The Marketing Architects

84% of the time, buyers choose a brand that was already on their radar before they ever started shopping. So why do so many marketing budgets only chase the people ready to buy today?

This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob talk with brand strategist and author James Hurman about his new book, Future Demand. James breaks down why brands hit a growth ceiling when they lean too hard on performance marketing. He also explains why feelings outlast facts in memory, and why that changes which channels deserve your investment. Marketers will leave with a clearer case for building demand among tomorrow's customers, not just converting today's.

Topics covered:
[05:00] Defining current demand versus future demand
[07:00] Splitting budgets 50/50 between brand and performance
[12:00] Why American marketers lag on brand-building principles
[18:00] Measuring future demand through brand tracking
[22:00] Why feelings outlast facts in memory
[26:00] The case for creativity in earning attention
[35:00] James's own future demand brand: Land Rover

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

Resources:
Resources: 2021 WARC White Paper: https://www.warc.com/the-rise-of-digital-commerce 2026
Future Demand Book: https://futuredemand.com/ 
James Hurman’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshurman/

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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 what triggers the personalization backfire effect and why the same ad can feel helpful one day and invasive the next. 

Topics covered:[01:20] "Triggering the Personalization Backfire Effect: The Moderating Role of Situational Privacy Concern"
[02:45] How the study tested three levels of ad personalization
[04:27] When more personal data actually hurts performance
[06:10] Privacy sensitivity isn't a fixed personality trait
[07:10] Contextual targeting vs. identity-based targeting

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

Resources:
Kim, H., & Han, S. (2025). Triggering the personalization backfire effect: The moderating role of situational privacy concern. Behavioral Sciences.

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

This week, we're resharing a favorite episode from the archive. Enjoy, and we'll be back with new content next week!

Our hosts are joined by Nick Asbury, creative writer and author of The Road to Hell: How Purposeful Business Leads to Bad Marketing and a Worse World. Nick challenges brand purpose, arguing it produces formulaic campaigns while the research supporting it is fundamentally flawed.

Topics covered:
[04:00] How the 2008 financial crash sparked the purpose movement
[12:00] The real story behind Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign data
[18:00] Why for-profit companies lack social license to lead causes
[21:00] Nick's crowdsourced fact-checking of Cannes award entries
[26:00] Debunking the Gen Z purpose myth after the 2024 election
[29:00] What respectful marketing looks like without purpose 

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

Resources:
2024 MarketingWeek Article: https://www.marketingweek.com/good-intentions-lead-to-bad-marketing-why-purpose-is-missing-the-mark/

Nick Asbury’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-asbury/
 
Nick's Substack: https://nickasbury.substack.com/

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

According to WARC, TV drives more sales impact than Facebook video and YouTube. GOVX proved the research to be true, growing orders alongside TV impressions.

Recorded live at CommerceNext 2026, this bonus episode features Marketing Architects Chief Strategic Growth Officer Stacey Hawes and GOVX Chief Brand Officer Aaron Pelander. They tackle one of marketing's toughest challenges: proving TV's impact when its biggest effects don’t show up for months after launch. Aaron shares how GOVX moved from a performance-only mindset to a 60/40 split between brand and performance budgets, and why that shift unlocked new growth. Marketers will also learn which metrics matter and why relying on just one measurement model leaves value on the table.

Topics covered:[00:00] Kicking off the session at CommerceNext 2026
[03:00] Why TV remains one of the hardest channels to measure
[06:00] Short-term metrics for tracking TV's immediate impact
[08:00] Long-term measurement: brand lift, MMM, and incrementality testing
[11:00] Inside GOVX’s mission and its path to TV
[13:00] GOVX’s shift to a 60/40 brand and performance budget
[16:00] GOVX’s results after partnering with Marketing Architect

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

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 packaging redesigns so often backfire, and what actually drives shoppers to pick a product off the shelf. 

Topics covered: 
[01:21] "The Packaging Redesign Modernization Dilemma" 
[03:06] Why redesigns are an expensive, common gamble 
[05:35] Does looking more modern actually boost sales? 
[06:17] Why familiarity beats likability at the shelf 
[07:31] When a redesign makes sense, and when it doesn't 

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

Resources:  
Caruso, W., Romaniuk, J., Page, B., & colleagues. (2026). The packaging redesign modernisation dilemma: The relationship with familiarity, likeability, and its effect on purchase intent. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. 

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