The WARC Podcast

At the Insights to Impact event, WARC’s David Tiltman discovers how Mondelez’s insights team is using AI with Pam Forbus, examines the need for “marketing engineers” with Profound’s Matthew Huo, and goes deep on synthetic data research with Tracy Adams from the ARF and Keith Smith from the Marketing Science Institute. This episode is sponsored by Profound. To learn more, go to tryprofound.com...

We're digging into new effectiveness research, including new thinking on brand coherence, the resurgence of 'ad awareness' and how to get the most out of sports sponsorships, recorded live at the IPA Effectiveness conference in London. Hosted by WARC's Anna Hamill. Guests: Orlando Wood, Chief Creative Officer, System1 Paul Simonet, The Whole Brained Marketer Rory Natkiel, Founder of Box Count &amp...

Live from the Insights to Impact event, Reddit’s Lore Oxford shares how to get the best insights from the platform, Kraft Heinz’s Doug Healy and Zappi’s Julio Franco share how to make marketers love research, and Newell Brands’ Delicia Cooney discusses the importance of human-centric insights in the AI era. Hosted by WARC's David Tiltman. This episode is sponsored by Profound. To learn more, go to...

The future of AI media still feels uncertain: a goldrush where no one knows where to dig. A new report from WARC Media examines whether fragmenting attention leads to a concentration of monetisation in the advertising market and consider what this might mean for the next era of AI media. WARC's Alex Brownsell discusses the impact with Debra Aho Williamson. Chapters: [00:00] — Intro: How AI Media C...

Strategy legends Suzanne Powers and Tom Morton left agency-land to build their own independent strategy businesses, discovering brands need new solutions to strategy problems outside of the agency model. They join WARC's David Tiltman to discuss what they've learned so far, the opportunities for strategists in going indie, and how to build a successful independent strategy proposition. Guests: Suz...

AI makes it easier to compete inside markets that already exist. That does not make strategy less important; it makes the search for new sources of demand more important. Erich Joachimsthaler, founder and CEO at VIVALDI, joins WARC's Lena Roland to discuss new 'demand spaces' for strategy. Guests: Erich Joachimsthaler, founder and CEO, VIVALDI; co-author of 'Brand Leadership: Building Assets in an...

How can strategy deliver measurable business value? Catherine Driscoll speaks with Martin Beverley (Ace of Hearts) and Baiba Matisone about value-based agency models, business-minded collaboration, timeless principles, and staying distinctive and evidence-led in an AI-shaped industry. Guests: Martin Beverley, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Ace of Hearts  Baiba Matisone, Founder, Planni...

Ad strategists are navigating two realities on AI: its benefit as a research tool, and the fear it may take their jobs. In the first of WARC's Future of Strategy series, Nikita Walia (U.N.N.A.M.E.D) and Joe Burns (Quality Meats) join Ann Marie Kerwin to examine whether AI is a strategist's friend, foe, or something in the middle, based on new data from WARC research. Guests: Nikita Walia, Partner...

New research looks into unspoken qualities that different out-of-home formats convey, and the impact this can have on campaign effectiveness. WPP Media's Richard Kirk and Ocean Outdoor's Steve Bernard join Alex Brownsell to discuss why not all outdoor formats are created equal. Guests: Richard Kirk, EVP - Planning, WPP Media Steve Bernard, Head of Insight, Ocean Outdoor Alex Brownsell, Head of Con...

The US produces some of the most careful, literal commercials in the world. Is this 'vanilla' approach a creative failure? Or is it a structural necessity? Shann Biglione, author of 'The Vanilla Imperative: Why US Advertisers Are So Carefully Bland' joins WARC's Ann Marie Kerwin to discuss the nuances of US consumer psychology and why, in a nation as culturally loose yet ideologically polarized as...

Video campaigns are 2x more likely to grow B2B market share and 1.7x more likely to deliver stronger ROI, according to new research from LinkedIn's B2B Institute and WARC. Amazon Business's Kate Rundell, LinkedIn's Vita Molis and LIONS Advisory's Imaad Ahmed join Anna Hamill to share insights from the research and practical applications for B2B marketing. Chapters: [00:00] Intro: Why video matters...

