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The PostPod - Lessons from James Hurman. Ads Don't Persuade People to Buy.

EP 217 · Jul 9, 2026 · 25 min · Marc & V

0:00 / 25:17

The short version

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What if marketing's biggest challenge isn't proving its value—but explaining it? Following our conversation with James Hurman, we reflect on one of the most practical frameworks we've encountered in years: Future Demand.

Rather than revisiting every topic from the interview, this Post-Pod explores what the ideas actually mean for marketers trying to influence leadership, defend budgets, and build long-term growth inside their organizations.

In this episode:

  • Why "future demand" may be better language than "brand awareness"
  • Why leadership teams naturally prioritize demand capture
  • The role of marketing during recessions - Why great campaigns wear in—not out
  • Why dashboards often tell an incomplete story
  • Objective truth vs. personal truth in marketing
  • How evidence-based marketing becomes repeatable inside organizations

If you've already listened to our interview with James Hurman, this conversation helps connect the dots between marketing theory and day-to-day practice.

Enjoy the show!

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to the Post-Pod

00:45 James Hurman’s Core Idea: Advertising Creates Future Demand

01:40 Demand Creation vs. Demand Capture

03:55 Future Demand as a Leadership Conversation

05:00 The Smartphone Example and the 95/5 Rule

07:55 Market Dynamics and Performance Marketing Bias

08:50 Why Brand Matters Most in Recessions

11:05 Campaigns Wear In, Not Out

12:40 The Problem with Platform Metrics

15:15 Objective Truth vs. Personal and Political Truth

17:20 Why Future Demand Is Easier to Sell Internally

19:15 Evidence-Based Marketing and Organizational Buy-In

21:50 Why Repeatability Matters

24:20 Final Reflections on James Hurman’s Book

Chapters

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This episode is one chapter of a bigger argument.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Sleeping Baba podcast.

SPEAKER_01: Alright, you ready? Let's do it. It's time for the postpod. The post pod. The postpod show. The post pod.

SPEAKER_00: The post pod show. Uh you know what then? I think you're you're onto something there. With the jingle? Yeah. The post pod. The post pod show. We're back with the post pod.