The Marketing Architects

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 how branding strategy shapes consumer buying behavior and why the strategy you choose matters less than how consistently you execute it. Topics covered:[01:20] "Impact of Branding Strategy on Consumer Buying Behavior"
[02:50] Why branding does the heavy lifting for fast-moving consumer goods
[03:15] Four branding strategies: corporate, multi-brand, sub-brand and mono
[05:20] When a house of brands beats a branded house
[07:00] Commitment over perfection: why execution determines brand power

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast

Resources: Singh, Balgopal (2013), “Impact of Branding Strategy on Consumer Buying Behavior.”Research Journal of Arts, Management & Social Sciences, March 2013

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94% of pricing power comes from how meaningfully different a brand is perceived to be. So why are so many marketers playing it safe?

This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob ditch the safe answers and eat progressively spicier hot wings while doing it. Inspired by the format of Hot Ones, each round brings hotter wings and bolder takes on the marketing strategies most people are afraid to question. From the real cost of over-targeting to why your first-party data obsession may be holding you back, these are the opinions your marketing team needs to hear, even if they sting a little.

Topics covered:
[01:00] Research on why playing it safe is the riskiest bet in marketing
[04:00] Low CPMs on TV aren't a red flag
[06:00] Retargeting is overrated and doesn't grow your business
[08:00] Most marketers are over-targeting and overpaying for the illusion of precision
[14:00] Digital attribution set marketers back a decade
[19:00] First-party data obsession is preventing real growth
[22:00] Brands should stop producing TV spots like it's 2006
To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.

Resources:
2025 Ad Age Article: https://adage.com/article/opinion/why-playing-it-safe-riskiest-bet-marketing/2603646/

2025 WARC and Kantar Report: https://www.warc.com/SubscriberContent/article/warc-exclusive/playing-it-safe-is-not-safe-how-the-most-successful-brands-stand-out/en-gb/147826

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 what happens when a brand disappears, and which competitors stand to gain the most when a brand gets permanently pulled from the market.

Topics covered:[01:45] "Filling the Void: How Competing Brands Can Capitalize on a Brand Deletion"
[02:20] Why brands get deleted and how often it happens
[04:00] Who actually benefits when a brand disappears?
[05:30] The highest-return move competitors can make
[07:10] When raising prices backfires
[08:20] What manufacturers should stress-test before deleting a brand

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast

Resources: Keller, Kristopher O., and Harald J. van Heerde (2026), "Filling the Void: How Competing Brands Can Capitalize on a Brand Deletion." Working paper, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of New South Wales.

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

Trust isn't just a feel-good metric. According to an IPA Effectiveness Data Bank analysis of over 800 campaigns, 93% of campaigns that drive very large trust gains also deliver at least one major business effect. 

This week, Elena and Rob are joined by Catrina McAuliffe, SVP of Brand Strategy at Marketing Architects, to dig into what brand trust really means, how to measure it without turning your brand tracker into a "vibes recital," and what marketers get wrong when they try to advertise their way out of a trust deficit.

Topics covered:
[01:45] IPA data: trust-building campaigns and business impact
[03:00] What a genuinely good brand measurement system looks like
[06:00] Why brand health trackers become "vibes recitals"
[09:00] How to measure trust in two layers — what people say and what they'll forgive
[13:00] How newer brands vs. comeback brands should approach trust differently
[18:00] TV as a trust legitimizer and amplifier
[21:00] Can you advertise your way to trust?

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

Resources:
2024 MarketingWeek Article

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 ads appearing next to offensive or harmful content can quietly erode consumer trust, and what marketers should do when it happens.

Topics covered:
[00:45] "Brands in Unsafe Places: Effects of Brand Safety Incidents on Brand Outcomes"
[02:00] What counts as a brand safety incident?
[04:00] How quickly does brand damage spread?
[05:00] Which brands are most at risk?
[06:00] Unsafe content versus negative content: there's a difference
[07:00] How to respond when an incident occurs

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast

Resources: Grewal, L. S., Vana, P., & Stephen, A. T. (2025). Brands in unsafe places: Effects of brand safety incidents on brand outcomes. JMR, Journal of Marketing Research, 62(6), 981–1002. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222437251349522

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