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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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This week, we’re resharing a top episode from the archive. Originally recorded a year ago, this episode features the one and only Mark Ritson and remains one of our most popular episodes to-date. Enjoy, and we’ll be back with new content next week!
This episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by professor, consultant, and columnist Dr. Mark Ritson. Based on his experience as both a marketing academic and practitioner, Mark shares his thoughts on the state of marketing effectiveness in the US, what we can learn from the history of marketing, and the importance of balancing research with active testing to discover marketing strategies that really work.
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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 how brand betrayal triggers actual psychological pain and revenge-seeking behavior, making betrayed customers far more dangerous than merely dissatisfied ones.
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At any given time, 95% of potential B2B buyers aren't in-market for your product. Only 5% are actively shopping. Most people your ads reach won't buy anytime soon.
This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob explore the 95/5 rule introduced by professor John Dawes in 2021. They discuss how this principle contradicts the familiar 80/20 rule, why the fundamental principle applies beyond B2B categories, and how brands can shift from "hunter" to "farmer" mindsets. The team also covers creative strategies for reaching the 95% who aren't ready to buy yet and why mental availability matters more than immediate conversion.
Topics covered:
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 how dynamic retargeting ads often underperform generic brand ads. They discover that timing and customer readiness matter more than personalization.
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Most B2B marketers completely misunderstand what brand advertising is supposed to do. They conflate brand narrative with brand advertising, trying to make one execution do both jobs.
This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Matt Maynard, VP of Global Brand and Advertising at Asana. Matt shares how he went from journalism to marketing thought leadership without taking a single marketing class. He digs into the dangerous defaults B2B marketers fall into, from pipeline obsession to customer story overuse. Plus, learn why brand advertising and brand narrative are two completely different things that most companies wrongly conflate.
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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 how attention metrics reveal the true value of media platforms. They discover that not all impressions deliver equal attention and learn why excess share of voice works best when paired with high-attention media placement.
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Research shows brands that over-invest in short-term performance marketing alone can cut their ROI by 20-50%. But when they shift to a balanced strategy with 40-60% brand building, ROI jumps by an average of 90%.
In this episode, Elena, Angela, and Rob tackle how marketers can implement effectiveness principles without massive budgets. They explore how Dollar Shave Club drove 12,000 subscriptions with a $4,500 video, discuss the ideal channel mix for limited funds, and share practical tools making creativity more accessible than ever. Plus, discover which marketing tactics to protect when budgets get tight.
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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 the paradox between consumers' stated privacy concerns and their willingness to share data for small incentives, revealing how privacy regulations affect the entire advertising ecosystem.
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The most efficient frequency for TV advertising is just one impression. As controversial as that sounds, the data is clear. You need at least 2X more conversion likelihood from a second viewing to justify its cost.
This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Jordan Rossler, VP of Media Analytics, to explore why cost is the principal determinant of TV's ROI. They examine the controversial "Everything Works at Zero" principle, where any effective media becomes dramatically more efficient when you lower its cost. The team breaks down why CPM is king and how to evaluate if cheap media is still high quality.
Topics covered:
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 how platform design influences marketing outcomes, revealing that each digital ecosystem creates unique challenges and opportunities that impact advertising effectiveness.
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