AI Search & Digital Advertising Insights.

A client asked me a fair question last quarter. They had read all the research on Reddit driving AI search visibility. They were sold. And they wanted to know one thing: could we just run it for them? I said no. Then I explained why, and it turned into one of the better conversations I've had with a client all year. So I want to walk you through it here, because I think a lot of brands are about to make the same request, and I think most agencies are going to say yes when the

A few weeks ago I was researching a piece of equipment for our office. The kind of purchase where you want to get it right the first time. I did what most people do now. I started on Google. The first page was what you would expect. Manufacturer landing pages, a few review sites that all somehow ranked the same five products in the same order, and a handful of YouTube videos that looked more like sponsored content than honest takes. I kept scrolling. About halfway down the pa

Part 2 of "Advertising in the Age of AI" is live now and you won't get an easy listen here, because our Founder & CEO Sean Sweeney and author, AI expert and podcast host Matt Rouse disagree on a few things about advertising, AI content labeling, and truth in advertising. Matt Rouse and Sean and I have an honest discussion, but Mahek Anam sums it all up with her own creative insights on the conversation. Don't miss it.

Our Founder & CEO Sean Sweeney joins author and AI expert Matt Rouse on his Digital Marketing Masters podcast to discuss AI In Digital Advertising and how AI is changing digital advertising and SEO. Podcast Link: https://serve.podhome.fm/episodepage/digital-marketing-masters/283 Podcast Overview: AI, Paid Media, SEO & the Future of AI In Digital Advertising In this episode of the Digital Marketing Masters Podcast, Sean Sweeney joins hosts Matt Rouse and Mahek Anam for a can

A piece came out last week on AdExchanger about Upstream (formerly TheViewPoint) and their pitch that CTV should be automated — just not programmatic. The argument is interesting, and I respect the innovation. But I think it misses something important for many of the brands we work with every day. The article quotes Tatari data claiming that 90% of streaming impressions come from just 10 publishers, and uses that concentration as a reason to bypass programmatic intermediaries

Perhaps you’ve heard the buzz about AI search but aren't sure what to make of it. You've got a lot on your plate, and another "must-do" initiative probably sounds exhausting. Let me share why this particular shift is worth your attention. Consumer Discovery Is Evolving Recent data from the AP-NORC Center shows 60% of U.S. adults now use AI to search for information. Among people under 30, that number jumps to 74%. Your potential customers are still using Google, but they're a

Lately, there’s been a lot of noise about GEO, AIO, and all the “EIEIO” acronyms floating around SEO. The skepticism is fair. If I'm being honest, most of the noise is coming from legacy SEO-focused agencies, which I find interesting. This reminds me of the late 1990's and early aughts when every company website was rushing to get indexed and ranked well by Yahoo and Google search engines. Great SEO has always been about clarity, structure, and trust. Those same fundamentals

OpenAI just launched ChatGPT Atlas, a native AI browser for macOS that integrates ChatGPT directly into the web experience. It’s being positioned as a “super-assistant” — meaning you can browse, research, highlight, and act all in one place, without ever opening a new tab or typing into Google. OpenAI's Atlas is trying to change how people interact with information. If users can ask questions, compare products, and even shop—all inside an AI environment that summarizes and ex

AI is everywhere in headlines. I'm guessing if you are a brand marketer, your emails are full of sales outreach claiming to have the next great AI tool that will solve all your marketing problems. AI supports much of your campaign execution, but it doesn’t run it on its own. Not yet anyway. You may be feeling overwhelmed by the concept of AI in digital advertising. As an agency owner, I did too. Then I started investigating and testing. If you're a brand investing $25K or mo

When marketers hear "AI," most immediately jump to content—headlines, visuals, copy. That's where the conversation has been focused. But if you're managing serious paid media budgets, especially in the middle market where every dollar counts, AI can do much more than generate creative assets. It can sharpen your strategy, speed up analysis, and surface insights that drive better decisions. I can tell you that the marketers who are thinking beyond AI-generated headlines are t

