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 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.html

Villanova University Page: https://www1.villanova.edu/university/business/faculty-and-research/faculty-by-department/[email protected]&xsl=bio_long

Tyler 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.