The Digital Marketing Podcast

Kendall Breitman, Head of Marketing at Riverside and practical video strategist, shares how to make video more human, useful and scalable. Short takes on why authenticity beats polish. Tips for turning webinars, podcasts and customer calls into reusable clips. Notes on medium-length video for search and how AI streamlines editing and transcripts.

Phil Agnew, behavioural science specialist and host of the Nudge podcast, helps marketers apply classic psychology to real campaigns. He discusses social proof and why specificity wins. He covers loss aversion, endowed progress, anchoring, the pratfall effect, peak-end, distinctiveness, and visible effort. Practical marketing examples from ads, pricing, UX and loyalty programs are highlighted.

Luke Santamaria, founder of PlaySpark and specialist in branded interactive games, explains how mini-games, playable ads and reward mechanics win attention. Short sentences cover playable ad benefits, prizes that boost participation, low-cost AI/no-code creation, and metrics to test gamified campaigns.

Emma Tronson, Deputy Director of Marketing at Aston University who led an AI adoption task force. She recounts launching a structured AI task force, securing leadership buy-in and protected lab time. Short, practical takes on six focus areas, aligning AI to real use cases, governance before scale, and the challenges of legacy systems and integration.

Kipp Bodnar, HubSpot CMO and growth marketing expert, discusses why 2026 could reshape discovery, personalization and team workflows. He explores Answer Engine Optimisation versus traditional SEO, how AI agents enter marketing workflows, rising ad costs and the first-mover advantage in AI discovery. Practical automation hacks and strategic shifts for modern marketing round out the conversation.

Geoff Tuff, a consulting principal at Deloitte and co-author of 'Hone,' specializes in navigating organizational change in the age of AI. In their conversation, he reveals why traditional transformation programs often fail and introduces the concept of 'drift,' illustrating how companies can unintentionally stray from their purpose. Tuff emphasizes the importance of continuous adaptation over radical overhauls and shares strategies for integrating innovation into company culture, using examples from Amazon to highlight effective management systems.

The race between OpenAI and Google is heating up as new generative AI models are being released. Significant updates have arrived, including ChatGPT 5.x, which enhances coding and reasoning capabilities. Image generation has reached new heights in photorealism, transforming how brands can create visuals. The rise of 'vibe coding' introduces a fresh approach to app development, enabling marketers to build deployable interfaces effortlessly. Plus, AI integrations with tools like Canva and Adobe are revolutionizing workflow efficiency.

Search dynamics are shifting with AI overviews escalating in Google results. Daniel Rowles delves into Answer Engine Optimisation, presenting a practical framework to enhance visibility. He shares five tested techniques focusing on clarity and credibility, while addressing the importance of question-led content. Discover how inverted pyramid writing aligns with current search behaviors and why structured data is a game changer. Gain insights into digital PR's role in building online reputation and the significance of multimodal content in attracting clicks.

Phil Treagus-Evans, an author and founder of Giraffe Social, advocates for a Human First Marketing approach, emphasizing the need for brands to prioritize people over AI-generated content. He discusses the erosion of trust and engagement due to saturated advertising and highlights the importance of authenticity and connection. Phil introduces a four-part framework—people, authenticity, connection, and purpose— for building better relationships with customers. He also critiques hustle culture, promoting vulnerability and transparency as keys to effective leadership.

In this episode of The Digital Marketing Podcast, Daniel Rowles and Ciaran Rogers dive into one of the most significant shifts in digital marketing: the rise of non keyword signals and what it means for search, privacy, and the future of campaign targeting. With AI-powered ad platforms like Google's AI Max and social algorithms driven by behavioural data rather than search intent, the old model of keyword-driven marketing is rapidly giving way to something more opaque, more personalised, and potentially more invasive. Daniel and Ciaran explore how AI systems now use a vast array of signals, from your browsing patterns and email content to your location history and viewing habits, to anticipate what you might want before you even search. But what does this mean for marketers who've spent years honing their SEO and PPC strategies? And what does it mean for user privacy in a world where your chatbot conversations may be fuelling ad targeting? In This Episode: What are non keyword signals? Understand how platforms like Google and Meta are using behaviour, context and historical activity instead of just search terms. Why your impressions are up but clicks are down Learn how AI summaries in Google Search are reducing organic click-throughs, even when your rankings are strong. AI Max campaigns and keywordless targeting Discover how Google Ads is shifting towards AI-led campaigns that rely on intent and engagement signals rather than keyword triggers , and why some brands are seeing 20–30% uplift as a result. What Meta's CMO said about disconnected content Hear how Alex Schultz explained the shift from connected (likes, follows) to disconnected content (Reels, Stories, Shorts), and what that means for social strategy. Privacy concerns and grey areas Explore the implications of Meta's new terms allowing AI chat interactions to inform ad targeting, and whether AI chat data could be inadvertently shared or commercialised. Real-world scenario: Chatbots used for lead capture Daniel raises a powerful example, what if you offered a free AI chatbot to other brands, then harvested user intent data for your own ad targeting? Platform security, data visibility and agent risks From OneDrive access errors to AI agents managing your logins, the hosts discuss the human errors that AI amplifies, and the need for robust security practices. Key Takeaways: We're entering a post-keyword era Platforms are using AI to interpret intent through broader, richer data sources, including chat behaviour, video viewing and app usage. Organic traffic is being cannibalised by AI summaries Even if your visibility improves, actual user clicks may continue to decline. Privacy risks are growing Terms and conditions are changing, and conversations with AI tools may no longer be as private as they seem. Marketing teams must audit how they use AI Understand what data your AI tools are accessing and how that data could be used, now and in the future. Join the conversation This isn't just a podcast - it's an open debate. Daniel and Ciaran want your input, and they're giving away prizes, books and merch to contributors. 📥 Access the show notes, tools, and links at: https://targetinternet.com/resources/the-big-debate-non-keyword-signals-ai-chats-privacy Join the debate: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7403862051749564417