A fantastic conversation this week. So much is changing in terms of streaming consolidation, content, branding and pricing. I'm joined by Michael Beach, CEO of Cross Screen Media in Washington DC. to discuss what exists today and what lies ahead. Thank to the Master of Advertising Effectiveness (MAE) program for sponsoring this episode. 

Start-Ups are the focus of this first episode. We discuss the degree to which marketing and brand are factors in creating growth at this early stage. And about the importance of partnerships and product/market fit. Guests are Kathryn Winokur of Hally Hair, Imme Ermgassen of Botivo drinks and Jessica Klimczak, formerly of Entain. Thanks to Tracksuit for sponsoring this three episode series. Info at gotracksuit.com.

The brand has always been synonymous with small. This perception has resulted in newer, larger models, being overlooked. We talk with Jonny Ewels of Media Monks, London about the UK's APG award winning campaign for the larger Mini Clubman.

Steve and Ed are each unique and prolific voices in our industry. We talk about how our new realities are a stage not just for change, but for opportunity.  Thanks to the Master of Advertising Effectiveness Program for sponsoring.

In this final episode, we talk about Connections Planning from the media agency perspective. We're joined by Jon Gittings, International Head of Strategy at Wavemaker, LA, Eliza Kaplan , Exec. Dir. Global Strategy at OMD, NY and David Broad, Fmr. Marketing Strategy Director at Spotify. Thanks to WARC for sponsoring this three episode series. 

The streaming platform's CMO, Nicole Parlapiano and Mischief's EVP, Strategy, Ed Gunn share the story behind their famous "Find Your Rabbit Hole" campaign and where it's headed. Thanks to the Master of Advertising Effectiveness Program for sponsoring.

In Ep#2, we talk about how connections planning  is earning its seat at the table. We're joined by department heads Stephanie Ehui of TBWA Chiat/Day, Los Angeles, Jonathan Daly of Johannes Leonardo, NY,  Annex88's Brandon Solis. Thanks to WARC for sponsoring this three episode series. 

For the third year, columnist and marketing professor, Mark Ritson shares his Top 10 Marketing Moments of the year. These are marketing moments, not simply advertising moments. We talk about each and why they mattered.  

Brian Brydon, SVP, Head of Comms Strategy for Publicis, Enda Conway, Head of Connections Strategy for BBDO, NY and Ben Nilsen, Head of Media Strategy for Droga5 NY,  join me for Ep#1 to talk about the importance of Connections Planning in the ever increasing canvas of marketing strategy. Thanks to WARC for sponsoring this three episode series.

Uber Eats are the 800 lb gorilla, but may be vulnerable. Rob Campbell of ColensoBBDO and Jean Mexted of Delivereasy talk about how they've defended against the intruder and just delivered their seven millionth order.

The real story behind "You're not you when you're hungry." MARS Wrigley's Chief Brand Officer, Rankin Carroll and BBDO's Global CSO on MARS and PepsiCo, James Miller share the backstory and its evolution across 15 years.

Is America truly lagging behind the rest of the world in its understanding and application of marketing effectiveness principles? We talk about what Mark wrote in his Marketing Week column that caused quite a stir. Thanks to the Master of Advertising Effectiveness (MAE) program for sponsoring our show.

A 2023 APG Gold award winner, the Replens brand shines a spotlight on the strategic importance of understanding human psychology in consumer research. We're joined by Kit Altin, Chief Strategy Officer at The Gate, London. Thanks to The Masters of Advertising Effectiveness Program for sponsoring this episode.

Our guests are from ADWEEK top agencies, Jeff McCrory, CSO, MischiefUSA,  Lee Maicon, CSO, The Community and John Doyle, EVP Brand Strategy at Colle McVoy. We talk about whether strategy is adding value when so much is so unimpressive and about the need for the U.S. to establish universal effectiveness principles.  Thanks to Tracksuit and WARC for sponsoring this series.

From “It Pays to Discover” to “Especially for Everyone,” Discover is banking on the democratization of specialness to attract a new set of customers. CSO, Jen Costello and Group Brand Strategy Director, Steph Berenson join me from TBWA/Chiat/Day Los Angeles. 

Our guests are Dan Hill, Global CSO, Wieden+Kennedy, Melle Hock, U.S. CSO, Edelman and Kim Einan, Global CSO for Starcom. We talk about the importance of truth and the dangers of strategy becoming too “distinct” a department.  Thanks to WARC and Tracksuit for sponsoring this three episode series.

David Gluckman has written a book about his years developing products and ideas for Diageo/IDV. Dozens of origin stories are in his book "That Shit Will Never Sell." He's a terrific story teller. He shares a few of them in this week's episode. 

