The WARC Podcast

New data from CreativeX reveals the alarming extent of 'churn and burn' short-termism among advertisers, based on a study of 633,000 ads over two years. Content volume is way up, but media budgets aren't. So what's going on? Anastasia Leng, CEO of CreativeX, joins WARC's David Tiltman to break down the data, examine the most concerning trends, and discuss how brands can turn the ship around. 

Guests:

Anastasia Leng, CEO, CreativeX

Chapters:

00:00 – Fragmentation of creativity and the ‘more with less’ challenge

04:12 – From pre-testing to creative auditing at scale

05:18 – Why media and creative must come back together

06:54 – Explaining ‘fewer, bigger, longer, better’

09:19 – From scarcity to abundance: when ‘more content’ goes wrong

10:14 – Inside the study: 633k ads, $2bn spend, 143 Fortune 500 brands

12:52 – Content production up 29% in two years

14:01 – Media spend per ad down 15%: weaker support for each asset

15:34 – Short runs: 32 days for direct response ads, 40 days for brand ads

17:28 – Algorithms as creative directors and a crisis of confidence

19:49 – 93% of ads under $10k; 70% under $1k in spend

21:32 – Low-budget ads score 20% lower on creative quality

24:48 – Sub-$10k ads absorbing 30% of a $2bn media budget

32:05 – Three fixes: big ideas, media thresholds, better learning loops

35:29 – ‘Big swings’: $100k+ ads run 89 days but get only 18% of spend


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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Creative Strategy Lions jury president Sarah Lemarié and juror Dan Hill share powerful advice on how to level up strategic thinking, their stand out campaigns from Cannes Lions, why they look for 'strategic firsts' in the jury room, and a warning on using AI in awards entries. Hosted by Effie Insight's John Bizzell.

Guests:
Sarah Lemarié, Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis France
Dan Hill, Global Chief Strategy Officer, Wieden+Kennedy
 

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

Mark Ritson is back to talk all things marketing skills, back-to-basics brand fundamentals, the impact of AI on the marketing workforce and why he's tired of marketing's 'culture of bullsh*t'. Hosted by WARC's David Tiltman.

Guest:

Mark Ritson, Founder, miniMBA

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro: Mark Ritson joins The WARC Podcast

02:33 – Ritson & Byron Sharp: surprising areas of agreement

07:40 – The Multiplier Playbook and the effectiveness “say–do” gap

09:09 – Ipsos x Ritson test: two‑thirds of marketers fail basics

11:28 – Marketing’s skillset problem

15:20 – Fewer, bigger, longer: brand building vs short‑termism

18:58 – Why “idiot competitors” help smart brands win in recessions

19:41 – CreativeX data: 93% of big‑brand digital ads spend under $10k

22:38 – When performance thinking invades long‑term brand building

23:08 – AI and synthetic data: what will really change in marketing

24:56 – AI‑built marketing plans and a 60–65% cut in jobs

28:45 – Creator marketing, TikTok and the distinctiveness challenge

32:31 – The “uncivil war” in effectiveness and why debate matters


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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Cannes Lions jury president Bertille Toledano and juror Jane Wakely share tips for aspiring winners of the Creative Effectiveness Lions, including lessons from this year's Grand Prix and Gold winners, how to present data, outline cultural context & and demonstrate brand growth with rigorous evidence.

Hosted by WARC's Amy Rodgers.

Bertille Toledano is CEO of BETC and Havas Creative Middle East, and President of Havas Creative Network.
Jane Wakely is Executive VP, Chief Consumer & Marketing Officer and Chief Growth Officer - International Foods at PepsiCo.

The entries for the 2026 Cannes Lions Creative Effectiveness category are now live on WARC.com for all subscribers.  

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

How do you break out of a performance plateau without extra budget? Footwear brand FitFlop is walking the talk (in FitFlops, of course). Fitflop's Brittany Ellam and Ash Singh from Jellyfish join WARC's David Tiltman to discuss how the brand tapped into thinking from The Multiplier Effect, and the impressive results it achieved by embracing a better approach to investing in brand and performance marketing.  

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