Nerd Alert: Do Marketers Know Their Customers?

More from The Marketing Architects

1. 

   E183 · 29 Sep 2026 · 31 min

   What's a Brand Actually Worth? with Professor Dave Reibstein

   Buy a brand, and it shows up on your balance sheet. Build one, and it doesn't. Wharton professor Dave Reibstein thinks that's backwards. This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Dave Reibstein, the William S. Woodside Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School and co-author of Marketing Metrics. Dave explains how to put an actual number on brand value, whether you take it in price premium, volume, or some mix of both. He shares 10 years of research on how country branding shapes trade, tourism, and investment, plus why "Made in Italy" still sells shoes. Plus, hear the team pitch…

2. 

   E126 · 24 Sep 2026 · 10 min

   Nerd Alert: Shrinkflation and Consumer Demand

   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. In this episode, Elena and Rob dig into shrinkflation, the quiet price increase that shrinks the product instead of raising the number on the shelf. A decade of retail scanner data shows shoppers shrug off a smaller box, cheer a bigger one, and keep buying either way. Topics covered: [01:40] "Shrinkflation and Consumer Demand" [02:20] Shrink the box or raise the price?…

3. 

   E182 · 22 Sep 2026 · 39 min

   Trust is a Growth Strategy with Kent Grayson

   Marketers assume the moment consumers spot a sales pitch, their guard goes up and the message dies. New research says that's only half the story. Sometimes recognizing persuasion makes people trust a brand more, not less. This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Kellogg School of Management professor Kent Grayson, who has spent decades studying trust, deception and authenticity. He explains the three building blocks every brand draws on to earn trust, plus how to diagnose which one you're actually missing. The team also digs into whether TV itself works as a trust signal, and why AI…

4. 

   E181 · 15 Sep 2026 · 39 min

   AI Didn’t Ruin Your Ads with Steve Babcock

   83% of ad executives now use AI in the creative process, up from 60% two years ago. But only 45% of young consumers feel positive about AI-made ads. Advertisers guess that number is 82%. This week, Elena and Angela are joined by Chief Creative Officer Steve Babcock to dig into that gap. Cost efficiency is now the top reason marketers reach for AI. It ranked fifth two years ago. Steve explains where AI slop really comes from, why TV punishes cut corners far more than social does, and what still has to stay human. Plus, why cutting production costs means improving the smallest line item on the…

5. 

   E124 · 10 Sep 2026 · 10 min

   Nerd Alert: When to Admit Your Brand's Mistakes

   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. In this episode, Elena and Rob look at why burying a mistake isn't always the right call. They learn how an honest flaw in a product's story can make it feel rare, one of a kind and worth paying more for. Plus, the two limits every marketer should know before trying it. Topics covered: [02:05] "Made by Mistake: When Mistakes Increase Product Preference" [03:15] The…

6. 

   E180 · 8 Sep 2026 · 39 min

   Betting on the Long with Aaron Pelander, Chief Brand Officer, GOVX

   The IPA analyzed nearly 1,000 campaigns and found a 60/40 split between brand and performance marketing drives the strongest long-term growth. GOVX tested that research and broke free of a plateau. This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob talk with Aaron Pelander, Chief Brand Officer at GOVX, the largest online retailer serving the US military and first responder community. Aaron shares how GOVX moved from a performance-only mindset to a balanced brand strategy. He breaks down the leading indicators his team tracks, from share of search to direct traffic. Marketers on a plateau will get a real plan…

7. 

   E128 · 8 Oct 2026 · 10 min

   Nerd Alert: Pretesting with AI-Generated Ads

   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. In this episode, Elena and Rob dig into new research testing whether AI-generated ads can stand in for real production during pretesting. They cover what two studies found about recall, brand attitude, and brand choice, why disclosure didn't move the numbers, and the screening step marketers shouldn't skip. Topics covered: [02:10] "Pretesting with AI-Generated Static and…

8. 

   E184 · 6 Oct 2026 · 41 min

   The Physical Laws of Marketing with Joe McCambley, CMO of Saatva

   Saatva grew to more than $150 million on one channel: non-branded search. Then hundreds of competitors flooded the mattress category and costs skyrocketed. This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Saatva CMO Joe McCambley to talk about what happened next. Joe explains the statistically significant relationships he tracks between channels, why $200,000 a month in podcast advertising moved branded search within weeks, and how a WARC-led curriculum got his board comfortable with upper funnel spend. Plus, hear why he'd rather blanket the universe than target individual consumers. Topics…

9. 

   E127 · 1 Oct 2026 · 9 min

   Nerd Alert: Making Effectiveness Work

   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. In this episode, Elena and Rob dig into why five analysts can hand you five different ROI numbers for the same campaign. They explain why averaging those numbers hides the truth, and how to match your measurement method to the size of the decision in front of you. Topics covered: [01:40] "Making Effectiveness Work" [02:20] Three ways to measure ad effectiveness [02:40]…

10. 

    30 Sep 2026 · 18 min

    BONUS: 5 Ways to Build a Challenger Brand that Consumers Trust

    73% of people think they should have an estate plan. But only 26% actually do. So how do you get consumers to act on something they'd rather avoid? Recorded live at Brandweek, CEO Angela Voss sits down with Trust & Will CMO Dale Sperling. They break down five ways the digital estate planning brand builds trust at scale, from TV's signaling power to warm, human creative and sonic branding. Plus, hear how sticking with one campaign helped drive an 89% lift in unaided awareness since 2023. Topics covered: [01:00] Why trust drives purchase decisions [04:00] How TV signals legitimacy [05:30]…

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