The WARC Podcast

Netflix has entered its advertising era, building a significant revenue driver. And it's just getting started. WARC's Alex Brownsell and Celeste Huang offer a deep dive into Netflix's approach and potential next steps, from its potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery to new ventures in podcasts, gaming and live events.  WARC subscribers can access the full report 'Platform Insights: Netflix' report on WARC.com here

Global sports fans spend over three trillion hours with sports each year, with another trillion hours set to be added by 2034. Sporting events are monocultural moments to reach multiple segments and demographics at once. ​WARC's Vaniele Casimir joins Anna Hamill to discuss best practice for sports marketing, based on the new report 'What's Working In Sports Marketing'. WARC subscribers can access the full report on WARC.com now: https://www.warc.com/content/article/warc-wwi/whats-working-in-sports-marketing/en-gb/162354

Outcomes are increasingly important as a form of media measurement, and how campaigns are planned and budgets are allocated. What role remains for traditional media effectiveness metrics? ITV's Sameer Modha and Kate Brinkley from The Specialist Works join WARC's Alex Brownsell to discuss the evolution of media measurement.

Liquid Death's Andy Pearson shares secrets of the brand's 2026 Super Bowl campaign: developing the idea, the creative process, and the highlights and hurdles of advertising in the biggest TV moment of the year. Hosted by WARC's Ann Marie Kerwin.

Our team of experts from WARC, System 1 and LIONS review this year's Super Bowl ads, and what they tell us about advertising in 2026. Guests: Vanessa Chin, System1 Chris Barth, LIONS Advisory Cathy Taylor, WARC

Established models for media planning and buying are breaking. ‘Systems planning' describes a new approach. Omnicom Media's Global CSO, Jonathan Rigby, joins WARC's Paul Stringer to discuss trends in media planning, advertising investments and the media ecosystem.

Most brands in China show weakness in the mid-funnel, resulting in decreased brand differentiation. WARC's Jenny Chan explores practical guides for brands to win efficiently in this stage with WPP China's Dennis Potgraven and Lauren Cadman.

How do you know if creator marketing is really building brands or just delivering a sugar rush of short-term views? WARC's Anna Hamill and Catherine Driscoll discuss the creator campaigns achieving real life impact, based on the recent 'What's Working in Creator Marketing' report.

Research from WARC + Aletheia found that a values-driven approach to insights, messaging and media leads to lifts in ad preference, likability, and relevance. LIONS Advisory's Imaad Ahmed and WARC's Anna Hamill discuss the findings and why they matter with Colleen Howell, VP Research at Aletheia and Chris Marchegiani, Worldwide Head of Brand Planning, Insights, and Creative Strategy at Amazon. This episode is in partnership between LIONS Advisory and Aletheia.

How did the world's best brands get so big? Richard Shotton, behavioural scientist and author of Hacking The Human Mind, joins David Tiltman to discuss real life examples of behavioural science growing brands and why the discipline is due a resurgence.

Media futures expert Dan Calladine is back to examine 2026 trends and advise on how brands can thrive in times of guaranteed uncertainty. Hosted by Alex Brownsell.

Premium alcohol brands are navigating changing drinking habits, AI disruption and new consumer expectations. Matt Foley, former VP Marketing for American Whiskey and Agave Brands, joins WARC's Ann Marie Kerwin to discuss marketing effectiveness in the alcohol category.

What does it mean for a brand to be ‘in culture'? And in an age of fragmentation, micro-influencers and the creator economy - are the rules changing? Leila Fataar, author of Culture Led Brands, talks to WARC's David Tiltman about what cultural relevance means for brands in 2026.

New ad spend forecasts show that the ad market has become detached from the broader economy. WPP Media's Kate Scott-Dawkins and WARC's James McDonald join Alex Brownsell to discuss trends in the 2026 ad economy, including the growing influence of AI and a bumper year in North America with elections and the FIFA World Cup.

The world is changing, and strategy skillsets need to evolve with it. Tomas Gonsorcik, Elizabeth Paul and Joe Burns join WARC's Ann Marie Kerwin to discuss how strategists can future proof their skills for a new era of marketing.

WARC's effectiveness research The Multiplier Effect shows how brand equity drives growth. Americas Editor Ann Marie Kerwin sits down with Ken Favaro, BERA's Chief Strategy Officer and Michael Reh, BERA.ai's head of data science, to discuss the power of brand equity in effective marketing.

How can marketers prioritise effectiveness in a highly fragmented media landscape? Dr Grace Kite (Magic Numbers) and Tom Roach (Jellyfish) join WARC's David Tiltman to discuss the 'lots of little' strategy.

