Advertising in America

Story & Culture & Experience: Why 80% of Businesses Are Running on Broken

Your brand has a story. The question is whether it's true. Most businesses think they have a culture. They have a summer picnic. They have a mission statement on the wall. They have a boss who reads leadership books and then shows up late on Mondays. That's not culture. That's a fairy tale with fluorescent lighting. In this episode, Ryan Chute and the Torbay brothers sit down with Wizard of Ads partner Ray Seggern, author of the forthcoming book Story & Culture & Experience: A Field Guide for Finding Your Awesome,  to break down the three forces that determine whether a business becomes iconic or invisible. Story is what the market believes about you. Culture is who your people actually are. Experience is what your customers actually feel. When all three align, you don't have customers, you have champions. When they don't, no ad budget in the world will save you. This conversation goes deep on why advertising is secretly also a recruiting tool, how the boss's behavior predicts the team's behavior, and why the organizations that are hardest to fix are often the ones who most need fixing… starting at the top. Episode Highlights: * The Three Circles: Why story, culture, and experience are inseparable and what happens when any one of them is missing. * Culture on Accident: The businesses that are quietly brilliant but invisible and why that's a fixable problem with a powerful upside. * What You Emanate, They Will Emulate: How leadership behavior sets the behavioral standard for everyone below it for better or worse. * Every Consumer Ad Is a Secret Recruiting Ad: How the story you tell the market is simultaneously shaping who wants to work for you. * The 80% Problem: The uncomfortable reality about how many businesses conspire to bend the truth and what that does to culture from the inside out. * Assholeism: Ray's favorite chapter. The uncomfortable self-inventory that most bosses will never take. * Does Your Business Have a Soul? The final question in Ray's book and the most important one in this conversation. * The Leadership Trifecta: Help people win. Be trustworthy. Live in gratitude. Three buckets. Every mission statement in the world fits inside them. 🎧 If you've ever wondered why your culture keeps breaking down, why your best people keep leaving, or why your story doesn't match what actually happens inside your walls... Take the Next Step: Tired of marketing that doesn't move the needle? Need to break through all the noise? In this exclusive one-on-one consultation, Wizard Ryan Chute will help you uncover:  * ‍Overlooked advertising opportunities hiding in plain sight. * ‍Timeless psychological tactics that drive sales no matter the decade. * ‍Edgy strategies that capture attention and convert in today’s crowded landscape. Spots Are Limited —Reserve Yours Now! https://www.wizardofads.services/advertisinginamerica [https://www.wizardofads.services/advertisinginamerica] Connect with Us: https://www.youtube.com/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.youtube.com/@advertisinginamerica] https://www.facebook.com/advertisinginamerica [https://www.facebook.com/advertisinginamerica] https://www.instagram.com/advertisinginamerica [https://www.instagram.com/advertisinginamerica/] https://www.threads.net/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.threads.net/@advertisinginamerica] https://x.com/adsinamerica [https://x.com/adsinamerica] https://ca.pinterest.com/advertisinginamerica [https://ca.pinterest.com/advertisinginamerica/] https://www.tiktok.com/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.tiktok.com/@advertisinginamerica]

Discounts, Data, and Delusion: Rethinking Valpak

Is Valpak a relic of desperate discounting… or a misunderstood tool hiding in plain sight? In this episode of Advertising in America, the team takes on one of the most polarizing marketing channels out there—the infamous envelope of coupons. Is it junk mail destined for the trash, or a strategic weapon when used correctly? Chris Torbay fires the first shot, dismantling Valpak as a brand-killing, bargain-bin tactic that attracts the wrong customer at the worst possible moment. But Mick Torbay pushes back hard, arguing that no media is inherently broken—only the strategy behind it. Then comes the reality check. Media buying expert Beth Radtke steps in with data, experience, and a perspective most advertisers never consider: what actually happens after that envelope hits the mailbox. This episode isn’t about defending or attacking Valpak. It’s about understanding the real game. Episode Highlights: * Why media doesn’t make marketing work—message does  * The difference between brand building and sales activation * How cheap reach can still be strategically expensive * Why consistency and familiarity matter more than clever offers * And how the wrong message in the right medium still fails Because the question isn’t whether Valpak works. It’s whether you know how to use it. 🎧 Hit play to rethink not just coupons—but how every marketing channel fits into your strategy. 👉 Do you know how to make any marketing work?  Take the Next Step: Tired of marketing that doesn't move the needle? Need to break through all the noise? In this exclusive one-on-one consultation, Wizard Ryan Chute will help you uncover:  * ‍Overlooked advertising opportunities hiding in plain sight. * ‍Timeless psychological tactics that drive sales no matter the decade. * ‍Edgy strategies that capture attention and convert in today’s crowded landscape. Spots Are Limited —Reserve Yours Now! https://www.wizardofads.services/advertisinginamerica [https://www.wizardofads.services/advertisinginamerica] Connect with Us: https://www.youtube.com/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.youtube.com/@advertisinginamerica] https://www.facebook.com/advertisinginamerica [https://www.facebook.com/advertisinginamerica] https://www.instagram.com/advertisinginamerica [https://www.instagram.com/advertisinginamerica/] https://www.threads.net/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.threads.net/@advertisinginamerica] https://x.com/adsinamerica [https://x.com/adsinamerica] https://ca.pinterest.com/advertisinginamerica [https://ca.pinterest.com/advertisinginamerica/] https://www.tiktok.com/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.tiktok.com/@advertisinginamerica]

