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 explore why sustainability advertising is so hard to get right and what brands can do to close the gap between what consumers say they value and what they actually buy.

Topics covered:   
[00:55] "Sustainability Advertising: A Literature Review and Framework for Future Research"
[01:50] The gap between sustainable intent and action
[04:00] The three levers of sustainability advertising: ad context, source characteristics, and message design
[05:30] Why consumers don't trust sustainability claims and when third-party cues help
[06:15] The sustainability liability: when "eco-friendly" hurts perceived performance
[07:40] What brands can do to make sustainability messaging actually work 

 

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

Resources: 
Rathee, S., & Milfeld, T. (2023). Sustainability advertising: Literature review and framework for future research. International Journal of Advertising. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2023.2175300 

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7 in 10 people globally say they're hesitant to trust someone different from them, according to the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer. Trust is getting more personal. So where does that leave brands? 

This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob explore what it really means to build a brand in a world where trust is earned through experience, not messaging. They dig into why the gap between marketing promises and reality is so damaging, how to bridge online and in-person brand moments, and what channels like TV do for brand trust that others simply can't. Plus, hear real-world examples of brands that get it right, from Snickers to Disney to Jeep. 

Topics covered: 
[01:00] 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer findings on consumer trust
[03:00] How much control marketers actually have over brand perception
[06:00] Where marketing promises most often break down
[08:30] Why marketers over-index on comms and under-index on product experience
[11:00] The moment where brand actually happens
[14:00] How TV builds familiarity that carries into other channels
[17:00] Real examples of brands bridging TV and in-person experience 

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

Resources: 
2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Report: https://www.edelman.com/trust/2026/trust-barometer
 

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 narrative ads work even when they say little about the product. The answer lies in image fluency. How easily a story can be pictured shapes how much people like the ad and the brand behind it.

Topics covered:  
[01:05] "Image Fluency and Narrative Advertising Effects"
[01:55] The four steps of ad processing
[03:00] How matching visuals change brand attitudes
[03:55] Familiar vs. unfamiliar story scenarios
[04:35] How to make your ads easier to imagine
[05:00] Why clarity matters more than originality 

 

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

Resources: 
Chang, C. (2013). Imagery fluency and narrative advertising effects. Journal of Advertising, 42(1), 54–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2012.749087 
 

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

Marketers love the idea that premium media makes brands premium. But the research is surprisingly mixed. High involvement content can change how ads land, sometimes helping attitudes, sometimes hurting recall.

This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob tackle the debate between premium media and efficient reach. They review mixed research on media context effects, break down the extreme cost differences between premium and standard TV placements, and share when high-profile media genuinely outperforms. Discover why sacrificing reach for prestige might hurt more than help.

Topics covered: 
[02:00] Super Bowl advertising performance data
[04:00] The history of premium media and costly signaling
[09:00] Cost differences between premium and standard TV placements
[14:00] When premium media actually performs better
[18:00] Creative requirements for premium placements
[26:00] Playing "Worth the Premium" game with real scenarios 

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

Resources: 
Norris, Claire E.; Colman, Andrew M.; Aleixo, Paulo A. (2003). Selective Exposure to Television Programmes and Advertising Effectiveness. University of Leicester. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/2381/3983  

Hartmann, W. R., & Klapper, D. (2016). Super Bowl Ads (Working Paper No. 2139). Stanford Graduate School of Business. https://web.stanford.edu/~wesleyr/SuperBowl.pdf 
 

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 privacy first advertising changes digital marketing. They reveal that when individual tracking disappears, platforms must rely on user groups instead. This shifts advertising toward probabilistic targeting, like how TV has always worked. 

Topics covered: 
[01:00] "Reach, Measurement, Optimization and Frequency Capping and Targeted Online Advertising Under K Anonymity"
[01:45] Privacy forces less tracking, more thinking
[02:50] How K Anonymity groups users by shared traits
[04:35] Simulating the trade-off between privacy and performance
[06:00] Privacy pushes reach-first thinking 

 

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

Resources: 
Gao, Y., & Qiao, M. (2025). Reach measurement, optimization and frequency capping in targeted online advertising under k-anonymity. arXiv preprint arXiv:2501.04882. 

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