The WARC Podcast

By WARCBusiness Education How To Marketing

The WARC Podcast episodes

July 30 The great divide: how to overcome marketing silos
How do the best marketers actually integrate brand and performance – not just in theory, but in org design, planning and measurement? Prophet’s Kate Price and Monica El Hassan join WARC's Ann Marie Kerwin to discuss strategies for a more integrated approach, based on WARC's marketing effectiveness research The Multiplier Playbook.
Guests:
Kate Price, Partner - Marketing Transformation, Prophet
Monica El-Hassan, Partner - Media, Prophet
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: The Multiplier Playbook on The WARC Podcast
01:49 – Why brand and performance marketing teams are siloed
03:18 – Cultural divides: traditional brand vs digital performance
04:28 – Specialist skills, loss of generalists and pressure on CMOs
07:15 – Shared language: bridging brand, demand and media teams
09:58 – Customer-centric marketing: changing behaviour to drive growth
14:30 – Integrated planning: how overperforming marketers organise
19:45 – Budget rebalancing: brand investment vs performance metrics
24:19 – B2B SaaS case: US Open sponsorship as a brand–demand engine
31:23 – Shared KPIs: proving commercial impact of brand marketing
38:34 – Org design: generalists, team structures and planning rhythms
40:21 – Key takeaways for marketing leaders
For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.
Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts
Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest
Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe
45 min
July 28 Attention is the new architecture for AI visibility
Brand equity is essential to win on AI platforms. Equity can't be built without memory, and memory can't be built without attention. WARC's Alex Brownsell discusses what role attention plays in AI visibility for brands, and practical advice to implement, with experts Dr. Karen Nelson Field, Carl Wåreus and Scott Reinders.
Guests:
Dr Karen Nelson-Field, Founder & CEO of Amplified
Carl Wåreus, Head of Partners & Specialists, Google Nordics
Scott Reinders, COO, Connect - part of The Up&Up Group
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro: Brand, AI Search and Attention on The WARC Podcast
02:08 - From Blue Links to Conversations: How AI is Changing Search Behaviour
03:31 - Collapsing the Messy Middle: LLMs as the New Consideration Engine
04:41 - Brand Equity as an AI Ranking Signal: Google Example from Sweden
06:54 - Levers vs Drift: Managing Brand Signals AI and LLMs Can See
08:21 - Automated Creative at Scale: Avoiding the ‘AI Slop’ Trap
10:32 - Visibility Starvation: The Risk of Low-Attention, Fast-Decay Media
12:32 - Misattribution and Invisibility: How Low Attention Hurts LLM Visibility
14:54 - Media Quality Redefined: High-Attention vs High-Intent Environments
16:14 - Silent Zone vs Vocal Zone: Human Noise, Reviews and AI Training Data
18:37 - Moving Beyond an Attention Metric: Attention as System Architecture
19:35 - Inside Attention AI: Generative Attention Modelling for Media and Creative
22:54 - Media Ceilings, Creative Hooks: How Formats and Assets Shape Attention
26:58 - Practical Advice: Multiplying Brand Equity, Attention and AI Visibility
For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.
Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts
Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest
Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe
30 min
July 23 Cultural intelligence matters more than ever
Cultural intelligence is high stakes for brands in the era of infinite content. Developing culturally-fluent talent is essential for brands seeking an edge. Cultural strategist Rachel Lowenstein and Effie LIONS Foundation CEO Allison Knapp Womack join WARC's Rica Facundo to discuss what's motivating young marketers, emerging cultural strategy trends and what it really means to move at "the speed of culture".
Guests:
Allison Knapp Womack, CEO, Effie LIONS Foundation
Rachel Lowenstein, Cultural Strategist and Content Creator
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: Talking cultural intelligence on The WARC Podcast
00:48 – What is cultural intelligence?
02:28 – Why brands get culture wrong: the Ipsos x Effie Lions Foundation study explained
04:47 – What’s at stake now: AI, social media backlash, and reputational risks for brands
07:26 – Talent vs jobs: The case for inclusive marketing talent
10:12 – Building a diverse pipeline of culturally intelligent marketers
16:43 – New talent models: Flash Teams, flexible cultural strategists, and moving at the speed of culture
19:45 – Romantasy and why centering new cultural perspectives drives growth
22:48 – Practical ways to develop young marketing talent
24:37 – Squiggly line careers: practical advice for emerging cultural strategists and CMOs
For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.
Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts
Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest
Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe
31 min
July 21 The harsh reality of advertising's shift to 'churn and burn'
