The Marketing Architects

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
 

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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.

Research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute proves 18% of established brands grow market share by 5% or more in a single year. The real question isn't whether growth is possible—it's how to sustain it.

This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob explore what separates the 7% of brands that maintain growth over multiple years from the rest, covering fundamentals like mental and physical availability and the tension between board pressure and patient strategy.

Topics covered: 
[01:00] Why growth isn't rare for established brands
[04:00] Only 7% of brands sustain meaningful growth over three years
[06:00] How consistency beats novelty for long-term success
[09:00] What it means to become a category leader
[13:00] Creative fundamentals that build mental availability
[17:00] Physical availability matters as much as mental availability
[21:00] Playing "Grow or Go" to evaluate marketing decisions 

 

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
2025 MarketingWeek Article: https://www.marketingweek.com/established-brands-grow/
 

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 how brand presence and timing shape viewer memory. They reveal why showing your brand early and often for at least two-thirds of the ad is critical for recognition.

Topics covered:   
[01:00] "Brand Recognition in Television Advertising: The Influence of Brand Presence and Brand Introduction"
[02:00] How brand presence affects recall
[03:00] The cost of delayed brand introduction
[04:00] The two-thirds rule for optimal recognition
[05:00] Building memory structures through creative
[06:00] Why storytelling techniques can backfire 

 

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
Gerber, C., Terblanche-Smit, M., & Crommelin, T. (2014). Brand recognition in television advertising: The influence of brand presence and brand introduction.Acta Commercii, 14(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v14i1.223 
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

When your grandma starts asking ChatGPT for recommendations, you know search has fundamentally changed. Josh Blyskal from Profound tracks billions of real AI search queries, and his data reveals a massive shift in how consumers discover and evaluate brands.

This week, Elena, Rob, and Jonathan sit down with Josh to discuss answer engine optimization (AEO) and what marketers need to know right now. Josh explains why traditional SEO tactics like domain authority matter less in AI search, how different engines cite content, and the surprising power of FAQs in product discovery. Plus, learn why SEOs have never had a better opportunity to become heroes in their marketing organizations.

Topics covered: 
[04:00] When AI search shifted from novelty to cultural necessity
[06:00] How ranking signals differ between ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity
[09:00] Why domain authority matters less for AEO than traditional SEO
[14:00] Tracking real user prompts across the marketing funnel
[19:00] How instant checkout in ChatGPT changes brand visibility strategy
[22:00] Why FAQs increased citations by 848% in top-performing domains
[26:00] Why SEOs should lead the AEO charge at their companies 

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
2025 Profound Article: https://www.tryprofound.com/guides/what-is-answer-engine-optimization

Profound Website: https://www.tryprofound.com/

Profound LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tryprofound/

Josh Blyskal’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-blyskal/
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.