Joanna Sharma

Taylor Amery from Google called on Friday to say Ads within AI Overviews have started rolling out in NZ and AU. What does this mean for your business? Well, a few things. Google’s AI overviews reach 2 billion people globally. Ai mode and overviews are shifting search behaviour to long tail (2-3 times longer than traditional search) bringing more nuanced intent. What’s super interesting is since launching AI Overviews, Google has reported an increase in the volume of commercial queries. AKA people getting better answers drives them down the path to purchase. I’d re-read that. If you’re a marketer, think about how your strategy should evolve. We’re creating more content strategies and prompt libraries through the buying cycle to ensure our clients own their lanes. When will your ads show in AI Overviews? - Google says they’re triggered on commercial intent (no surprise). Think high quality ads relevant to the user query and AIO context. Plus other signals like quality and relevance. - Ads will show above & below AI Overviews. Not yet in AI Mode. - Ads in AI overviews will show on Broad Match for Search, AI Max for Search, PMAX, App and Shopping. The ad formats are Text Ads, Shopping Ads, Local Ads, App Ads - The new ad format is being rolled out over time, so don’t expect to see a dramatic shift in your account. We’re excited for the future of ads, and of course, looking forward to getting more data in what’s been hard to measure moments.

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The big fear: can content marketers and copywriters survive in the age of AI? Can writers stand out in a sea of sameness? Who is actually reading what AI writes? Bridget Holland of NoBull Marketing gave some insight into „Content Marketing in the age of AI“ at BNI BIZ MASTERS Macquarie Business Park today. She reminded us that „Excel unlocked speed and accuracy for accounting but the accountant still have to know what they‘re doing.“ This is what I noted from her talk: 1. Content Marketing is about valuable and engaging content to attract, inform and build trust - focus on building relationships instead of a quick sale. 2. Good content marketing converts via landing pages into #emailmarketing (no surprise, my favourite topic). 3. When AI replaces humand writing, we readers will miss the human element in empathy and transformation. 4. Bridget is using AI tools for an efficient way to facilitate crafting better content, not to replace her own writing. Or in a nutshell: „We should use AI to create better content instead of posting bad content faster.“ How do you use #AI in your #contentmarketing?

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We need to talk. You need to have this conversation with your people too. Recently I spoke to a proactive employee for a B2B Finance Company in New Zealand. Here's what happened... They are actively looking for #AI tools to enrich their workflows and automate repetitive processes. Smart one! They found this 3rd party app for Outlook that drafts responses. Awesome! Installed. Of course M365 Copilot would do this and probably better but requires finding and talking to the IT team to provision the service. Takes too long, too much hassle! This 'bring your own AI' is creating a massive security risk for your company I explained to them. Potentially making you in breach of your employment agreement too. Every email, every attachment, is potentially being read by this 3rd party app. that you have no control over how they might use that information in the future. That's your company IP, customer contracts, personal contact information all being shared, it's leaving your tenancy. Ohhhhhhhhhh they said. I better introduce you to our IT manager and the CEO, everyone is using different tools here. And this is how it begins. AI adoption needs to be supported by your leadership team to enable employees to be more productive, cos that's what they want. And do it with the governance and security protocols wrapped around them.

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SMEs reckon they’re saving a few bucks by putting off marketing leadership. Truth is, they’re shooting themselves in the foot. Most owners park the role for later. They tell themselves it is a “nice to have.” Something they will sort out when revenue grows. When the budget feels bigger. The obvious cost is slower growth. The hidden cost is culture. Without marketing leadership, you miss more than targets. You miss the chance to give your people a story worth backing. Here’s what slips through the cracks: → Teams working in silos, no unifying voice → Sales chasing quick wins without any brand backing → Employees can't explain what the business stands for. → Talent walking away because they don’t feel connected to the bigger picture Revenue is visible. Culture is quiet. But it’s culture that decides whether your people show up with energy or just show up. A strong marketing leader doesn’t just run campaigns. They set narrative. They give language to ambition. They make sure the inside of the business feels as inspiring as the outside pitch deck. Leave it too long, and you pay for it twice. First in money. Then in momentum. And eventually, in the belief people have in the business.

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