Pod Save Advertising: Why joy, emotion and showmanship could save the industry

The case for showmanship

Wood’s research at System1 shows that campaigns designed to entertain - rather than simply sell deliver both emotional impact and commercial effectiveness. “The work that moves people,” he says, “is the work that moves numbers.”

Simonet agrees that the industry has confused media with meaning. “Media isn’t advertising; it’s just the stage,” he says. “If the stage doesn’t allow a relationship to form, it’s not working.” Designing for five-second attention spans, he adds, guarantees five-second relationships.

Both argue that in the rush to performance media, marketing has forgotten the show – and the human craft that builds memory, trust and emotion.

Experience is everything

Within that show, Simonet says, there are a host of “new stages” – places where consumers opt in to interact with brands. He points to connected packaging, QR codes and influencer content as emerging spaces where experiences replace interruptions. “When I scan a pack and unlock a story, that’s not intrusion, it’s invitation,” he says. “It’s brand experience multiplied - mental and physical availability combined.”

For Wood, while the channels are new, the principles aren’t. “From the posters of 1890s Paris to TikTok today, technology changes but showmanship endures,” he says. “The more automated the world becomes, the more important brand memory and trust will be.”

Fixing indifference

For Duncan, Wood and Simonet, advertising’s real enemy isn’t dislike; it’s indifference. Years of “dull advertising in dull media,” says Wood, have drained both public affection and industry talent. The fix, they argue, lies in work that projects a distinctive personality and gives people something to feel.

Simonet calls for brands to “make people want to be part of the story” instead of forcing messages into their feeds. “When consumers opt in,” he says, “you get emotional connection, not avoidance.”

Who’s doing it well?

The guests highlight examples of brands using showmanship to powerful effect:

• Coca-Cola, through its music partnerships and connected packaging, blending physical products with digital storytelling.
• Yorkshire Tea, whose “proper” platform has become a cultural shorthand across social and broadcast channels.
• Duolingo, turning its owl mascot into a character-led brand voice built on humour and personality.
• MrBeast, whose Feastables range shows how creators can turn trust and joy into product loyalty.

Each, they note, demonstrates how brands that invest in emotion and experience outperform those chasing clicks.

The takeaway

Advertising doesn’t need more performance metrics, it needs better performances. The industry’s future depends on brands rediscovering their capacity to entertain, connect and inspire.

“Media is the stage,” says Simonet. “It’s up to us to put on a better show.”

Listen now: Pod Save Advertising, presented by The Drum, features Alastair Duncan in conversation with Orlando Wood (System1) and Paul Simonet (Experience is Everything). The episode explores how emotion, creativity and experience can restore advertising’s sense of purpose.

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and The Drum Podcasts Hub.