Groundbreaking research from Oxford University's Felipe Thomaz and WPP Media questions the importance of optimising campaigns for maximum reach, challenging best practice about how brands grow.

Many advertisers think in terms of campaigns, when they should be focused on building long-term creative platforms. WARC's Paul Stringer sits down with Kantar's Dom Boyd to discuss why creative platforms are so effective, how they're built, and how to measure them.

It's our 400th episode! WARC's team of experts share the most influential new effectiveness ideas from 2025, including the Multiplier Effect, creators, and generative engine optimization (GEO). Hosted by WARC's Anna Hamill.

AI is gaining influence across the customer journey but even as brands experiment with it, more established strategies and channels will remain important. JPMorganChase's Tiffany Perkins Munn and WARC's Stephen Whiteside join David Tiltman to discuss the fast moving world of AI and its impact on marketing in 2026.

How Vaseline Verified tapped creator conversations to fact check product hacks, The Ordinary breaks tired beauty marketing norms, and finding the signal among the DEI noise. Recorded at Most Contagious 2025. Hosted by WARC's Anna Hamill.

The secrets behind KitKat's 90 year brand story, how to build a scambaiter AI Granny, and which brands are getting it right on community in 2025. Recorded at Most Contagious 2025. Hosted by WARC's Anna Hamill.

Brands are projected to spend $37 billion on creators in 2026. But marketers still face challenges in proving effectiveness. Billion Dollar Boy's Becky Owen and WARC's Alex Brownsell join Anna Hamill to discuss how marketers can get the most value from their investment, based on data from WARC's Marketer's Toolkit. This episode is sponsored by Criteo - check out criteo.com/warc for more info.

Fried chicken enthusiasts, unite! Popeyes' Alexandre Antonello joins WARC' Cathy Taylor to share how the fast-food giant is tackling the economic crunch, AI, creators and more based on data from WARC's Marketers Toolkit. This episode is sponsored by Criteo - for more info, check out criteo.com/warc

Magnus Ekbom co-founded Lazada, the Asian e-commerce giant, leading the business from start-up to sale before exiting in 2022. He joins WARC's Rica Facundo to discuss the evolution of e-commerce in Asia, emphasizing the importance of brand building in a competitive landscape and the potential for homegrown brands to thrive.

In an era where emotion drives 50% of airline choice and experience trumps products, Cathay Pacific's Edward Bell explains to WARC's Jenny Chan why AI's rise means premium brands must become more human, not less, based on insights from WARC's Marketer's Toolkit. This podcast is sponsored by Criteo. For more information, check out criteo.com/warc

Existential anxiety and digital fatigue are shaking up the experience economy, driving more interest in escapism and 'IRL'. S. Subramanyeswar, Group CEO/CSO APAC at Mullen Lowe Lintas, and WARC's Rica Facundo join Anna Hamill to discuss how this shift requires marketers to adapt, based on insights from WARC's Marketer's Toolkit. This episode is sponsored by Criteo. To learn more, visit criteo.com/warc

WARC's John Bizzell goes behind the APG Grand Prix-winning campaign for a car that either sends you to sleep OR into raptures: the Skoda Octavia. Joe Crust, Strategy Director at Leo UK, joins to take us behind the scenes. Watch the video version on WARC's Youtube channel.

Years of economic uncertainty is impacting not only how consumers spend, but also their life milestones. WARC's Adi Kishore and Cathy Taylor, with Rival's Cecelia Parrish, join Anna Hamill to discuss how these trends will impact brands in 2026, based on insights from the WARC Marketer's Toolkit. This episode is sponsored by Criteo. For more info, check out criteo.com/WARC

Shoppers won't wait to switch brands after a poor customer experience. WARC's Anna Hamill and Rica Facundo discuss how marketers can close the customer experience gap, based on insights from the recent WARC Guide.

Mid-market brands have hopes that AI can make them more competitive, but know they need to upskill their AI literacy. WARC's Lexi Wolf talks to Caroline Giegerich, VP - AI & Marketing Innovation at IAB; and Jillian Ryan, Senior Manager, Content Marketing Strategy at Intuit Mailchimp about a new report from Mailchimp and WARC. This episode is sponsored by Mailchimp.

Brands with engaged employees tend to have higher customer satisfaction, increased profitability, and outperform businesses that do not. WARC's Cathy Taylor and Vaniele Casimir discuss best practice for employee engagement.

