The Marketing Architects

• Nerd Alert: Do Retailer Exclusives Actually Work?

  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 whether "only at Target" labels actually drive sales or if they backfire. They reveal how exclusive features can sometimes make products less appealing when customers see them as trivial or disconnected from real value.Topics covered:   [01:00] "Do Products Labeled Retailer Exclusive Affect Consumer Behavior"[02:00] How scarcity influences buying decisions[03:00] Testing exclusivity with vacuums and Blu-Rays[04:00] Why adding more exclusive features can hurt sales[05:00] In-store experiences versus exclusive labels[06:00] When exclusivity feels meaningful versus trivial  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: Upshaw, D., Amyx, D., Upshaw, A., & Hardy, M. (2023). Do products labeled retailer “exclusive” affect consumer behavior?Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness  Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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• Confessions of a Reformed Performance Marketer with Ryan Sullivan, GoodRx CMO

  Only 15% of brand assets are truly distinctive. GoodRx broke their industry’s mold with a prairie dog sidekick and singing cowgirl. But behind the bold creative lies a data-driven philosophy that challenges everything performance marketers think they know.This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob sit down with Ryan Sullivan, CMO of GoodRx. Ryan shares his evolution from hardcore performance marketer to someone who questions the very foundations of digital attribution. Learn why he's skeptical of multi-touch attribution, how GoodRx measures success through triangulation, and why increasing "surface area" matters more than hyper-targeting.Topics covered: [05:00] Why brand search attribution is misleading[08:30] The hidden costs of programmatic display advertising[15:00] GoodRx's unique challenge of reaching out-of-market consumers[19:30] Creating distinctive brand assets with the Savings Wrangler[32:00] Building confidence through triangulated measurement[36:00] The concept of "free marketing" and reducing control To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: 2025 eMarketer Article: https://www.emarketer.com/content/goodrx-s-new-feel-good-campaign-seeks-break-through-healthcare-advertising-noiseRyan Sullivan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanjsullivan/GoodRx Website: https://www.goodrx.com/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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• Nerd Alert: You Won't Like This Episode

  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 telling people a product isn't for them can boost interest among the right audience. They discuss why exclusion signals expertise and how persuasive framing builds stronger connections with core customers than traditional persuasive messaging.Topics covered:   [01:00] "This Article is Not for Everyone: The Impact of Persuasive Framing on Consumer Response to Product Messages"[02:00] Examples of brands using exclusionary messaging[04:00] Why persuasive ads outperform persuasive ads[05:00] Target specificity and specialized positioning[06:00] The steakhouse billboard and flexing for your audience[07:00] Marketing takeaways: filtering builds credibility  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: Wallach, K. A., Blair, S., & Tanenbaum, J. L. (2025). This article is not for everyone: The impact of dissuasive framing on consumer response to product messages. Journal of Consumer Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucaf034  Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

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• Debunking "Attention" with Marc Guldimann

  Elderly intoxicated people pay 33% more attention to ads than sober viewers but remember half as much. That's just one reason why optimizing solely for attention can backfire spectacularly.This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Marc Guldimann, CEO of Adelaide. Marc explains why Byron Sharp is right about attention being wasteful when misused, but wrong about dismissing it entirely. The team explores how attention should measure media quality, not creative sensationalism or audience manipulation.Topics covered: [01:00] Why optimizing for maximum attention creates unintended consequences[06:00] Where Byron Sharp gets attention metrics right (and wrong)[13:00] The problem with legacy verification companies' attention metrics[18:00] How Adelaide rates media quality like a credit rating agency[23:00] Why cost-plus agency models create perverse incentives[28:00] YouTube podcasts and premium CTV as today's best media bargains  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: 2022 The Media Leader Article: https://uk.themedialeader.com/sharp-is-right-chasing-fleeting-attention-is-a-waste-of-money/Marc Guldimann’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guldi/Adelaide Metrics Website: https://www.adelaidemetrics.com/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

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• 10 Ways to Not Be a Boring Brand Next Year

  Hyper-targeting is paying more to ignore your future customers. That's the reality most brands face today. They've optimized themselves into tiny corners while competitors copy each other into oblivion. That’s just one tip of many in this week’s episode.Elena, Angela, and Rob tackle why marketing feels so bland and how to fix it. They share 10 research-backed strategies to stand out in 2026, from expanding your audience to investing in underpriced media. Plus, hear which brands broke through the noise this year and what marketers can learn from their bold moves.Topics covered: [01:00] Why brand conformity is killing differentiation[05:00] Building AI agent teams for creative breakthrough[11:00] The 60/40 rule for brand vs performance spend[14:00] Hunt for underpriced media to boost efficiency[16:00] Why emotional campaigns outperform rational ones[21:00] Brands that stood out in 2025  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources:  Brand Strategy Insider Article: https://brandingstrategyinsider.com/competing-on-sameness-the-marketing-mistake-of-our-times/ Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

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