The Marketing Architects

Nerd Alert: Making Effectiveness Work

October 1, 2026·8 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

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 why five analysts can hand you five different ROI numbers for the same campaign. They explain why averaging those numbers hides the truth, and how to match your measurement method to the size of the decision in front of you.Topics covered:   [01:40] "Making Effectiveness Work" [02:20] Three ways to measure ad effectiveness [02:40] Why triangulation is a trap [04:10] Test and learn can more than double returns [05:15] Long-term ROI was 2.2 times the 12-week read [05:45] The case against last click attribution  To learn more, visit marketingarchitects.com/podcast or subscribe to our newsletter at marketingarchitects.com/newsletter.  Resources: Duckworth, S., Charles, N., & Stoddard, D. (2024). Making effectiveness work. Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. https://ipa.co.uk/knowledge/effectiveness/ipa-effectiveness-conference-2024/making-effectiveness-work  Get more research-backed marketing strategies by subscribing to The Marketing Architects on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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