The WARC Podcast

WARC
  • 4.6 (13)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Semiweekly

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. 1d ago

    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

  2. 3d ago

    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

  3. Jul 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

  4. Jul 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

  5. Jul 9

    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

  6. Jul 7

    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

  7. Jul 2

    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

  8. Jun 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

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Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    WARC
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    466
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © WARC
  • Show Website
    The WARC Podcast

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