We were delighted to take part in this year’s Discover! Creative Careers Week, an industry-led initiative designed to provide young people aged 11-18, from England, with encounters and experiences of the creative industries through in-school, workplace and online opportunities.
The sessions, managed by Bristol Creative Industries membership and operations manager Alli Nicholas and internship programme manager Clare Leczycki, featured talks about life in the creative sector, myth busting, the huge variety of different roles, and career pathways.
In between the talks, the young people were split into groups to research roles in the industry and consider their own values. They also worked on an example marketing campaign, including the problem they were they trying to solve and the marketing strategy. At the end of the final day, they presented their ideas.
We were really impressed by the young people who took part. Big thanks to attendee Imani Joseph-Obiorah for sharing this great post about the first day. Click on the image to read a larger version on LinkedIn.
The agencies
Here are great posts from some of the agencies about why they took part and their experiences during the events:
Nina Whittaker, Stratton Craig:
“Having discovered copywriting through a careers event myself, I know that events like Discover Creative Careers Week can genuinely change lives.
“A platform like this helps demystify the often lesser-known world of creative careers, opening minds to possibility and hopefully inspiring a new generation of talent. The whole process was imaginative, incredibly well-organised, and a privilege to be a part of. And it was easy to see that the students found it beneficial – they were engaged, curious and enthusiastic, and I was really impressed by their insightful questions, comments and feedback.”
Sally Knapton, Sunhouse Creative:
“It’s never felt more important to be supporting the creative industry and inspiring future talent is absolutely key to this. It was impressive to hear the students’ pitches off the back of three days of agency interactions – encouraging for the future of the creative industries!
“On a personal note, it took me a fair amount of trial and error to discover the brand design side of the industry even existed! So making ourselves visible and talking more about our part of the industry is something I feel really passionately about.”
Katharine Eriksson, McCann:
“McCann Bristol’s involvement with DCCW gave me the opportunity to show and say what I’d love to say to my younger schoolgirl self.
“I truly hope we managed to make an impact on the young people, show them their voices absolutely matter, and that they are welcome with open arms to the advertising industry and McCann!”
Daisy Martin, McCann:
“It was a great opportunity to bring attention to the variety of roles we have here at McCann. Hopefully, we were able to provide some insights on how advertising agency’s work and what we all get up to in our day-to-day.
“The questions at the end were really well thought out and insightful and makes me think many of the listeners would thrive in the advertising industry.”
Patrick Mbele, McCann:
“Speaking was an incredibly enjoyable experience. It was refreshing to see their genuine curiosity and enthusiasm as we talked about my role and the path I took to get here.
“Their questions were thoughtful and engaging, making the conversation lively and meaningful. I hope the session sparked some ideas and confidence in them to explore their own unique paths.”
Nick Farrar, Shaped By:
“We have a number of work experience students here each year and we’re always really enthused at how genuine and enthusiastic young people are about what our sector can offer.
“Inviting people into your studio is always good fun, it’s an investment of time that we never regret, but it was great to have a chance to reach a much wider audience for a short amount of time. Giving them access to a wide range of agencies over a two-day period is a top opportunity.”
Richard Spruce, Stuff Advertising:
“It was great to be involved in DCCW and I was really impressed with the students.
“To see how far they had come in a matter of days was quite incredible and speaks volumes to their attitude and all of the great help and advice Bristol Creative Industries had been able to offer them.”
Bristol Creative Industries Talent Programme
A key focus at Bristol Creative Industries is boosting workforce diversity in creative businesses and helping to grow the talent pipeline for our members.
As well as our groundbreaking Bristol Creative Industries Internship Programme with Bristol-based agencies, we provide other opportunities for members such as participating in Discover Creative Careers Week.
We have also committed to an annual programme of round tables with key post 16 education providers in the region including colleges, academies and universities.
Our aim is to promote creative careers to staff and career advisers, drive applications to our internship programme and explore how we can promote the creative industries to students already studying.
By joining the Bristol Creative Industries Talent Programme as a partner, you’ll help to fund all of our activities that support underrepresented groups entering the creative industries. Your support is vital to ensure we have a healthy and diverse talent pipeline.
For more details, contact Alli Nicholas, BCI membership and operations manager, at [email protected], or Lis Anderson, BCI co-chair, at [email protected]
Following a competitive pitch, SIM7 has been selected by SNG (Sovereign Network Homes) as a key agency on its framework to supply property branding services over the next four years.SIM7 will work in partnership with SNG’s marketing teams, providing creative, branding and design services to drive the off-plan sales of Shared Ownership and private sale homes. This work will involve branding SNG’s schemes, developing high-profile digital and OOH campaigns, and creating assets across all channels.
