The WARC Podcast

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 Content, WARC Media
Chapters:
[00:00] — Intro: The Hidden Powers of Out-of-Home Media
[01:47] — Meet the Guests: WPP Media's Richard Kirk & Ocean Outdoor's Steve Bernard
[02:10] — Media Signaling: How Channels Shape Brand Perceptions
[06:07] — Why Out-of-Home Advertising Needs Format-Level Research
[09:38] — Attention vs. Signaling: Two Measures of Media Quality
[12:16] — UK Digital Out-of-Home: Premium Formats and 3D Creative
[14:53] — How the Out-of-Home Signaling Study Was Conducted
[16:36] — Study Results: Premium OOH, Iconic Formats, and TV
[19:15] — Using Brand Signaling to Justify Premium Media CPMs
[23:20] — How Premium OOH Can Amplify Omnichannel Campaigns
[25:43] — What Signaling Research Means for Media Planners
[28:46] — Key Takeaways: Trust, Reach, and Attentive Signaling
[32:02] — Quality-Adjusted Reach: Planning Media for Business Outcomes
#marketing #advertising #mediaplanning #OOH

For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.

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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 the United States, playing it safe isn't a sign of creative cowardice but the only rational economic move to avoid alienating a fragmented market.
Guests:
Shann Biglione, Co-founder, Kumkuat AI
Ann Marie Kerwin, Americas Editor, WARC
Chapters:
00:00 Intro: Why US Advertising is so carefully bland
02:10 U.S. Ads vs. Global Ads: A creative gap?
03:52 Is bland advertising a result of fiduciary duties?
05:49 Why American ads favor literal, verifiable claims
08:20 American identity and the challenge of mass marketing
11:28 Cultural identity in US consumer audiences
13:44 Media fragmentation, algorithms, and US consumer Tribes
17:39 Nike, Liquid Death, and Yeti: Winning niche audiences
21:47 The 'stretch but don’t break' brand framework
23:34 The snap, overlap, and trip-wire tests for brand strategy
27:14 Screenshot and Boomerang tests for advertising campaigns
30:22 Protecting your brand core and exploring new flavors
#marketing #advertising #creativity #brandstrategy

For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.

Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts

Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest

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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 in B2B marketing
[02:34[ Methodology: 1,025 Award-Winning B2B Campaigns Comparing Video vs Non-Video
[05:03] How B2B Video Drives Market Share, ROI and Search Performance
[07:14] The “Video Paradox”: High B2B Video Effectiveness but Flat Investment Budgets
[09:35] Winning Over The B2B Buying Group
[12:34] Amazon Business's CMO on Using Video Across the Full B2B Marketing Funnel
[15:05] Creative Lessons: Designing Silent-First B2B Video and Proving ROI with Data
[16:34] Discoverable, Credible, Winnable: How Video Builds B2B Brand Trust and Recall
[18:35] Why B2B Marketers Underinvest in Video and Misjudge Business Buyers
[22:32] Use Cases For B2B Video
[24:40] Make Video Work Harder: Jobs-to-Be-Done and Journey-Led Planning
[27:22] The Future of B2B Video: AI, Hidden Buyers and CFO-Friendly Measurement
Supporting resources on WARC.com:
Unlocking the Value of Video in B2B: https://www.warc.com/en/article/unlocking-the-value-of-video-in-b-2-b-728926f28b29431c9493c568690fefea
#B2Bmarketing #marketing #advertising #videomarketing #media #B2B #marketingscience

For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.

Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts

Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest

Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe

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 Commissioning Editor, WARC
Tony de Vizio, Global Partnerships Director, Carat
Anna Hamill, Senior Editor - The WARC Podcast, WARC
Chapters:
[00:00] Intro: Marketing in the K-shaped Economy
[00:09] What Is the K-Shaped Economy? Setting the Marketing Context
[02:28] A Two-Speed Consumer Reality: Hermes vs Buy Now Pay Later
[03:09- How the K-Shaped Economy Changes Demand, Resilience and Marketing
[05:46] Top of the K: Affluent Consumers Driving Global Marketing Spend
[07:31] The End of the “Average Consumer” and What It Means for Marketers
[10:33] Mid-Market Brands in a K-Shaped Economy
[11:55] Redefining Value in Marketing: Beyond Low Price to Emotional Return
[14:07] Category, Occasion and Pricing Strategy in a K-Shaped Economy
[17:29] Marketing to Affluent Consumers: Luxury Lessons on Depth and Pricing Power
[19:27] Marketing to Pressured Consumers: Value, Dignity and Life-on-a-Budget
[22:00] How Technology Accelerates the K-Shaped Economy
[24:07] K-Shaped AI Adoption and Strategic Questions for Marketing Leaders

For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.

Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts

Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest

Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe

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 Editor - Asia, WARC

For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday.

Subscribe to The WARC Podcast here: https://www.warc.com/en/warc-podcasts

Sign up to daily WARC News for free: https://www.warc.com/en/latest

Book a demo: https://www.warc.com/en/subscribe