LLM-based search is the new mental availability engine, but success requires deep understanding of how a category is bought, thought and talked about. Shane O'Leary (Zoetis) and Gemma Spence (VML) join WARC's Lena Roland to discuss best practices for generative engine optimization.

Marketing measurement is in a constant state of flux. This deep-dive examines the changes marketers need to know and plan for. WARC's David Tiltman talks to Henry Innis, co-founder and CEO of Mutinex, about what to expect in 2026.

The festive season is getting started, and many brands are feeling the crunch. WARC's Rica Facundo and Biprorshee Das discuss best practice strategies for marketing in the festive season.

TV is often dismissed as 'traditional' media, yet it's still a proven performance multiplier. Angela Voss, CEO of Marketing Architects, joins WARC's Ann Marie Kerwin and Alex Brownsell to explore how TV has become overlooked as a full funnel channel and why that needs to change. This episode is sponsored by Marketing Architects.

Les Binet and Will Davis share new research on efficiency vs reach, Alastair Macrow (McDonalds) cracks the C-suite code, and big picture effectiveness trends from the IPA's Laurence Green and WARC's David Tiltman. Recorded live at the IPA Effectiveness Conference 2025 with WARC's Anna Hamill.

Groundbreaking new studies on influencer measurement, music's outsized impact on effectiveness, and provocations on AI. Recorded live at the IPA Effectiveness Conference 2025 with WARC's Anna Hamill.We hear from Dom Charles, Managing Director for Audience Intelligence & Marketing Science at Wavemaker UK; Roscoe Williamson, Global Strategy Director, MassiveMusic; Will Lion, CSO, BBH; Oliver Feldwick, Chief Innovation Officer, T&P; Sandra Peat, UK Partner, Spikes

The world is changing, and strategy skillsets need to evolve with it. As part of Future of Strategy week, Tomas Gonsorcik, Elizabeth Paul and Joe Burns join WARC's Ann Marie Kerwin to discuss how strategists can future proof their skills for a new era of marketing.The Future of Strategy 2025 report, which includes quantitative and qualitative data analysis, expert commentary and advice from leading strategists, is available to WARC members now.

According to WARC's new Future of Strategy report, strategists are feeling stuck. Siddhant Lahiri and Steve Walls join Rica Facundo to discuss how strategy can get its groove back.The Future of Strategy 2025 report, which includes quantitative and qualitative data analysis, expert commentary and advice from leading strategists, is available to WARC members now. 

80% of strategists believe the discipline faces a crossroads as agency business models strain. For Future of Strategy week, Suzanne Powers, Faris Yakob and Tom Morton are back with WARC's Lena Roland to discuss WARC's annual survey of strategists.The Future of Strategy 2025 report, which includes quantitative and qualitative data analysis, expert commentary and advice from leading strategists, is available to WARC members now.

100 things a planner should know' has been a strategist's field manual for years. Its author, Charles Wigley, joins WARC's David Tiltman to discuss some of that advice, how he applied it in his own career – and what it means in the current industry climate.

The Amazon/Alphabet/Meta triopoly is on track to record real growth of 89.1% between 2020 and the end of 2027, almost five times faster than all other media owners combined, according to WARC's Q3 2025 global forecast. WARC's James McDonald and Alex Brownsell crunch the numbers.

Structured, data-driven thinking scales companies. Should marketers adopt the same mindset? Sorin Patilinet joins WARC's David Tiltman to discuss his new book, Marketing Effectiveness: Applying Marketing Science for Brand Growth.

Reddit's ad revenue is forecast to grow 49.6% this year. WARC's Alex Brownsell and Celese Huang, with VCCP's Ayaz Hussain, discuss what Reddit offers marketers in search of organic community.

What do Apple, Disney and Pedigree have in common? They're all ecosystem brands. WARC's Anna Hamill and Catherine Driscoll discuss insights from The WARC Guide on how build a successful ecosystem brand, or partner with one.

With Labubus and K-Pop Demon Hunters offering escapism from the headlines, WARC's Rica Facundo explores the role of pop culture in soft power with Michael Patent (Culture Group) and Shilpa Sinha (McCann APAC).

Aussie telco Telstra has successfully implemented core effectiveness principles across its brand. CMO Brent Smart joins WARC's Anna Hamill to discuss Telstra's brand evolution.

Aussie telco Telstra has successfully implemented core effectiveness principles across its brand. CMO Brent Smart joins WARC's Anna Hamill to discuss Telstra's brand evolution.

A fierce debate has broken out about the definition of television in 2025. Should TV advertising be defined by format, device or media owner? WARC's David Tiltman and Alex Brownsell are joined by guest editor Omar Oakes to examine the evidence.