Balancing Brand Equity and Innovation with Jamie Warner and Trent Thacker

In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Jamie Warner sits down with Trent Thacker, Senior Director of Market and Customer Research at Cox Automotive Inc. and currently Senior Director of Industry Intelligence, to explore how iconic brands like AutoTrader and Kelley Blue Book consistently produce high-performing creative in an increasingly competitive media landscape. Trent shares Cox Automotive's research-first approach to campaign development, revealing how consumer tracking, competitive intelligence, and multi-stage testing help reduce risk while improving results.

The conversation dives into why automotive advertising demands a different playbook, with consumers spending up to 100 days researching vehicles and relying heavily on informative content. Trent also explains how Cox Automotive is embracing AI, from generating animatics for rapid testing to creating AI-powered consumer personas, without losing the human judgment required to protect brand equity.

What You'll Learn:

How to structure a creative development process that mitigates risk
Why the Information Score matters more than you think in automotive advertising
How to use AI to accelerate creative iterations without sacrificing quality
The strategic value of AI-powered generational personas for script refinement
How to protect brand equity while staying competitive
Why cross-brand integration amplifies performance

About the Guest:

Trent Thacker is the Senior Director of Market and Customer Research at Cox Automotive Inc. and currently Senior Director of Industry Intelligence at Cox Automotive, where he leads research and market intelligence initiatives for major consumer-facing brands including AutoTrader and Kelley Blue Book. With over a decade of experience at Cox Automotive and previous roles at Phillips and AT&T, Thacker has developed deep expertise in campaign development, consumer research methodologies, and creative testing across competitive markets.

Jamie Warner is a highly motivated sales leader with a proven track record of exceeding goals and building lasting client relationships. As Enterprise Account Executive of Brand Partnerships at iSpot, Jamie brings extensive experience in business development, revenue generation, and account management. Known for a solution-oriented approach, Jamie excels at identifying client pain points and creating mutually beneficial outcomes. A positive leader, strong motivator, and effective communicator, Jamie is passionate about helping brands achieve measurable success through strategic partnerships.

Host and Guest Resources:

Trent Thacker on LinkedIn
Cox Automotive Inc. Website
Jamie Warner on LinkedIn
iSpot Website
ADWEEK Website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(102)

The WNBA’s Business Revolution: Lexie Brown and Mariah Rose on What Comes Next

The WNBA’s rapid rise from an overlooked league to a cultural and commercial powerhouse reflects more than just the growing popularity of women’s basketball. It signals a shift in how athletes build t...

15 Okt 41min

4 Creative and Marketing Leaders on Turning Legacy Brands Into Cultural Icons

What does it take to reinvent a legacy brand without losing what made it iconic?In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Brittaney Keifer brings together four creative and marketing leaders to explo...

13 Okt 46min

Reinventing Retail Icons: Ken Ohashi and Marisa Thalberg on Making Legacy Brands Relevant

Legacy retail brands have something that newer brands can only dream of: decades of recognition, emotional connection, and cultural history. But turning that heritage into modern relevance requires mo...

8 Okt 30min

7 Billion Impressions Without Paid Media: Fanta’s Halloween Strategy: Ibrahim Khan, Global VP of Marketing at Fanta

Halloween is no longer just a seasonal celebration. For brands, it can become a powerful cultural platform for building relevance, generating engagement, and creating long-term brand assets.In this ep...

6 Okt 23min

From Awareness to Action: Rethinking Mental Health Campaigns with Three Communication Leaders

Mental health campaigns can do more than raise awareness. Done well, they can change behavior, challenge stigma, and help people take meaningful action. In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Audr...

1 Okt 28min

The New Marketing Playbook: How HubSpot Is Winning in the AI Era with Kyle Denhoff

Marketing is no longer just about winning clicks. As AI Overviews, rising ad costs, and changing search behavior reshape customer acquisition, brands need to rethink how they build visibility and enga...

29 Sep 26min

Creators That Convert: Four Business Leaders on Driving Full-Funnel Marketing Results

Creator marketing is no longer just about generating awareness or social engagement. It is becoming a measurable growth engine that can influence consumers throughout the entire marketing funnel.In th...

24 Sep 24min

The Executive Partnership Behind Stanley’s Hypergrowth | Kate Ridley & Graham Nearn

What does it take to evolve a 100-year-old brand while navigating hypergrowth, global expansion, and changing consumer expectations? In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Kate Ridley, Chief Brand Offi...

22 Sep 24min