Creating Future Demand with James Hurman

More from The Marketing Architects

1. 

   E118 · 30 Jul 2026 · 10 min

   Nerd Alert: Why Nostalgic Advertising Works

   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 new research on nostalgic advertising. They break down when a "remember when" ad sticks in someone's memory, and when a straightforward, factual ad works better instead. Topics covered: [02:05] "Nostalgic Advertising Enhances Brand Name Recall by Reactivating Brand-Related Autobiographical Memories" [02:35] Why marketers need every…

2. 

   E174 · 28 Jul 2026 · 37 min

   What The Industry Gets Right and Wrong About Effectiveness

   Cannes debuted a new award for creative consistency this year. 73 brands entered. Just two won. This week, Elena, Angela, Rob, Catherine, and Nikki unpack what actually happened at Cannes versus what just made headlines. The team shares why intelligence-gathering, not glamour, is the real reason to attend, and how AI is quietly reshaping ad tech products behind the scenes. They also weigh in on where live sports, retail media, and creator marketing genuinely fit into an effectiveness-driven strategy versus where they're overhyped. Marketers will walk away knowing which Cannes trends deserve…

3. 

   E117 · 23 Jul 2026 · 11 min

   Nerd Alert: Why Your Advertising ROI is Wrong

   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 break down why proving ad ROI is far harder than most marketers assume, even with millions of dollars and millions of customers. They also unpack why the Super Bowl might be the hardest ad buy of all to measure. Topics covered: [01:00] "The Unfavorable Economics of Measuring the Returns to Advertising" [02:00] Why the spirit of ROI gets…

4. 

   E116 · 16 Jul 2026 · 9 min

   Nerd Alert: When Personalized Ads Become Creepy

   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 explore what triggers the personalization backfire effect and why the same ad can feel helpful one day and invasive the next. Topics covered:[01:20] "Triggering the Personalization Backfire Effect: The Moderating Role of Situational Privacy Concern" [02:45] How the study tested three levels of ad personalization [04:27] When more personal…

5. 

   E172 · 14 Jul 2026 · 42 min

   From the Archive: The Problem with "Purpose" with Nick Asbury

   This week, we're resharing a favorite episode from the archive. Enjoy, and we'll be back with new content next week! Our hosts are joined by Nick Asbury, creative writer and author of The Road to Hell: How Purposeful Business Leads to Bad Marketing and a Worse World. Nick challenges brand purpose, arguing it produces formulaic campaigns while the research supporting it is fundamentally flawed. Topics covered: [04:00] How the 2008 financial crash sparked the purpose movement [12:00] The real story behind Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign data [18:00] Why for-profit companies lack social license…

6. 

   13 Jul 2026 · 19 min

   BONUS: An Ecommerce Brand’s Guide to TV that Performs

   According to WARC, TV drives more sales impact than Facebook video and YouTube. GOVX proved the research to be true, growing orders alongside TV impressions. Recorded live at CommerceNext 2026, this bonus episode features Marketing Architects Chief Strategic Growth Officer Stacey Hawes and GOVX Chief Brand Officer Aaron Pelander. They tackle one of marketing's toughest challenges: proving TV's impact when its biggest effects don’t show up for months after launch. Aaron shares how GOVX moved from a performance-only mindset to a 60/40 split between brand and performance budgets, and why that…

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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