Source: Google Images With platforms like MNTN, Vibe.co, StackAdapt, and Simpli.fi making Connected TV advertising more accessible, I'm seeing more middle-market brands consider bringing CTV ad buying in-house. The pitch sounds compelling: more control, direct data access, potential cost savings. But I feel that for brands investing at least $25,000 monthly in CTV, in-housing isn't the strategic win it appears to be. The Siren Song of DIY CTV I get it. The reasons for wanting

Credit: Google Images Mark Zuckerberg just laid out his grand vision for the future of advertising: "The basic end goal here is any business can come to us, say what their objective is — we get new customers to do this thing, or sell these things — tell us how much they're willing to pay to achieve those results, connect their bank account, and then we just deliver as many results as we can." Sounds simple, right? Just tell Meta your goal, connect your bank account, and let A

Source: Shutterstock We’re starting to hear marketers are concerned over zero-click search — the growing trend where users get answers from Google's AI Overviews or featured snippets without clicking through to a brand's website. And a recent industry article offered paid media tactics as the solution: shift budgets into new channels like TikTok, Reddit, or Performance Max to "plug the gap" left by organic traffic declines. I feel that is only half the story — and it misses a

Credit: Adobe As AI increasingly shapes digital advertising, it's a good time to revisit the U.S. regulations banks must follow when advertising online—and how they can safely apply proven tactics to drive new customers and account openings. Unlike most industries, banks face strict rules where a misstep in targeting or disclosure can lead to serious consequences. The Rules of the Road Banks can target their digital advertising by ZIP code but they need to be extremely carefu

What Google's Antitrust Verdict Means for Middle-Market Brands (Hint: Keep Calm and Advertise On) Big news hit the digital advertising world yesterday while I was on stage at the Digital Summit in Chicago, speaking about Connected TV. U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema found Google guilty of monopolizing two key segments of the online advertising market. After months of speculation and a seemingly interminable wait for the verdict, we finally have an answer – at least

There has been a lot of conversation in our industry lately about log-level data on programmatic advertising buys. If you're a brand marketer running programmatic campaigns, you might be nodding along when your agency or DSP partner sends over those tidy, aggregated reports. However, unless you have several personnel on your staff to decipher these files to make them actionable, you're likely missing out on a goldmine of insights that could dramatically improve your campaign

Source: Daniel RIvas Meta's recent experiment with AI-generated profiles – and their swift decision to shut it down – isn't just another tech headline. It's a wake-up call for middle-market brands investing in social media advertising. If you're running paid social campaigns as part of your media mix, it's important to understand what's happening beneath the surface of your social media metrics. The landscape is getting more complex by the day. The New Face of Fake Accounts H

Connected TV (CTV) advertising is changing, and I'm noticing a pattern. While everyone acknowledges CTV's potential, many are sitting on the sidelines, convinced that meaningful CTV campaigns are reserved for brands with Super Bowl-sized budgets. Here's what's interesting though - you can get started with CTV for as little as $10,000 per month, a fraction of what you'd need for an effective local TV campaign. But here's the thing - that accessibility is about to get even bett

I took this picture above as I was headed to Dallas for business meetings this week. I was ready to board my Southwest Airlines flight at Midway in Chicago. As most of us who travel regularly know, each airline has its own tiered system for boarding their plane. For Southwest Airlines, a glance at the gate screen shows how their boarding process is broken into clear tiers: Preboard, A-Group, Extra Time, and so on. Each tier represents a specific value proposition for passeng

As we approach the end of another transformative year in paid digital advertising, the importance of comprehensive campaign analysis has never been more critical. For middle-market brands navigating an increasingly complex digital landscape, understanding the true impact of your paid digital advertising investment in paid search, paid social media and programmatic channels isn't just beneficial—it's essential for sustainable growth and competitive advantage. The Strategic Tim