2026 has been a challenging year for marketers, with constant upheaval forcing consequential decisions. Amid all this: the impact of the K shaped economy. WARC's Catherine Driscoll and Carat's Tony de Vizio join Anna Hamill to discuss marketing in economically challenging times, based on insights from WARC's recent report 'Marketing In The K-Shaped Economy'. Guests: Catherine Driscoll, EMEA Commis...

Brands are increasingly looking toward micro and nano creators for social cut-through. Marcus Yong, VP - Global Marketing at travel brand Klook, joins WARC's Rica Facundo to discuss how smaller creators can help target niche segments while still scaling for reach, based on frameworks from WARC's Pace Principle 2.0 research. Guests: Marcus Yong, VP - Global Marketing, Klook Rica Facundo, Managing E...

The gap between creative and media is closing, with large scale creative data and next-gen measurement tools combining to predict commercial outcomes, not just clicks. Boots' Peter Grant, CreativeX's Anastasia Leng and DAIVID's Ian Forrester join the pod to share the lessons from a pilot experiment at health and beauty retailer Boots, and what its taught them about the future of creative effective...

Failing to usher buyers from discovery to purchase in the fewest possible steps is often seen as a setback. This belief misunderstands the consumer purchase journey, according to new research. Mindscope's Lea Karam and TikTok's Elias W. Bassil join WARC's Alex Brownsell to discuss the alchemy of customer consideration. Guests: Lea Karam, CEO & Founder of Mindscope Elias W. Bassil, Regiona...

Effectiveness expert James Hurman joins to discuss the key ideas in his new book 'Future Demand', why performance marketing is plateauing, how brands really grow, and the nuances of building a dual measurement system. Hosted by WARC's David Tiltman. Guests: James Hurman, marketing effectiveness expert and author, 'Future Demand' David Tiltman, Chief Content Officer, WARC Chapters: [00:00] Introduc...

Instacart's Laura Jones returns to share practical lessons from Instacart's brand transformation, including prioritising effectiveness, brand-first marketing strategy, partnerships, Instacart's chase to win a Cannes Lion and much more. Guests: Laura Jones, Chief Marketing Officer, Instacart Ann Marie Kerwin, Americas Editor, WARC Chapters: [00:00] Introduction: Instacart’s marketing transformation...

The biggest creative risk? Not being creative enough. System1's Andrew Tindall joins WARC's Ann Marie Kerwin to discuss the multiplier effect of creativity, how brands can be more creative, and why it's essential to marketing that truly moves the dial for brands. Read The Multiplier Playbook research from WARC here: https://www.warc.com/en/the-multiplier-playbook-2026 Watch WARC's podcast on The C...

'How Brands Grow' is one of the most influential books in marketing, exploring rules of brand growth such as mental and physical availability, double jeopardy, and increasing penetration. Professor Byron Sharp, its author and director of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, joined WARC's David Tiltman at Cannes Lions to revisit its core principles and how they apply to today's marketing landscape. Guests...

Procter & Gamble is one of the world's biggest advertisers. Marc Pritchard, P&G's long-time Chief Brand Officer, joins WARC's Anna Hamill to share insights and lessons from almost 40 years in marketing at the CPG giant, including the enduring power of brand building, the evolution of media, adapting to the AI era, and how brand purpose and cultural insights delivered real business growth for its b...

What do the winning campaigns from the 2026 Cannes Lions for Creative Effectiveness tell us about successful marketing in 2026? WARC's Amy Rodgers and Effie Insight's John Bizzell examine the big narratives emerging from this year's winners, in a category that rewards creativity that has also met business goals. Read the full report 'Creative Effectiveness Lions: Insights from the 2026 winners' he...

New research by PHD and WARC explores the scale, timeline and implications of agentic AI for the wider marketing ecosystem. PHD's Rohan Tambyrajah and WARC's David Tiltman join Anna Hamill to discuss the implications for marketing as decision-making increasingly evolves from human consumers to machine intermediaries, including the 'Four Modes' frameworks, and key recommendations to navigate this n...

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 effective...

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 re...

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 metric...