Nerd Alert: What Makes a Great Super Bowl Ad?

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 examine why advertising ...  Show more

Concern about short-termism among marketers jumped from 25% in 2022 to 55% in 2025. Budget allocation barely moved. The funnel may not be dead, but it might be damaging your brand.This week, Elena, Angela, and Rob debate whether the marketing funnel still belongs in the boardroom ...  Show more

The Super Bowl isn’t just American football’s championship game. It’s also one of the world’s biggest stages for brand messaging. In 2024, the average 30-second Super Bowl ad cost $7 million —and that doesn’t even include production costs. So how do brand managers know if they’re ...  Show more

Super Bowl ads aren’t just commercials—they’re a cultural moment, a case study in brand impact, and a $7 million gamble for 30 seconds of airtime. In this episode, Ralph and Lauren break down the best, the worst, and the most effective ads from this year’s game. From Wanda Sykes ...  Show more

For performance marketers, having the right creative is essential. That’s why conducting research and pretesting to better understand the consumer are more important than winning awards—and ultimately will be better for the bottom line. In this episode, we’re talking with Rob DeM ...  Show more

Ralph and Lauren welcome TJ Kelly, VP of Sales at Tier 11. They discuss the importance of connecting marketing efforts directly to financial outcomes. They also challenge the conventional reliance on ROAS and other in-app metrics, advocating for a holistic approach that prioritiz ...  Show more