The Marketing Architects

Marketers assume the moment consumers spot a sales pitch, their guard goes up and the message dies. New research says that's only half the story. Sometimes recognizing persuasion makes people trust a brand more, not less.

This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob are joined by Kellogg School of Management professor Kent Grayson, who has spent decades studying trust, deception and authenticity. He explains the three building blocks every brand draws on to earn trust, plus how to diagnose which one you're actually missing. The team also digs into whether TV itself works as a trust signal, and why AI could erode the founder story the same way paid deals eroded influencers.

Topics covered: 
[03:30] What the persuasion knowledge model really says 

[07:30] Why people distrust "advertising" but trust the ads they watch 

[10:30] Trust's three buckets: competence, honesty and benevolence 

[15:30] Character-based trust vs assurance-based trust 

[19:00] Can a media channel be a trust signal? 

[21:30] How AI threatens the founder story 

[26:00] Trustworthy creative starts with a trustworthy strategy 

 
To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
2017 KelloggInsight Research: https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/how-to-make-ads-that-even-savvy-customers-trust

Kent Grayson’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kent-grayson-3a0894126/
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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 dig into research showing that managers consistently misjudge how their own customers feel. They explore why loyalty is the biggest blind spot and what that misread costs a company. 

Topics covered:   
[01:20] "Do Managers Know What Their Customers Think and Why?" 

[02:10] Comparing 70,000 customer surveys to manager guesses 

[03:35] Managers were too optimistic across the board 

[04:30] Why loyalty was the worst miss 

[05:00] The blind spot on customer complaints 

[05:55] A $25 million gap in perception 

 

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
Hult, G. T. M., Morgeson, F. V., III, Morgan, N. A., Mithas, S., & Fornell, C. (2017). Do managers know what their customers think and why? Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(1), 37–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-016-0487-4 
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

83% of ad executives now use AI in the creative process, up from 60% two years ago. But only 45% of young consumers feel positive about AI-made ads. Advertisers guess that number is 82%.

This week, Elena and Angela are joined by Chief Creative Officer Steve Babcock to dig into that gap. Cost efficiency is now the top reason marketers reach for AI. It ranked fifth two years ago. Steve explains where AI slop really comes from, why TV punishes cut corners far more than social does, and what still has to stay human. Plus, why cutting production costs means improving the smallest line item on the page. 

Topics covered: 
[01:40] Why cost efficiency became AI's top-cited benefit 

[04:00] Where AI slop comes from and the uncanny valley 

[11:50] Should brands disclose when an ad was made with AI? 

[15:00] How AI shows up in briefs, idea generation and pretesting 

[22:15] Why TV is the least forgiving channel for AI creative 

[27:30] The case for raising the creative ceiling, not lowering the price floor 

[30:30] Steve's contrarian take on creating with AI 

 

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
2026 IAB and Sonata Insights Study: https://www.iab.com/insights/the-ai-gap-widens/
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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 look at why burying a mistake isn't always the right call. They learn how an honest flaw in a product's story can make it feel rare, one of a kind and worth paying more for. Plus, the two limits every marketer should know before trying it.

Topics covered:   
[02:05] "Made by Mistake: When Mistakes Increase Product Preference" 

[03:15] The chocolate that people picked over cash 

[04:05] Why a flaw made a drawing sell for more 

[04:20] Intentionality bias and the appeal of the improbable 

[04:45] Mistakes only pay off when you're already skilled 

[06:00] Fun products versus function, and the $6 eBay premium 

 

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
Reich, T., Kupor, D. M., & Smith, R. K. (2018). Made by mistake: When mistakes increase product preference. Journal of Consumer Research, 44(5), 1085–1103. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucx089 
 

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

The IPA analyzed nearly 1,000 campaigns and found a 60/40 split between brand and performance marketing drives the strongest long-term growth. GOVX tested that research and broke free of a plateau.

This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob talk with Aaron Pelander, Chief Brand Officer at GOVX, the largest online retailer serving the US military and first responder community. Aaron shares how GOVX moved from a performance-only mindset to a balanced brand strategy. He breaks down the leading indicators his team tracks, from share of search to direct traffic. Marketers on a plateau will get a real plan for building brand strength. 

Topics covered: 
[04:00] GOVX marketing before the plateau hit 

[07:00] What clicked after reading The Long and the Short of It 

[09:00] Splitting budget into member and brand marketing 

[14:00] Leading indicators like share of search and direct traffic 

[21:00] Earning executive buy-in for TV and sponsorships 

[33:00] Aaron's advice for brands stuck on a plateau 

[34:00] Why precise attribution is overrated 

To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter. 
 

Resources: 
2013 IPA Report: https://ipa.co.uk/knowledge/publications-reports/the-long-and-the-short-of-it-balancing-short-and-long-term-marketing-strategies/

GOVX Website: https://www.govx.com/

Aaron Pelander’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronpelander/

Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.