The WARC Podcast

WARC

Bold Minds. Bold Moves. Get closer to insights, stories and lessons behind bold marketing with conversations hosted by the world’s leading authority on marketing effectiveness.

  1. hace 3 días

    Beyond vibes: Creator strategies to drive real effectiveness

    Just 29% of creator ads outperform the average brand ad. Research from System 1, WPP Media and Tiktok uncovers what drives attention, emotion and brand recognition across creator content. System 1's Andrew Tindall and brand strategist Eugene Healey join WARC's Anna Hamill to break down creator effectiveness hacks, how to brief creators properly, and why so many marketers are using the wrong metrics to measure success. Guests: Andrew Tindall, Chief Advertising Officer, System1 Eugene Healey, Brand Strategist and Content Creator (@eugbrandstrat) Anna Hamill, Senior Editor, The WARC Podcast Chapters: 00:00 - Intro: Welcome to The WARC Podcast 00:10 - How do creators build brands? 02:17 - Methodology of the WPP Media/TikTok/System1 creator research 04:09 - What really drives brand memory: engagement, deep engagement or creativity? 05:37 - How should creators and brands think about brand fit and long-term impact? 07:54 - What metrics should marketers prioritise in creator marketing? 13:55 - Characteristics of the most effective creator campaigns 16:27 - What creator content actually performs on social? 20:03 - 3x brand memory lift from early brand cues 22:43 - Briefing creators for authenticity and effectiveness 27:54 - Why you can’t outbrief a bad strategy in creator marketing 29:27 - What are social devices and what is the one thing marketers should do next?   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

  2. 30 jul

    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

  3. 28 jul

    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

  4. 23 jul

    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

  5. 21 jul

    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

  6. 16 jul

    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

  7. 14 jul

    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

Acerca de

Bold Minds. Bold Moves. Get closer to insights, stories and lessons behind bold marketing with conversations hosted by the world’s leading authority on marketing effectiveness.