SIM7 will join a handful of leading UK agencies, selected to support SNG’s ambitious growth plans.
One of the UK’s largest Housing Associations, SNG will invest £9.2bn in the next decade, building 25,000 new homes – as well as regenerating estates and improving the sustainability and quality of existing homes.
Says SIM7’s Simeon de la Torre, “As an agency with extensive property sector experience, not to mention specific knowledge of the Shared Ownership market, this is a perfect partnership for us. We’re excited about working on some of the biggest schemes in the UK, and empowering property branding by delivering the effective, messaging-driven creative that we’re known for. From property CGIs and video to scheme-specific branding, we’re looking forward to capturing and conveying the essence of the new communities that SNG is building.
“SNG is one of the best names in the industry for sustainability and social value, and the SIM7 team are all keen to help SNG deliver good, affordable homes for all.”
SIM7 is an award-winning creative agency that uses language to empower design. We drive growth by creating brands, campaigns and strategy – for marketing teams around the world. Our experience in the property sector extends to estate agents, national associations, Registered Providers, mortgage brokers and more.
Halo has launched it’s event series – Halo Revelations.
Hosted by Nick Clarkson, the first Halo Revelations event, “Putting AI to Work,” was eye-opening to the many possibilities Artificial Intelligence brings to branding and marketing. The event promised to reshape approaches to these crucial aspects of business, and it did not disappoint.
Kerry Harrison (Content Generation with AI, Essential Toolkit Strategies)
Kicking off the talks, Kerry Harrison, shared insights into the groundbreaking tools shaping the future. From creating the world’s first AI gin to utilising tools like ChatGPT Bard, Bing, and Claude Co-Pilot for writing, Kerry emphasised the role of AI in saving time on research and planning. AI, according to Kerry, is a powerful ally that generates ideas and information quickly, allowing for the creation of first drafts and structures.
One key takeaway was the importance of understanding what AI can and cannot do. Kerry stressed that while AI is a valuable tool, human intelligence is essential for strategy, creative thinking, and research. The message was clear:
“AI is a Collaborator, not a Successor.” – Kerry Harrison
Neil Collard (Adopting AI, A Mindset Revolution)
Neil Collard delved into the adoption of AI, citing Moore’s Law and Martec’s Law as foundations for understanding the rapid evolution of technology. His presentation centered on the AI Maturity Model, emphasising the importance of alignment, commitment, and ambition.
Neil urged businesses to be ahead of the curve, stating that delays in adopting AI could result in being left behind. He presented a thought-provoking idea: the alignment-adoption-ambition framework, encouraging businesses to sacrifice the sacrosanct and be open to change for success.
Tanya Sharma (Enhancing the customer experience with AI)
During her talk, Tanya Sharma focused on the transformation of customer experience through AI. She emphasised the importance of the client and customer relationship:
“Customer is King.” – Tanya Sharma
AI, when used, introduces new opportunities in customer experience, offering personalised interactions at scale, enhancing customer support through chatbots, and optimising marketing strategies through data analysis and predictive modelling.
Hannah Strickland and Paul Bailey (Navigating the Intersection of AI and Brand Dynamics)
Stepping in for Nick Ellis, Hannah Strickland, and Paul Bailey demystified the hype around AI integration. They revealed that Halo has seamlessly integrated AI into their workflow. During the talk, they gave a case study on a recent branding project they completed for a client, in which they used AI-generated images for the brand. The pair emphasised how AI can provide longevity and quick delivery for a client when on-brand images are created, through the use of AI and specific image prompts
AI can be used in agencies for numerous areas from social content to strategy planning. In practice image prompts can be used as a distinctive asset for a brand. ChatGPT was praised as a valuable collaborator, a partner in ideation that provides a fresh perspective.
“Think of AI as the other person in the room you are bouncing ideas off.” – Paul Bailey
Both Hannah and Paul encouraged a simplified approach, suggesting that AI is like having a parent with infinite patience, allowing strategists to think freely.
From content creation to customer experience, the event showcased AI as a catalyst for unlocking success. The key takeaway was clear: AI is not here to replace but to empower, and adopting it responsibly is the key to staying ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of business and creativity. Don’t be left behind – It is time to Integrate and experiment with AI.
