Creative Effectiveness in 2026 with Steve Babcock

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 84% of purchases are decided before shoppers even start looking... and why that changes everything about how you should invest in marketing.Topics covered: [01:00] "How Humans Decide: What Drives Consumer Choice and How Brands Should Respond"[02:00] The two stages of every purchase decision[04:00] Why 84% of purchases are already decided[06:00] Who's easy to influence (and who isn't)[07:00] The touchpoints that actually change behavior[08:00] Three moves to reach primed buyers  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: WPP Media & Oxford Saïd Business School, Marketing Faculty. (2025). How Humans Decide: What drives consumer choice, and how brands should respond. October 2025.  Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

When brands try to stand out through purpose or activism, they often stumble into controversy. So what's driving these missteps? And how should brands respond when backlash strikes? This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Professor Tyler Milfeld from Villanova School of Business to discuss the hidden risks of brand activism and repositioning. Tyler unpacks why high-profile rebrands fail, when purpose messaging actually works, and how brands should respond when they face backlash. Plus, learn why doing nothing might be better than apologizing. Topics covered: [04:00] Why most repositioning efforts fail[09:00] The credibility gap in brand purpose[12:00] When pro-social brands don't benefit from purpose ads[18:00] How brand power changes the rules for activism[21:00] The worst response to brand activism backlash[29:00] Why great insights matter more than shiny objects[32:00] Marketing communication needs more fun To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: 2025 MediaPost Article:https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/411321/what-drives-brand-repositioning-and-why-do-these.htmlVillanova University Page: https://www1.villanova.edu/university/business/faculty-and-research/faculty-by-department/[email protected]&xsl=bio_longTyler Milfeld’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-milfeld/ 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 examine why treating statistical significance as proof can mislead marketers. They reveal how relying on a single P-value creates blind spots and why smart decisions require looking at the full picture of evidence.Topics covered: [01:00] "Statistical Significance and Statistical Reporting, Moving Beyond Binary"[02:00] What statistical significance actually means[04:00] When significant results don't matter for business[05:00] Building a toolkit approach beyond P-values[06:00] Practical importance versus statistical significance[08:00] Avoiding single-test tunnel vision  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: McShane, B. B., Bradlow, E. T., Lynch, J. G., Jr., & Meyer, R. J. (2024). “Statistical Significance” and statistical reporting: Moving beyond binary. Journal of Marketing, 88(1), 1–20.  Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Only 21% of creatively awarded campaigns actually drive business results. But when ideas reach the very top of creative excellence, effectiveness doubles to 44%. So what separates the winners from the rest?This week, Elena and Rob are joined by Chief Creative Officer Steve Babcock to discuss what makes creative truly effective in 2026. They explore why most award-winning work fails to drive growth, the danger of over-personalization, and why fewer ideas executed longer beats constant reinvention. Plus, hear Steve's contrarian take on creative awards, the role of AI in advertising, and why durability matters more than novelty.Topics covered: [01:00] Why only 21% of award-winning creative is effective[09:00] Durability beats novelty in creative effectiveness[15:00] Over-personalization is hurting creative campaigns[21:00] Balancing emotional and rational messaging[24:00] AI's role in creative work and the "human leap"[32:00] Steve's advice: commit to fewer ideas for longer  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources:  2025 WARC Article: https://ethicalmarketingnews.com/highly-awarded-creative-ideas-are-significantly-more-effective-new-warc-research-reveals 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 B2B brands struggle with physical availability and how marketers can reclaim control over where and how their products are sold. They break down three key strategies: presence, prominence, and portfolio management.Topics covered:   [01:00] "Easy to Find: Being Where B2B Buying Happens"[02:00] Mental vs. physical availability[03:00] Presence: Showing up where buying happens[05:00] Prominence: Building owned vs. rented visibility[07:00] Portfolio: Protecting your core products[08:00] The lighthouse and harbor analogy  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: Nenycz-Thiel, M., & Romaniuk, J. (2025, November). Easy to find: Being where B2B buying happens. Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science.  Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute proves 18% of established brands grow market share by 5% or more in a single year. The real question isn't whether growth is possible—it's how to sustain it.This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob explore what separates the 7% of brands that maintain growth over multiple years from the rest, covering fundamentals like mental and physical availability and the tension between board pressure and patient strategy.Topics covered: [01:00] Why growth isn't rare for established brands[04:00] Only 7% of brands sustain meaningful growth over three years[06:00] How consistency beats novelty for long-term success[09:00] What it means to become a category leader[13:00] Creative fundamentals that build mental availability[17:00] Physical availability matters as much as mental availability[21:00] Playing "Grow or Go" to evaluate marketing decisions  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: 2025 MarketingWeek Article: https://www.marketingweek.com/established-brands-grow/ 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 brand presence and timing shape viewer memory. They reveal why showing your brand early and often for at least two-thirds of the ad is critical for recognition.Topics covered:   [01:00] "Brand Recognition in Television Advertising: The Influence of Brand Presence and Brand Introduction"[02:00] How brand presence affects recall[03:00] The cost of delayed brand introduction[04:00] The two-thirds rule for optimal recognition[05:00] Building memory structures through creative[06:00] Why storytelling techniques can backfire  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: Gerber, C., Terblanche-Smit, M., & Crommelin, T. (2014). Brand recognition in television advertising: The influence of brand presence and brand introduction.Acta Commercii, 14(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v14i1.223  Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