Our guests are Tom Morton, Global CSO, R/GA, Bonnie Wan, Partner, Head of Brand Strategy at Goodby, and John Gibson, Managing Director and Head of Strategy at The  Martin Agency. We talk fast v.s deep planning, the shape of new strategy, living with constant change and shape shifting for the next generation.  Thanks to WARC and Tracksuit for sponsoring this three episode series.

From Ketchup Fraud to Hog Dog Pact to Vintage Drip and so many more, Heinz and Rethink deliver brilliantly on creative effectiveness in the CPG space.  Group Strategy Director, Julian Morgan and CCO, Mike Dubrick take us through their award-winning journey.

With its "Real Food" message and its stand against industrial farming, Chipotle has built a brand that has withstood setbacks weaker brands wouldn't have survived. Its now built a database designed to give it faster, direct access to its customers, something it didn't have back when it was making not so great news. We talk with Jason Scoggins of Chipotle and Jason McCann of GALE, NY.

Midol is encouraging people with periods to question the normalization of discomfort. We're joined by Kelly Fanning of Bayer and Andrea Shultz of MullenLowe, NY. Be sure to watch the creative work on our website. 

This time it’s not about any one person’s famous order, but about McDonald’s itself as a famous order.  The new "As Featured In" campaign rolls out across 100 markets. We talk with Global Managing Director, Brandon Pracht and Global Strategy Director, Tass Tsitsopoulos, both of W+K, NY.

In this episode, we talk about the two major buckets of metrics - exposure and impact - and how they're being potentially misused and misunderstood. 

Canadian brand Kobo is using the popularity of guilty pleasure titles to carve out a unique space with women for its Kobo-plus e-reader subscription. We're joined by Lindsay Gray of Rakuten Kobo and Shari Walczak of The Garden, Toronto, Canada.

We hear the stories behind Emoji Ordering, Zero Click Ordering, Carryout Tips and their collaboration with Stranger Things, Season 4. We're joined by CCO, Matt Talbot and Strategy Lead, Alex Guerri, both of WorkInProgress, Boulder, Colorado.

The instinct when trying to justify a price increase is to lean on rational factors: quality, value, distinct features. Tyyrells suggests the opposite. It demonstrates how a characterful brand backed by sufficient marketing spend can achieve the same goal, but profitably. I'm joined by Dan Hulse, CSO at St. Lukes, London.

Ogilvy London's powerful "Have a Word" campaign, short listed for an APG Award this year, peels back the male psyche to map out a new territory in violence prevention. We're joined by Behavioral Strategist, Tara Austin and Planning Director, Bianca Novaes.

Getting to useful, inspiring answers is their promise, but how they get there is up to them alone. We get beyond the superficial with Nonfiction's Lindsey Wehking and Gunny Scarfo.

After years of successful anti-smoking campaigns, vaping emerged at the next threat to young Americans. We're joined by RG Logan, SVP Brand Marketing at Truth and Ryan McDaid, Head of Strategy at Mojo Supermarket in Brooklyn.

In our final "Outside In Thinking" episode, Ian Murray and Andrew Tenzer of Burst Your Bubble suggest turning our outward facing tools inward to address our cultural and professional disconnects. This series sponsored by The Planning Department.

Recent Co-CSOs of AMV BBDO, Craig Mawdsley and Bridget Angear worked on some of the best campaigns, both strategically and creatively. We talk about why they left, about their ambitions for Craig+Bridget, and the freedom they’re experiencing working on both large and small brands. 

There are many credible marketing effectiveness voices that often disagree with each other. Mary's latest report brings those opinions together and adds the Kantar perspective. This episode sponsored by the Master of Advertising Effectiveness Program.  MAE.academy. 

Ep#3 in our Outside-In Thinking series, Helen Edwards (columnist, author, prof) describes how fringe behaviors mainstream. We talk about what they are, how to discover them in your category and the audiences most likely to ignite them. This series is sponsored by The Planning Department.

PBR earned subculture status in hipster/dive bars, but that status began to limit growth with its "we’re for the cool kids” vibe. This is the story behind the brand's response. We're joined by Lauren Sooudi and Rob Scherzer of DNA Seattle.

Ep#2 in our Outside-In Thinking series features Andrew Hovells. We talk about his decision to live outside the bubble of London in order to regain perspective. Thanks to The Planning Department for sponsoring this series.

The basics apparel brand shares how it is elevating its "comfort" equity from functional benefit to cultural relevance. We're joined by CSO, Elizabeth Paul and Associate CD, Rushil Nadkarni, both of The Martin Agency.

Ep#1 of our "Outside-In Thinking" series features Steven Lacey of The Outsiders, a cultural consultancy in London. He shares how our industry can break out of fishbowl thinking in order to deliver real value. This series sponsored by The Planning Department.