New data from CreativeX reveals the alarming extent of 'churn and burn' short-termism among advertisers, based on a study of 633,000 ads over two years. Content volume is way up, but media budgets aren't. So what's going on? Anastasia Leng, CEO of CreativeX, joins WARC's David Tiltman to break down the data, examine the most concerning trends, and discuss how brands can turn the ship around.
Guests:
Anastasia Leng, CEO, CreativeX
Chapters:
00:00 – Fragmentation of creativity and the ‘more with less’ challenge
04:12 – From pre-testing to creative auditing at scale
05:18 – Why media and creative must come back together
06:54 – Explaining ‘fewer, bigger, longer, better’
09:19 – From scarcity to abundance: when ‘more content’ goes wrong
10:14 – Inside the study: 633k ads, $2bn spend, 143 Fortune 500 brands
12:52 – Content production up 29% in two years
14:01 – Media spend per ad down 15%: weaker support for each asset
15:34 – Short runs: 32 days for direct response ads, 40 days for brand ads
17:28 – Algorithms as creative directors and a crisis of confidence
19:49 – 93% of ads under $10k; 70% under $1k in spend
21:32 – Low-budget ads score 20% lower on creative quality
24:48 – Sub-$10k ads absorbing 30% of a $2bn media budget
32:05 – Three fixes: big ideas, media thresholds, better learning loops
35:29 – ‘Big swings’: $100k+ ads run 89 days but get only 18% of spend
For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.
Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts
Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest
Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe
38 min
July 16 Strategy standouts from Cannes Lions
Creative Strategy Lions jury president Sarah Lemarié and juror Dan Hill share powerful advice on how to level up strategic thinking, their stand out campaigns from Cannes Lions, why they look for 'strategic firsts' in the jury room, and a warning on using AI in awards entries. Hosted by Effie Insight's John Bizzell.
Guests:
Sarah Lemarié, Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis France
Dan Hill, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Wieden+Kennedy
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: Cannes Lions Creative Strategy Winners 2026
01:46 – Meet the Jury: Sarah Lemarié & Dan Hill on Judging Creative Strategy Lions
03:43 – Creating a Benchmark: Why Creative Strategy Lions Build a “Body of Work”
07:11 – Defining ‘What Good Looks Like’ in Creative Strategy at Cannes Lions
10:21 – Human Ingenuity & Empathy in a World of AI: What the Winners Proved
11:38 – Grand Prix Breakdown: Heineken’s “The Pub That Refused to Die” in Ireland
13:18 – Community Ownership & Brand Purpose: How Heineken Helped Save Local Pubs
16:09 – Gold Winner Spotlight: Faroe Islands Space Program and Tidal Energy Reframing
17:48 – “Simple but Clever” Strategy: Making Sustainable Tech Feel Playful & B2B-Friendly
20:12 – AI and Creative Strategy: Dove Real Reviews, Claude and LLM‑Ready Ideas
23:37 – Classic vs New Media: How Dove and Claude Blend Old CPG and New Tech
24:38 – How to Win a Creative Strategy Lion: Entry Writing, Storytelling & Results
26:40 – The Fosbury Flop of Strategy: Novelty, Firsts and Playful Creativity at Cannes
For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.
Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts
Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest
Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe
30 min
July 14 Mark Ritson versus marketing's 'culture of bullsh*t'
Mark Ritson is back to talk all things marketing skills, back-to-basics brand fundamentals, the impact of AI on the marketing workforce and why he's tired of marketing's 'culture of bullsh*t'. Hosted by WARC's David Tiltman.
Guest:
Mark Ritson, Founder, miniMBA
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: Mark Ritson joins The WARC Podcast
02:33 – Ritson & Byron Sharp: surprising areas of agreement
07:40 – The Multiplier Playbook and the effectiveness “say–do” gap
09:09 – Ipsos x Ritson test: two‑thirds of marketers fail basics
11:28 – Marketing’s skillset problem
15:20 – Fewer, bigger, longer: brand building vs short‑termism
18:58 – Why “idiot competitors” help smart brands win in recessions
19:41 – CreativeX data: 93% of big‑brand digital ads spend under $10k
22:38 – When performance thinking invades long‑term brand building
23:08 – AI and synthetic data: what will really change in marketing
24:56 – AI‑built marketing plans and a 60–65% cut in jobs
28:45 – Creator marketing, TikTok and the distinctiveness challenge
32:31 – The “uncivil war” in effectiveness and why debate matters
For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.
Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts
Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest
Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe
38 min
July 09 Inside the Cannes Lions Creative Effectiveness jury
Cannes Lions jury president Bertille Toledano and juror Jane Wakely share tips for aspiring winners of the Creative Effectiveness Lions, including lessons from this year's Grand Prix and Gold winners, how to present data, outline cultural context & and demonstrate brand growth with rigorous evidence.
Guests:
Bertille Toledano, CEO of BETC and Havas Creative Middle East, President of Havas Creative Network
Jane Wakely, EVP, Chief Consumer & Marketing Officer, PepsiCo; Chief Growth Officer, International Foods
