The WARC Podcast

AI makes it easier to compete inside markets that already exist. That does not make strategy less important; it makes the search for new sources of demand more important. Erich Joachimsthaler, founder and CEO at VIVALDI, joins WARC's Lena Roland to discuss new 'demand spaces' for strategy.
Guests:
Erich Joachimsthaler, founder and CEO, VIVALDI; co-author of 'Brand Leadership: Building Assets in an Information Economy'
Lena Roland, Content Director, WARC
Chapters:
[00:00] Intro: Why strategists are moving upstream
[03:23] AI and the changing source of competitive advantage
[04:40] Finding growth beyond existing categories
[06:47] Demand spaces vs. traditional market segmentation
[09:23] Goodles: uncovering adult demand for mac and cheese
[11:29] Rhode skincare: building a brand around a simpler routine
[14:41] Demand-led portfolio strategy and product innovation
[16:59] Tesla: meeting demand for luxury and sustainability
[19:10] Where to compete vs. how to compete
[20:20] Figma: redefining design software through collaboration
[22:05] How to spot market shifts, workarounds, and new demand
[23:49] Liquid Death: brand differentiation and copycat risk
[27:32] How consumer needs, technology, and regulation create markets
[30:11] Sizing demand spaces and making the investment case
#business #marketing #innovation

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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How can strategy deliver measurable business value? Catherine Driscoll speaks with Martin Beverley (Ace of Hearts) and Baiba Matisone about value-based agency models, business-minded collaboration, timeless principles, and staying distinctive and evidence-led in an AI-shaped industry.
Guests:
Martin Beverley, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, Ace of Hearts
Baiba Matisone, Brand & Creative Strategy Consultant
Catherine Driscoll, Commissioning Editor - EMEA, WARC
Chapters:
(00:00) — Intro: Strategy's Commercial Calue in 2026
(01:54) — Why Time-Based Agency Fees Undervalue Creative Strategy
(05:05) — Value-Based Pricing and Bespoke Agency Models
(06:02) — Four Agency Pricing Models: Outputs, Outcomes, IP and Equity
(09:40) — Systems Thinking for Client-Centered Strategy
(11:13) — How to Demonstrate the Business Value of Strategy
(13:16) — Helping CMOs Make the Case for Strategy to the Board
(16:08) — Applying Creativity Beyond Advertising
(20:23) — Timeless Marketing Principles vs. Industry Trends
(26:15) — AI, Critical Thinking and the Future of Strategy Skills
(28:40) — Why Brand Distinctiveness Matters More in the AI Era
(30:18) — Is the Future of Strategy Worth Being Optimistic About?

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

Ad strategists are navigating two realities on AI: its benefit as a research tool, and the fear it may take their jobs. In the first of WARC's Future of Strategy series, Nikita Walia (U.N.N.A.M.E.D) and Joe Burns (Quality Meats) join Ann Marie Kerwin to examine whether AI is a strategist's friend, foe, or something in the middle, based on new data from WARC research.
Guests:
Nikita Walia, Partner & Strategist, U.N.N.A.M.E.D;
Joe Burns, Partner and Head of Strategy, Quality Meats Creative
Ann Marie Kerwin, Americas Editor, WARC

Supporting resources:
The Future of Strategy 2026: The future is hard to measure (Joe Burns) https://www.warc.com/en/article/the-future-is-hard-to-measure-1dbdbd7a20454b65b97470b36407f6e8
The Future of Strategy 2026: The skills strategists need to thrive in 2026 and beyond (Nikita Walia) https://www.warc.com/en/article/the-skills-strategists-need-c3a1888f29e6467299bf892259f1b7e1
The Future of Strategy 2026 (full report) https://www.warc.com/en/article/the-future-of-strategy-2026-d9afde10c3a948d789a91159ae7f23ce
Chapters:
(00:00) - Intro: The Future of Strategy 2026
(02:30) - AI Anxiety: Will AI Replace Marketing Strategists?
(04:57) - Using AI to Prototype and Stress-Test Strategic Ideas
(08:45) - Why Strategic Insight Is More Than a Polished Deck
(11:27) - Avoiding AI’s Legibility Trap in Brand Strategy
(15:26) - Building Brand Differentiation Beyond Advertising
(17:52) - How Strategists Can Lead Upstream Business Thinking
(21:26) - Bringing Strategy Into Early Brand Decisions
(24:07) - Aligning Agency Teams With AI and Shared Context
(27:04) - The Human Skills AI Can’t Replace: Client Relationships
(31:11) - Why Beauty Creates Commercial Value for Brands
(35:02) - Career Advice for Strategists: Look Beyond Marketing
(36:28) - Start a Business to Build Practical Strategy Skills

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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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.

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

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

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