Most categories have them, the big, obvious taboos no one talks about, but everyone knows could be awesome. For Partners Life Insurance, it was death! And they did it in an amazingly unique way. Rory Gallery, CSO and Lisa Fedyszyn, ECD of Special Group in Auckland, talk us through the award winning Last Performance.

Ep#4 in our travel series features actors Rose Burn and Will Arnett in "Come Say G'day." It's a lesson in how to freshen brand codes without changing them.  We're joined by CMO Susan Coghill and Executive Strategy Lead, Rob Dougan.  Thanks to Kantar for sponsoring this series.

First it was Droga5's Global CSO, Jonny Bauer, quickly followed by five CSOs from major creative agencies.  So what's going on inside the ivory tower of investment banking in Midtown Manhattan? We talk with Tom Callard, former CSO at BBH and now Brand Transformation Lead at Blackstone.

Martin Weigel, incoming CS0 at AMV BBDO, Paula Bloodworth, Head of International Strategy at Uncommon, and Rob Campbell, CS0 at Colenso BBDO called and wanted to chat. This is what happened.

Ep#3 in our Travel Series, United Airlines aligns with the stated beliefs of younger travelers through an ESG campaign that showcases its intentions and people. Thanks to Kantar for sponsoring this series.

Ep# 2 in our “Best of Travel” series is Expedia's "Made to Travel" and its shift away from marketing destinations and deals to marketing the moments and feelings that great travel makes possible. Thanks to Kantar for sponsoring this series.

Ep#1 in our Travel Series. Leverage distinctive features in distinctive, humorous ways. Having to experience our world in virtual ways led to a craving for reality. And Iceland offers stunning, natural reality in spades, without silly headsets. We talk with SS+K, NY and Visit Iceland. Thanks to Kantar for supporting this series. 

Byron is the author of How Brands Grow and Director of The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Sciences. Some refer to him as the dark lord of effectiveness. He’s blunt and unapologetic. And I like that about him.  He lives in a black and white world, so no apologies to those who live in the gray. 

We wrap-up our Effective Outcomes series with a panel discussion. I'm joined by Elizabeth Paul, CSO at The Martin Agency, David Tiltman, SVP at WARC and author and strategist James Hurman. Thanks to WARC for sponsoring.

Marcus’ book demonstrates the risks of chasing product-based  value propositions and losing sight of how much influence culture and identity have on our purchase decisions. Identity in terms of how we signal who we are or how we want others to think of us. From the clothes we wear to the cars we drive, to where we live, to what we eat. All are signals of implied membership, status, attitude or aspiration. And none are rational decisions.

With its goal of "Easing the Burden of Dishwashing," Finish detergent in Istanbul moved from fifth to first in part through its "Skip the Rinse" brand platform and its Glasses of Drought/Water Index initiatives. We talk about all three.

There was no product shots, no consumption occasion, no restaurant shown. No "ba da ba ba baa." And the industry went nuts. We hear the story behind the work and the ethnography research that fueled it, from Tom Sussman, Head of Strategy and Joe Beveridge, Planning Director, of Leo Burnett, London.

From moving beyond the morning occasion to a focus on quality, Folgers coffee wants to win over younger drinkers.

The most critical episode in the series, we talk about two key documents:  strategy on a page and the creative brief. Examples can be downloaded on this episodes' page on our website. This series is brought to you by our friends at WARC.

How a simple comment about the Frankfurt skyline unlocked German Rail's brilliant social media fueled idea that helped Germans Rediscover Germany.

Ep#1 deals with setting direction and defining objectives. Mark Ritson shares tips on how to get from objectives to client brief and the mistakes too many are making. This series is brought to you by our friends at WARC.

Effectiveness data in B2C is robust, but not so in B2B. The Institute plans to change that. Jon Lombardo shares their latest work and some new  concepts that can help your CFO support your case for effective investment.

In his new book, Look out, Orlando builds on the work of Jenni Romaniuk, Les Binet, Peter Field, Byron Sharp and others with his research on how we can better ensure we are producing work that works.

A must listen Masterclass that begs the question, does loyalty exist, or is it just a habit that can be broken? Facing two massive competitors, Yorkshire Tea went from 5th to 1st with a hilarious creative and strategic effort that reignited consumer interest in what was thought to be a deeply entrenched category.  

By brilliantly crafting a perceived negative into a strength, Aldi went from a 2% share to a 7.9% share. Hear the Grand Prix award-winning strategy story from Jamie Peate and Laura McKinlay of McCann, Manchester.

How the brand "changes the way the world moves through everyday acts of cooperation."

How Kia launched the Telluride as “the car built for the rest of us.”

We learn how planning, during pre-pandemic times, turned around the nursing recruitment efforts for Britain's National Health Service.