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: Welcome to The WARC Podcast
01:32 – Meet the Jury: Bertille Toledano & Jane Wakely
02:47 – Inside the Jury Room: Setting a Vision for Creative Effectiveness
04:25 – Diversity, Debate & Data: How the Jury Worked Together
06:51 – Measuring Impact: Retention, Acquisition & Growth Metrics
08:25 – Case Study: ‘My Japan Railway’ and Design Meets Effectiveness
10:26 – Is Creative Effectiveness Getting Stronger?
13:15 – Grand Prix Decision: Why AXA’s ‘Three Words’ Won
15:51 – Reframing Low-Interest Categories with Human-Centric Ideas
18:10 – Pedigree in Brazil: Mutt Adoption, Culture and Category Growth
22:17 – Another Standout Case: IKEA’s ‘Hidden Tags’
25:25 – How to Write a Winning Effectiveness Paper: Data & Sources
28:36 – Cultural Context for Global Juries: Don’t Assume Understanding
29:25 – Category Growth vs Share Growth: What Really Matters
For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.
Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts
Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest
Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe
30 min
July 07 How Fitflop broke through the performance plateau
How do you break out of a performance plateau without extra budget? Footwear brand FitFlop is walking the talk (in FitFlops, of course). Fitflop's Brittany Ellam and Ash Singh from Jellyfish join WARC's David Tiltman to discuss how the brand tapped into thinking from The Multiplier Effect, and the impressive results it achieved by embracing a better approach to investing in brand and performance marketing.
Guests:
Brittany Ellam, Interim Global Head of Acquisition & Media, FitFlop
Ashwin Singh, Media Strategy Director, Jellyfish
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: Why FitFlop is a ‘multiplier effect’ case study
02:57 – FitFlop’s story: from comfort innovation to global brand
04:46 – Hitting the performance plateau: shrinking baselines, falling CVR
08:00 – Jellyfish's diagnosis: mental availability, not demand, is the problem
12:59 – Funding brand without extra budget: cutting low-intent traffic
17:46 – The “dynamic replenishment loop” explained
22:17 – Build–Nudge–Connect: rethinking creative and social proof
29:35 – Results: +68% ROAS, +30% revenue and rising conversion rates
36:24 – Internal buy-in, learnings and advice for marketers
For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.
Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts
Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest
Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe
48 min
July 02 The Effective CMO: Land O'Lakes' Heather Malenshek
Land O' Lakes is working to change the cultural narrative around rural America while building B2B and B2C brands trusted by generations of farmers and consumers alike. CMO Heather Malenshek joins WARC's Ann Marie Kerwin to discuss why representation is key to building brand trust, overcoming AI biases, and much more.
For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with
rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC
Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.
Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here:
https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts
Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest
Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe
28 min
June 30 Why C-suite alignment is an urgent marketing priority
CMOs often struggle to secure long-term brand investment, missing out on its multiplier effect on performance. Mike Menkes and Jason McNellis of Analytic Partners explain why performance metrics mislead, how to align with CFOs using incremental measurement, and why scenario planning builds trust and defends budgets effectively, based on WARC's Multiplier Playbook research. Hosted by Ann Marie Kerwin.
Guests:
Mike Menkes, Group Senior Vice President, Analytic Partners
Jason McNellis, Vice President, Commercial Analytics, Analytic Partners
Ann Marie Kerwin, Americas Editor, WARC
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Welcome to The WARC Podcast
01:44 – Why CMOs struggle to secure brand investment
02:45 – The risks of over-focusing on performance metrics
03:46 – Are CMOs and CFOs speaking different languages?
06:58 – What “incrementality” really means for marketers
08:54 – Matching marketing metrics to CFO and investor language
10:40 – Inside the “doom loop” of last-click and search over-crediting
13:28 – Balancing brand building and performance marketing
14:26 – Why most brands overspend on performance media
18:08 – Redefining ROI and ROMI with finance
20:22 – Short-term vs long-term effects of marketing investment
22:52 – Proving marketing as a growth investment, not a cost
29:03 – Using scenario planning to defend marketing budgets
31:19 – Case study: Luxury retailer increases spend instead of cutting
33:07 – One action CMOs can take tomorrow with finance
For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.
Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts
Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest
Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe
37 min

About The WARC Podcast

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