The WARC Podcast

WARC
  • 4.6 (13)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

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

    Social media, creators and the 'twin pace' brand

    New research from WARC finds that social and creator marketing – for all its speed and cultural relevance – hits three structural ceilings that no amount of additional content or paid media can break through alone. Tackling these ceilings is key to sustained growth. Rob Brittain and Rica Facundo join WARC's Biprorshee Das to discuss Pace Principle 2.0, WARC's latest research on marketing effectiveness from Asia. Guests: Rob Brittain, Marketing Effectiveness Consultant and co-author of Pace Principle 2.0 Rica Facundo, Managing Editor - APAC, WARC and co-author of Pace Principle 2.0 Biprorshee Das, India Editor, WARC Chapters: [00:00] Introduction: WARC's Pace Principle 2.0 research [02:39] What is a “social sprint”? [04:16] Content virality is an outcome, not a growth strategy [06:30] What is the difference between social strategy and emotional strategy? [09:35] Why do broad emotional strategies outperform social? [12:21] How should brands choose between micro creators and celebrity influencers? [16:28] The three ceilings of social media (platform, cultural, self-sustaining) [19:17] Aligning target market and creative strategy boosts effectiveness by 70 percent [23:03] Moving from “always on” content to always relevant [25:32] Social and creator campaign measurement [29:42] Key Pace Principle 2.0 recommendations 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

  2. 3d ago

    Who murdered Madison Avenue?

    How did ad agency economics become so challenging? Fee-cutting and low growth are part of the equation, but the roots of the issue go back decades. Ad industry analyst and author Michael Farmer joins WARC's David Tiltman to discuss his new book 'Madison Avenue Revisited' and offer his take on 30+ years of change to advertising business models, including the impact of dysfunctional client-agency relationships, increased creative workloads and AI. Guests: Michael Farmer, Chairman and CEO, Farmer&Co; Professor of Branding and Integrated Communications at The City College of New York David Tiltman, SVP - Content, WARC Chapters: [00:00] Introduction: Michael Farmer joins The WARC Podcast [06:49] From 'Madison Avenue Manslaughter' to 'Madison Avenue Revisited' [11:25] How ad agency workloads doubled while fees halved [18:29] Why big advertisers are underperforming GDP [23:44] Short-termism and the failure to brief for brand growth [27:51] The key factors undermining advertising economics [30:11] Artificial intelligence threatens advertising agencies [32:28] 'Infinite creative' doesn’t equal brand growth [35:18] Using AI to fund strategy and reinvesting in senior talent [37:01] How hold-cos, commissions, and cheap CPMs undermined creative value [40:29] Why do CFOs block long-term marketing investment? [41:02] How AI can optimise the marketing mix for growth   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. Aug 6

    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

  4. Aug 4

    The Effective CMO: Uber's Lucinda Barlow

    Uber's Lucinda Barlow offers advice for marketers on how to build a safe culture for creative experimentation, identifying strategic blind spots, making decisions in times of extraordinary uncertainty and how to localise a global brand. Hosted by WARC's Rica Facundo. Guests: Lucinda Barlow, Head of International Marketing, Uber Rica Facundo, Marketing Editor - Asia Pacific, WARC Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction to The WARC Podcast with Uber's Lucinda Barlow 01:14 – Uber’s growth and category creation 03:43 – What is 'smart' risk taking? 07:13 – Overcoming fear, hierarchy, and failure in marketing organizations 11:51 – Proving long-term brand impact 15:36 – Explaining marketing terms to CEOs and CFOs 17:28 – Why entertaining creative beats rational promos in brand building 19:41 – Inside Uber’s “Skip the Kung Fu” Hong Kong campaign 23:35 – How Uber localizes a global brand 28:06 – Uber Eats' World Cup campaign with Gordon Ramsey 28:30 – Why AI alone can’t replace human creativity   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 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

  6. Jul 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

  7. Jul 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

  8. Jul 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

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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
    472
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © WARC
  • Show Website
    The WARC Podcast

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