When your grandma starts asking ChatGPT for recommendations, you know search has fundamentally changed. Josh Blyskal from Profound tracks billions of real AI search queries, and his data reveals a massive shift in how consumers discover and evaluate brands.This week, Elena, Rob, and Jonathan sit down with Josh to discuss answer engine optimization (AEO) and what marketers need to know right now. Josh explains why traditional SEO tactics like domain authority matter less in AI search, how different engines cite content, and the surprising power of FAQs in product discovery. Plus, learn why SEOs have never had a better opportunity to become heroes in their marketing organizations.Topics covered: [04:00] When AI search shifted from novelty to cultural necessity[06:00] How ranking signals differ between ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity[09:00] Why domain authority matters less for AEO than traditional SEO[14:00] Tracking real user prompts across the marketing funnel[19:00] How instant checkout in ChatGPT changes brand visibility strategy[22:00] Why FAQs increased citations by 848% in top-performing domains[26:00] Why SEOs should lead the AEO charge at their companies To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: 2025 Profound Article: https://www.tryprofound.com/guides/what-is-answer-engine-optimizationProfound Website: https://www.tryprofound.com/Profound LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tryprofound/Josh Blyskal’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-blyskal/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Highly engaging music can double your return on media investment. Yet most brands treat music as an afterthought, leaving millions on the table.This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Roscoe Williamson, Global Strategy Director at MassiveMusic. Together, they dig into groundbreaking research proving music is a tangible driver of marketing effectiveness. Roscoe shares findings from a study with the IPA that tested hundreds of UK TV ads and reveals which types of music increase brand fame, willingness to pay, and campaign ROI.Topics covered: [01:00] The history of music in advertising from jingles to sonic ecosystems[09:00] Why longer-form music has been a black hole in effectiveness research[14:00] How engaging music can double return on media investment[17:00] Examples of brands using music to drive effectiveness[23:00] Why CMOs should mandate music testing for campaigns over $1 million[27:00] The future of sonic branding and generative AI music  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: IPA & Massive Music Report: https://resources.massivemusic.com/sound-science-whitepaperRoscoe Williamson’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roscoewilliamson/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Reach beats creative. That's the contrarian truth most marketers miss. A 2x better creative won't beat 100x greater reach. And yet brands keep choosing frequency over breadth, hyper-targeting over scale. This week, we're sharing a special recording from Brandweek. Angela is joined on-stage by Dale Harrison. Together, they dig into reach primacy: the idea that ongoing reach, not creative brilliance, drives share of market. They explore why brand recall at purchase matters more than top of mind awareness, how forgetting forces you into always on campaigns, and why light buyers fuel growth. Plus, learn how AI driven media buying slashes TV costs while expanding reach across linear and CTV. Topics covered: [01:00] Why reach is more powerful than creative effectiveness[03:00] Brand recall at purchase and the 95-5 rule[06:00] Reach as a rate, not a number[11:00] The danger of hyper-targeting on CTV[13:00] Why TV gets unfairly labeled as expensive[16:00] Using multiple measurement models to prove TV performance  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources:  Watch: The Math Behind Smarter TV Advertising: https://www.marketingarchitects.com/blog/watch-the-math-behind-smarter-tv-advertisingDale Harrison’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalewharrison/Angela Voss’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelamvoss/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.