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 challenge the assumption that older consumers stick with older brands. Real purchase data from over 88,000 grocery trips shows older shoppers buy a mix of brands based on size and relevance, not age or nostalgia.

Topics covered:   

• [01:00] "Examining Older Consumers' Loyalty towards Older Brands in Grocery Retailing"
• [02:00] What the data revealed about older shoppers
• [04:00] Do these findings apply beyond grocery categories?
• [05:00] Financial services and credit card research
• [06:00] Cars, durables, and 25 years of cross-category data
• [08:00] Your brand preferences are like your closet 

 





To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
Phua, P., Kennedy, R., Trinh, G., Page, B., & Sharp, B. (2020). Examining older consumers’ loyalty towards older brands in grocery retailing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 54, 101893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101893:contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}  
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Most B2B marketers in tech are marketers in name only. They're really just tool operators. That's according to Liam Moroney, founder of Storybook Marketing, who believes the industry has lost sight of fundamental marketing principles.

This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Liam to discuss the false dichotomies plaguing marketing effectiveness. From brand versus performance to long-term versus short-term thinking, these binaries are actively harming growth. Liam shares his journey from demand gen tool operator to brand advocate and how to make brand measurement more tangible for skeptical executives.

Topics covered: 

• [04:00] Crisis of confidence in the demand gen mindset
• [11:00] How the B2B tech industry avoids the word "brand" entirely
• [15:00] The problem with demand generation as a concept
• [19:00] Making brand marketing tangible through operational metrics
• [23:00] Share of search as an accessible brand measurement tool
• [29:00] Why B2B advertising looks so generic and how it's changing 

 





To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
2020 Tom Roach Article: https://thetomroach.com/2020/11/15/the-wrong-and-the-short-of-it/ 
Liam Moroney’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liammoroney/
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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 reveal how sonic logos, those brief musical signatures lasting just five or six seconds, can boost brand perception and ad effectiveness as much as full-length background music. They explore optimal placement strategies that maximize emotional impact.

Topics covered:   

• [01:00] "Small Sounds, Big Impact: Sonic Logos and Their Effect on Consumer Attitudes, Emotions, Brand and Advertising Placement"
• [02:00] How sonic logos differ from jingles
• [03:00] Happy versus sad sonic logos in testing
• [04:00] Placement matters: beginning versus end positioning
• [05:00] Primacy and recency effects in audio branding
• [06:00] Why so few brands invest in sonic logos 

 





To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
Scott, S. P., Sheinin, D., & Labrecque, L. I. (2022). Small sounds, big impact: Sonic logos and their effect on consumer attitudes, emotions, brands and advertising placement. Journal of Product & Brand Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-06-2021-3507:contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}  
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Getting marketing effectiveness principles to stick at major companies is harder than proving they work. Even when the data shows brand activity drives 65% of sales, internal structures and human psychology work against long-term thinking.

This week, Elena and Rob are joined by Simon Peel, managing partner at The Other Lot and former Global Head of Media at Adidas. Simon shares how Adidas discovered that brand activity was driving 65% of sales across all channels, not the digital performance marketing in which they were heavily invested. He reveals the internal battles, years of education, and structural changes needed to make effectiveness principles stick at large organizations.

Topics covered: 

• [01:00] Why Adidas publicly admitted their digital advertising mistakes
• [10:00] The marshmallow effect and why humans default to short-term thinking
• [16:00] Differences between US and European adoption of effectiveness principles
• [20:00] Why measurement needs econometrics, randomized tests, and attribution
• [26:00] How light buyers drove 80-90% of revenue at both Adidas and Haleon
• [30:00] Why AI will perpetuate bad media buying practices 

 





To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources:  
2019 MarketingWeek Article: https://www.marketingweek.com/adidas-marketing-effectiveness/
2019 Institute of Practitioners in Advertising Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbT8TqBUgOs
Simon Peel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-peel-28a83215/?originalSubdomain=uk 



Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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 small rituals before consuming products can dramatically enhance enjoyment and make experiences more memorable. They reveal why structured, meaningful movements work better than random gestures and how brands like Jeep, Oreo, and Apple have mastered the art of ritual-driven engagement.

