Seer Interactive

Today, our VP of Analytics John Lovett is taking the mic with the Marketing AI Institute at 12:40PM ET for an Olympic-Size View into How LLMs Actually Think.

Props to our very own Ads Expert, Brittany Sager! AI Max for Shopping is matching ads to the conversational, long-tail queries that a static product feed title simply can't address. One thing to keep in mind as you test: AI is only as powerful as the data behind it. Feed quality is still the foundation that determines whether this works for you or not. Get that right first, and you'll get a lot more out of what this feature can do!

It’s incredible how many of our team members show up at conferences across the industry every year to expand their knowledge, but the real value is what is brought back to our clients. Brittany Sager's reflection about AI search acting as a decision engine and not just a retrieval system is a shift that should be prompting a harder look at paid media strategy right now. If you're wondering what that means in practice, this post by Tom Weekes is a good place to start: https://lnkd.in/eNjn9TmJ

A year ago, a Google rep asked one of my clients and me, "What is the most used AI search platform?" We gave her a bit of side-eye when she claimed it was them, since Gemini active users were lagging behind ChatGPT's, and we felt the claim was a bit of a stretch. Now, it's easier to believe, as Google reteaches us how to interact with search. As Alisa Scharf put it yesterday in the most recent episode of Seer Interactive's The Signal, "Your customers could be changing nothing about their behaviors. They're still going to Google, and maybe they're even searching the way Google trained them to search. But now the experience is so robust that they can be dropped into AI Mode. They're likely triggering AI Overviews. And the way that they are interpreting and engaging with that information is very different." This is a big shift, since AI is meeting an audience in the search bar they're familiar with, and more subtly introducing them to the possibilities of a different type of answer engine. If you missed yesterday's episode, no worries. You can catch up on the recording, where Alisa and Wil Reynolds covered new data on user behavior shifts, test results that led to a 1,900% spike in ChatGPT citations, a recent study on the impact of third party review presence on AI visibility, and more: https://lnkd.in/eDnGVNTk

Meet Jamir Ong, a member of our AI Optimization Internship Program, and who we’re spotlighting this week. Jamir grew up in South Philly and is still there today. He found his way to Launchpad Philly through a career fair at his high school, where he applied after attending their panel. Before joining Seer, Jamir wrapped an internship with Bentley Systems that ended with him leading a live demonstration of his work in front of a room full of executives. Holding comprehensive presentations and demonstrations of his work is where Jamir’s mentioned he feels most proud. At Seer, Jamir has been researching AI response behavior and simulating how real consumers use AI tools, then digging into why the models responded the way they did. He noticed, for example, that across every model he tested while researching speakers to buy, JBL surfaced as a top recommendation. Rather than accepting that at face value, he followed the thread: "Is notoriety a big factor? Do AI models just pick the safest recommendation?" That instinct to keep researching and questioning is the spirit this work needs. On how he thinks his time at Seer will help him: "Seer has shown me how important it is to set a baseline of values, and to stay true to them. Moving forward, I'm going to be very strict with what I want to do, and follow the path that feels like 'me'." And his advice to future interns: "Results are important, but methodology is equally as important…Incorporate your soul into your work, and drive past the finish line." Catch Jamir’s his full POV on our blog below, and stay tuned for some more in-depth insights into their experiments (coming soon!) https://lnkd.in/eBEuSHDA 

Still on the fence about signing up for tomorrow's episode of The Signal? Here’s some of the live feedback from our last one below. Wil Reynolds and Alisa Scharf aren't here to walk you through a deck you could've read in an email. Episode 2 will keep you refreshed on AI and walk away knowing what to do about it. Save your spot here: https://lnkd.in/e3SYa64m Missed our first session? Check out the recap: https://lnkd.in/euf7_2Wc

Are you going to be at SMX Advanced in Boston this week? Well we are! Brittany Sager, Associate Director of our Paid Media team, is hosting two mastermind sessions tomorrow where you'll be able to leave with: A strategy for modern brand demand and trust, and a B2B Playbook for Performance Max. If you want to talk to someone about AI’s impact on paid media, Sager's the one to go to, so don’t be afraid to reach out (and check to see if she’s repping Seer’s signature hot pink at the conference). Not gonna make it or want a glimpse into Sager's work? Check out her latest article with Wil here: https://lnkd.in/duQXBpMg

"Show me how many humans shared that content with another human." That's the bar Wil Reynolds set in this episode of “The Visibility Brief” (and one most are failing to reach). Him and Rebecca Colwell‘s conversation all revolved around something that we will never stop saying: visibility without belief is just spend. Listen to the whole conversation here: https://lnkd.in/ejrg4gAg Want more? Check this out: https://lnkd.in/ezY9AXmG

Google Marketing Live 2026 just wrapped up last week. Here are some thoughts and predictions from our Paid Media team that you’ll want to pay attention to: Kurtis Nysmith: "I'm concerned about the trajectory of AI Max. In April, Google announced that DSAs will be replaced by AI Max in late 2026. For many ecommerce brands, DSAs have been incredibly profitable - whereas AI Max results have been… 'meh'. Although Google announced several changes to AI Max during GML, they focus on improving creative control rather than performance. I think AI Max for shopping campaigns will be very successful… but it doesn't solve for the DSA gap." Josh Meyers: "Agentic ads with direct response forms will get you LESS qualified, not more qualified leads. Less friction does not equate to more qualification, it likely just means more quantity." If I understand Campaign Type Attribution accurately, it will actually make reporting MORE confusing, and give Google more credit. Instead of de-duping leads (like they're currently doing), they can now take credit for one in your Search campaign, one in your Demand Gen campaign, and both at the 'campaign type' level. It's still one lead." Where do we go from here? Kurtis Nysmith: "My prediction is that AI Max for shopping campaigns will be the best thing since RSAs. Enhancing shopping ads with dynamic customization should significantly improve performance. Bonus points to Google if they share specifics on text customizations so we can optimize product feeds more easily." Margaret Hoffman: "Do I think that AI is the best thing that ever happened to Google search? No. Do I still think that AI is fundamentally changing the way that we search? Yes. Advertisers who aren't making use of products like AI Max or Performance Max are going to be left behind. The reality is that users are searching unique, longer, and more complex queries than ever before. Testing these products will help make sure you're able to keep pace with the way the search landscape is changing." Connor Flood,: "Google Tag Gateway will be a MUST add in 2027. With Google rolling out its new systems for connecting data streams. Providing users with cleaner, more complete conversion signals will remove the fluff and provide actionable insights." Brittany Sager: "My bet is on branding and site content. The brands that earn Gemini's trust through their content will have an edge [that] no bid strategy can replicate. We're moving from a click strategy to a visibility one and the silos between SEO and paid are now a liability." Brittani Hunsaker: "The underlying message across every release at GML this year: conversational search is only growing. Beyond keywords, the most critical levers are understanding your customer's mindset, your brand positioning, and brand sentiment. Invest in knowing why your customers buy, where your brand earns trust, and what they're actually saying about you." #GML2026

Another episode of The Signal with Alisa Scharf and Wil Reynolds is coming next Thursday, June 4th, and you don't wanna miss it. We know it's hard to keep up with AI, so let's help you stay as up-to-date as possible. See ya there!