Nerd Alert: Pretesting with AI-Generated Ads

More from The Marketing Architects All episodes →

1. 

   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…

2. 

   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]…

3. 

   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]…

4. 

   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…

5. 

   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?…