SMX London 2024

24-25 October, 2024
Victoria Park Plaza

The digital world has become a zero-click world. Traffic referrals from every major network have fallen precipitously. Searchers and browsers expect native content and instant answers. Brands, especially those looking to gain a foothold in the ruthless competition for web traffic, are left struggling for scraps. A mindset shift is needed—marketers can’t be stuck optimizing for clicks, measuring impact based on referral traffic and single-visit conversion rates. The old tactics are dying. To survive, marketers must prioritize earning engagement and growing audiences on the platforms themselves. We have to conform to new algorithmic rules and new user expectations—that’s where Zero-Click Marketing comes in. In this presentation, Rand will show how it works, why it’s needed, and how to apply this tactical shift to every channel and campaign.

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. 

In this case, there wasn’t so much necessity as there was desperation. And we know, you can already relate. Times are challenging, budget cuts are real and many marketers know that new strategies are needed. So back to Purna: 

There she was, brand new job. A dauntingly massive remit at one of the world’s largest companies. And as for resources? Practically nothing. In fact, far less than she ever had, even working at the smallest of start-ups. 

How to rub two quarters together and make them look like a million bucks? She leaned on her background in Instructional Design, to create and globally scale a scaled customer education program. 

In this personal and actionable case-study based keynote, Purna will share her stories and learnings, from why more marketers need to think like instructional designers to how to make the case and measure success.

Where does SEO fit with all the groundbreaking plans and releases that Google has announced for the Gemini AI systems? We certainly live in exciting times, but it could be hard to predict how SEO will be impacted. Google has said that Gemini Nano will be incorporated into Chrome Desktop, and at the core of the Android operating system. What will be left for SEOs in terms of organic traffic and clicks, if Google plans on fitting AI in everywhere? This talk will break down the costs and benefits that Google expects from incorporating AI into search results and other search like behaviours. It will discuss ways that Google will maximize efficiency and minimize the computational costs of AI interactions, including for multi-modal search. It will also outline where Google hopes to leverage AI results to help them make money, and how website owners and enterprise SEO operations can work to make sure that they are still able to get organic traffic and conversions when Google has become their biggest competitor.

With every new product announcement, it feels like Google Ads has forgotten about lead generation accounts. New products and features are often designed for eCommerce, and with less data and creative control over campaigns, B2B advertisers must adapt to thrive in the new AI-powered digital landscape. This session will cover innovative Google Ads strategies specifically tailored for lead generation accounts, including:

• Setting the right goals
• Data and budget requirements
• Bidding considerations
• Asset group & creative strategies
• Accounts structure
• Search campaigns for lead gen accounts
• Performance Max strategies for lead gen

GA’s hegemony is crumbling, “consent” has turned into a huge problem, data is degrading, we are losing 3rd party cookies and privacy sensitivity is increasing – marketing doomsday is near. That is one way to look at it. Or you join Simo and learn about strong contenders for analytics systems of the future, understand why consent isn’t a “problem” but a feature of current times, how clever data modelling is the solution to data degradation and how you can use server-side tech to enrich and control data flows.

Pmax has often been referred to as the lazy Man’s campaign because all you need to do is turn it on, upload some creatives, and you’re done. Fact is: yes, you can do that, but you’re going to end up average. There are a lot more subtle yet crucially important controls that advertisers have when using Pmax and Navah is here so you can take full advantage of them. In her data-backed action item oriented session, you will learn:

• The ROI on completing specific tasks within pmax including audience signals, search themes, and breaking out campaigns into multiple campaigns with single asset groups versus combining all asset groups into a single campaign.
• How much to lean into AI creative versus your own based on what industry you’re in as well as how much data is available, if any, in your feed.
• Strategies of how to get your siloed campaigns IE search, shopping, display and video to work collaboratively with Pmax and how to know when to put effort into your siloed campaign or your Pmax campaign.

This session is not a love letter to Pmax nor is it a critique of the format. It’s an honest assessment of what advertisers can do, whether they’re in-house or agency, to make the most of the format without compromising their overall account structure/strategy.
Navah Hopkins