Generated Recommendations"[02:30] Three patterns brands use to game AI rankings[03:50] What ChatGPT admitted when pushed for sources[04:30] Can...
The Psychology Marketers are Missing with Phill Agnew
Telling people not to listen drove three times more podcast listeners than telling them why they should. That's behavioral science at work, and most marketers are barely scratching the surface of it.<br /><br />This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Phill Agnew, host of "Nudge," the UK's number one marketing podcast. Phill breaks down the hidden psychology that shapes how consumers think and buy, from why visible effort makes your brand more valuable to how scarcity can be applied in ways that go far beyond a "limited time offer." You'll walk away with principles you can apply...
Nerd Alert: Ad Wearout...Wearout
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.<br /><br />In this episode, Elena and Rob explore whether the annoyance caused by overexposed ads actually fades over time and what that means for when and how brands should measure campaign effectiveness. <br /><br />Topics covered:<br />[01:20] "Ad Wearout...Wearout: How Time Can Reverse the Negative Effect of Frequent Advertising Repetition on Brand Preference"[02:40] What happens when people see your ad too many times?[03:30] Halloween spiders a...