The Renaissance of Sh*tty Advertising

You don’t have an attention problem… you have an entitlement problem. Most advertisers walk into the market like they’re the main act, expecting people to listen, care, and convert. The reality? You’re the interruption. And if you haven’t earned that attention, you’ve already lost it. In this episode, the team dismantles the illusion that good products, polished branding, or bigger budgets automatically translate into results. From painfully generic HVAC commercials to bloated national campaigns, they expose the real issue: advertising that says everything and means nothing. The conversation cuts deep into what actually works, earning attention through entertainment, holding it through storytelling, and delivering a single, memorable idea instead of a laundry list of features. Because the market isn’t ignoring you… you’re just not giving it a reason to care. If you’re still relying on “quality, service, and low prices” to carry your message, this episode is your wake-up call. Episode Highlights: * You Don’t Deserve Attention: Why assuming people are listening is the fastest way to be ignored. * The Opening Act Reality: Your audience didn’t come for you—how to hijack attention and make them stay. * The 50/50 Ad Trap: Start entertaining, then switch to selling—and watch your audience disappear. * The One-Message Rule: Why cramming in features kills recall and guarantees failure. * Earn It, Then Hold It: The critical difference between grabbing attention and sustaining interest. * Campaigns That Compound: How consistency, characters, and storytelling build long-term loyalty. * Emotion Beats Information: Why people don’t buy what you say—they buy how you make them feel. * The Cost of Being Generic: If your ad could be for anyone, it will connect with no one. 🎧 Hit play to learn why attention isn’t given—it’s earned, fought for, and kept through craft. If your marketing feels invisible, this episode will show you exactly where it’s breaking down and how to fix it. 👉 Are your ads actually earning attention… or just interrupting people and hoping they tolerate it? Take the Next Step: Tired of marketing that doesn't move the needle? Need to break through all the noise? In this exclusive one-on-one consultation, Wizard Ryan Chute will help you uncover:  * ‍Overlooked advertising opportunities hiding in plain sight. * ‍Timeless psychological tactics that drive sales no matter the decade. * ‍Edgy strategies that capture attention and convert in today’s crowded landscape. Spots Are Limited —Reserve Yours Now! https://www.wizardofads.services/advertisinginamerica [https://www.wizardofads.services/advertisinginamerica] Connect with Us: https://www.youtube.com/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.youtube.com/@advertisinginamerica] https://www.facebook.com/advertisinginamerica [https://www.facebook.com/advertisinginamerica] https://www.instagram.com/advertisinginamerica [https://www.instagram.com/advertisinginamerica/] https://www.threads.net/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.threads.net/@advertisinginamerica] https://x.com/adsinamerica [https://x.com/adsinamerica] https://ca.pinterest.com/advertisinginamerica [https://ca.pinterest.com/advertisinginamerica/] https://www.tiktok.com/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.tiktok.com/@advertisinginamerica]

