Having been audio-only for the past two years, the Impact Makers podcast has made its visual debut on YouTube.
The self-confessed “product-obsessed” marketing podcast, made by research firm MMR, took the opportunity to introduce itself to a potentially new audience.
Co-host Andrew Wardlaw explained the mission to “hunt down those trends, ideas and innovations” that keep CPG brands “ticking along nicely”. And, says his hosting partner Caitlin McLean, to “celebrate those products that go beyond liking”.
It’s clear from the offset the podcast doesn’t pull punches. Take the cleaning category. Wardlaw shares consumer poll results showing 70% of people find cleaning their home therapeutic – “meanwhile that category is still banging on about 99% germ kill”, he says.
The two main topics covered in the episode are overdue some straight-talking scrutiny: the hugely hyped GLP-1s and AI shopping. The hosts present a recent BMJ-published study showing most GLP-1 users soon stop using them. “In the real world people are finding them intolerable and too expensive…they are a short-term hack for weight loss,” Wardlaw says. Nevertheless, explains studio guest behavioural science expert Dr Paulina Lang, users are more “informed and calculated” about the products they buy.
On AI, guest Walter Pasquarelli explains the “vast volume” of products that are “not important to us in terms of emotional value” will likely be handled by AI agents in future. Equally, users will consult agents more often on the big purchases.
Throughout, the podcast stays hyper-focused on why the subject at hand matters to brands. Plus, it retains an evidence-based rigour often lacking in more opinion-led similar shows.
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