Matt Stockbridge, a marketing effectiveness expert, joined The Six Sells Podcast to discuss how brands can measure and optimise their advertising impact. With a career spanning market research, FMCG insights, and media effectiveness, Matt shared his journey from working at Taylor Nelson and Cadbury to becoming an independent consultant. He explained how his role evolved at Cadbury after its acquisition by Kraft, where he built a marketing effectiveness function from scratch to help the company make data-driven advertising decisions.
The conversation explored the importance of measuring marketing effectiveness, particularly in understanding the true impact of advertising versus external factors like seasonal demand. Matt highlighted the challenge of proving ROI to CMOs and creative teams, as marketing spend is often seen as an art rather than a science. He discussed tools like Power BI and AI-driven modelling, which integrate sales and media data to provide a clearer picture of what drives brand growth.
Christmas advertising was a key talking point, with Matt analysing how brands like Aldi use consistency, storytelling, and repeated exposure to build strong mental availability. He explained that while festive campaigns are high-profile, their success depends on balancing emotional storytelling with measurable sales impact. Using eye-tracking insights from Lumen Research, brands can better understand consumer attention and optimise their creative strategies accordingly.
The discussion also touched on the efficiency of retailers like Aldi and Lidl, whose structured marketing approach and disciplined spending contribute to their success. Matt emphasised that while digital targeting offers precision, broad reach and frequency remain fundamental to effective advertising. The episode provided valuable insights into how brands can combine creative storytelling with robust measurement to drive real marketing results.
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