Topics covered:   

• [01:00] "Rituals Enhanced Consumption" 
• [02:00] The Jeep Wrangler ducking ritual and community building 
• [03:00] Four experiments on chocolate bars, carrots, and lemonade 
• [04:00] Why delay after rituals increases anticipation and enjoyment 
• [05:00] Personal involvement: doing versus watching rituals 
• [06:00] Brand examples: Oreos, Starbucks, Disney, and Guinness 
• [07:00] Apple's unboxing experience as the ultimate ritual 

 





To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
Vohs, K. D., Wang, Y., Gino, F., & Norton, M. I. (2013). Rituals enhance consumption. Psychological Science, 24(9), 1714–1721. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797613478949 
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Does advertising nudge your memory? Change your mind? Or make you feel something? The answer isn't as simple as you think.

This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob examine five leading theories of how advertising works. They debate memory nudging versus persuasion models, explore why emotional ads outperform rational ones, and reveal which approaches actually drive business results.

Topics covered: 

• [02:00] Memory nudging theory and mental availability from Ehrenberg-Bass
• [08:00] When persuasion models change consumer minds
• [13:00] Why emotional priming outperforms rational advertising
• [18:00] Cultural branding and why most brands can't pull it off
• [21:00] Signaling theory and how expensive media builds credibility
• [24:00] Which advertising theory each host likes most
• [26:00] Mandela Effect game connecting memory to brand recall 

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 


Resources: 
2020 Ehrenberg-Bass Institute Study: https://marketingscience.info/what-is-the-effect-of-advertising-on-mental-market-share/ 

 
Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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 reveal the true cost of turning off advertising spend. They explore research across 365 US brands showing market share declines by 10% after one year, 20% after two years, and 30% after four years of going dark.

Topics covered: 

• [01:00] "When Brands Go Dark: A Replication and Extension"
• [02:00] Market share drops 10% after one year of going dark
• [04:00] Brand size and trajectory predict decline severity
• [05:00] Low frequency categories suffer most without advertising
• [06:00] Light buyers are first to forget your brand
• [07:00] Mental availability matters more than shelf availability 

 





To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
Phua, P., Hartnett, N., Beal, V., Trinh, G., & Kennedy, R. (2023). When brands go dark: A replication and extension. Journal of Advertising Research, 63(2), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-2023-009 
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

AI agents heavily rely on structured data like pricing and star ratings while largely ignoring flashy visuals or banners. Traditional SEO strategies may actually harm your chances of being recommended by AI systems.

This week, Elena and Rob are joined by Jonathan Elfreich, Head AI Architect at Misfits and Machines, to explore how AI is changing marketing. From SEO to GEO optimization to AI-driven TV advertising, learn what marketers need to know about preparing for a world where machines make purchasing decisions.

Topics covered: 

• [04:00] How AI differs from automation and learns from data 
• [09:00] Why traditional SEO strategies harm AI citation results 
• [14:00] Building brand memories in AI systems like ChatGPT 
• [18:00] How well-known brands have advantages in AI recommendations 
• [21:00] Short-term changes happening in TV advertising with AI 
• [24:00] Long-term vision for personalized, generated TV content 
• [28:00] The importance of targeting and mass customization 

 





To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 


Resources:  
2025 AdExchanger Article: https://www.adexchanger.com/data-driven-thinking/marketing-to-machines-a-new-performance-strategy-in-the-age-of-ai-agents/
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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 why animal images consistently create more favorable attitudes toward ads and brands than human models. They reveal how biophilia, pet love, and trust drive effectiveness. Plus learn when using animals can backfire.

Topics covered:   

• [01:00] "Effectiveness of Animal Images and Advertising"
• [02:00] Biophilia drives receptiveness to animal ads
• [03:00] Pet lovers smile more at animal advertisements
• [04:00] Baby animals trigger caretaking reflexes
• [06:00] Animals project trustworthiness onto brands
• [08:00] When animals backfire as consumer stand-ins 

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
Keller, B., & Gierl, H. (2020).Effectiveness of animal images in advertising. Marketing ZFP–Journal of Research and Management, 42(1), 3–32. https://doi.org/10.15358/0344-1369-2020-1-3 
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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.

Topics covered:   

• [04:30] What is marketing effectiveness?
• [07:30] Why Mark created the Mini MBA
• [15:00] How AI will change the future of advertising
• [17:15] Why marketers undervalue TV advertising
• [21:00] The differences between effectiveness and marketing science
• [29:30] Marketing fundamentals don’t change 

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
2023 MarketingWeek Article: https://www.marketingweek.com/effectiveness-ignorance-american-marketing/
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.