The "Hail Mary" Trap: Why One Great Ad Won’t Save Your Brand

Everyone is looking for the "killer ad"... the single, brilliant script that will fundamentally change the course of a business. The problem? It doesn’t exist. In this episode, the team explores why ad agencies and starry-eyed clients are addicted to the "siren song" of the award-winning one-off. They compare these "Hail Mary" passes to the actual strategy that builds empires: the long-term, serial campaign. Using iconic examples like Apple’s "Get a Mac" series and the decades-long "Got Milk" campaign, the guys explain how repetition and consistency create "mental real estate" in the consumer’s brain. If you’re tired of chasing short-term "blips" and want to understand how to build 10-year gains, this is the conversation you need to hear. Episode Highlights: * The Killer Ad Myth: Why agencies prioritize awards over client results. * The Mac vs. PC Case Study: How 66 commercials grew market share from 2% to 10%. * The Pavlovian Strategy: Why branding is actually about "ringing the bell" consistently. * The Failure of "Cool": Why you remember the CGI Seal but can't remember the brand it was for. * Small Business Advantage: How medium-sized money can win by staying the course while big brands abandon the campaign. 🎧 Hit play to find out why the "killer ad" is a myth and how long-term, serial campaigns are the only real way to move the needle and grow your revenue. Don't just watch, start building a brand that lives firmly in your customer's memory. 👉 Are you building a brand for the long haul, or are you just chasing a "one-night stand" with a "killer ad"? Take the Next Step: Tired of marketing that doesn't move the needle? Need to break through all the noise? In this exclusive one-on-one consultation, Wizard Ryan Chute will help you uncover:  * ‍Overlooked advertising opportunities hiding in plain sight. * ‍Timeless psychological tactics that drive sales no matter the decade. * ‍Edgy strategies that capture attention and convert in today’s crowded landscape. Spots Are Limited —Reserve Yours Now! https://www.wizardofads.services/advertisinginamerica [https://www.wizardofads.services/advertisinginamerica] Connect with Us: https://www.youtube.com/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.youtube.com/@advertisinginamerica] https://www.facebook.com/advertisinginamerica [https://www.facebook.com/advertisinginamerica] https://www.instagram.com/advertisinginamerica [https://www.instagram.com/advertisinginamerica/] https://www.threads.net/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.threads.net/@advertisinginamerica] https://x.com/adsinamerica [https://x.com/adsinamerica] https://ca.pinterest.com/advertisinginamerica [https://ca.pinterest.com/advertisinginamerica/] https://www.tiktok.com/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.tiktok.com/@advertisinginamerica]

The Quiet Power of Luxury Branding

Let’s get one thing straight: Luxury isn’t about price. It’s about patience. Identity. Emotion. And telling a story so compelling that people justify the purchase to themselves. In Episode 26 of Advertising in America, Ryan Chute, Mick Torbay, Chris Torbay, and special guests Christina Gressianu and Vi Wickam unpack the real mechanics of luxury branding and why it’s nothing like the marketing most businesses are used to. They break down the difference between internally and externally triggered purchases, explain why luxury brands must eliminate desperation at all costs, and reveal why the less you say, the more powerful your message becomes. From $70,000 handbags to Rolexes, Lamborghinis, violins, Apple products, and even pancakes, this episode proves that luxury lives in feeling, not features. Episode Highlights * Why luxury purchases are internally triggered and why that changes everything * The emotional mechanics behind high-price, low-explanation branding * Why great luxury brands never rush the sale * How aspiration beats affluence in driving demand * The difference between “premium” and truly “luxury” brands * Why story, scarcity, and symbolism matter more than specs * How to market a luxury experience without saying a word 🎧 Hit play and learn how to stop paying for attention that was never real. Take the Next Step: Tired of marketing that doesn't move the needle? Need to break through all the noise? In this exclusive one-on-one consultation, Wizard Ryan Chute will help you uncover:  * ‍Overlooked advertising opportunities hiding in plain sight. * ‍Timeless psychological tactics that drive sales no matter the decade. * ‍Edgy strategies that capture attention and convert in today’s crowded landscape. Spots Are Limited —Reserve Yours Now! https://www.wizardofads.services/advertisinginamerica [https://www.wizardofads.services/advertisinginamerica] Connect with Us: https://www.youtube.com/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.youtube.com/@advertisinginamerica] https://www.facebook.com/advertisinginamerica [https://www.facebook.com/advertisinginamerica] https://www.instagram.com/advertisinginamerica [https://www.instagram.com/advertisinginamerica/] https://www.threads.net/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.threads.net/@advertisinginamerica] https://x.com/adsinamerica [https://x.com/adsinamerica] https://ca.pinterest.com/advertisinginamerica [https://ca.pinterest.com/advertisinginamerica/] https://www.tiktok.com/@advertisinginamerica [https://www.tiktok.com/@advertisinginamerica]