From real-time forecasting, project management and resourcing to financial reporting and business intelligence, Synergist has been the agency software of choice for over 20 years. They’ve helped thousands of agencies move from clunky processes and hidden information to efficient workflows and insightful data that powers performance.
Now it’s brighter, bolder and easier to use than ever! Agency management software Synergist has a NEW contemporary look and feel with a fresh visual identity.
Welcome to the next evolution of Synergist. As well as a new logo and fresher feel for their website, the software itself has been given a complete makeover. It still contains all the original functionality and features loved by Synergist’s clients but now has a brighter, easier-to-use interface.
Synergist’s founder, Keith White, said: “For the last 20 years, we’ve been dedicated to providing our clients the best experience and have helped thousands of agencies streamline their processes. This latest step in our journey of continuous improvement is a significant update, helping make Synergist even easier to use.”
What’s changed?
Award-winning digital product designers were bought in to support the redesign, and Synergist have been working away behind the scenes for the last 18 months to deliver the revamped platform.
Some of the changes include:
A fresh visual identity. The logo directly reflects how Synergist brings all elements of agency management together in one and Synergist’s power to cut through data and create clarity.
A clean, responsive interface displaying content edge-to-edge so you can see everything clearly and navigate easily.
Brighter colours – a more engaging, energetic colour palette that breathes life into your data. Pops of a bold, bright colour make information instantly readable.
In addition to the new interface, they’ve added over 70 other enhancements to make it smarter and easier to use.
Head of Development, Tom, said: “The brighter, bolder, new-look and clean, simple interface has been created in direct response to customer feedback. We hope that by making the interface clearer, people can keep track of all their important data much more easily. While the overall design has been simplified, the level of detail and functionality remains as in-depth as it has always been.”
“And this is just the start. We have a raft of new features and integrations planned, and we’ll be continuing with the UX overhaul of each functional area, incorporating feedback from our clients.”
Synergist is designed for agencies that want to grow smartly and smoothly. Developed in the UK, it’s recognised as the top-rated agency software for functionality, support and value. Tailored to each individual agency by agency experts who work alongside clients to ensure the software works exactly as they need it to.
Working closely with agencies every day, we’ve had a front-row seat to the start of one of the most significant transformations our industry has ever experienced – the transition to a world with AI. Through our recent research holding detailed interviews with 30 creative agency leaders, and working alongside more than 20 agencies in their AI journey in 2024, we’ve seen firsthand how AI is reshaping not just how we work, but what’s creatively possible.
Moving past the AI anxiety
Let’s be honest – when generative AI first emerged as a serious tool for creative work 2 years ago, many of us had concerns. Would it diminish the value of human creativity? Could it compromise the quality of our work? Will it make our hard won skills redundant? These were natural reactions. But what we’ve discovered through our research and hands-on experience is something far more nuanced: while the potential for semi-automating some tasks is there, the more impactful use of AI is as a powerful creative amplifier.
What we’re actually seeing
The most inspiring moments in our research came from agencies that have moved past the experimental phase. These AI Pioneers – about 20% of the agencies we studied – are building new ways of working that combine human creativity with AI’s ability to condense and recombine huge amounts of information to deliver more impactful results for their clients.
One agency leader put it perfectly when they described how AI allows creatives to “more easily access their creativity.” We’re seeing teams explore more creative directions, push boundaries further, and deliver higher quality work – not because AI is doing the creative thinking, but because it’s removing barriers to expression and expanding what’s possible.
The real opportunity
The efficiency gains for certain tasks are real (think content localisation, for example). But the real win for agencies is using AI to help them what they do best – strategic thinking and creative innovation. When creatives can quickly explore multiple directions and “get all of their crap ideas out quickly,” as one leader put it, they have more time and mental space for the kind of deep creative thinking that leads to breakthrough ideas.
What this means for agency leaders
From our conversations we’ve learned that successful AI integration isn’t just about having the right tools – it’s about having the right approach. Here’s what’s working:
1. Skills Before Tools
The agencies seeing the best results are those investing heavily in their people. They’re equipping their teams not just with AI tools, but with the skills and confidence to work with AI as it evolves.
2. Strategic Integration
Rather than making AI a point solution for doing a handful of identified tasks, the AI Pioneers are weaving it throughout their core processes. They’re rethinking workflows, team structures, and even their business models to leverage AI’s strengths.
3. Client Partnership
The most forward-thinking agencies are bringing their clients along on the journey, having open conversations about how AI enhances their creative options and encouraging their clients to take advantage of them.
Looking Ahead
We are at the beginning of the AI transition. The agencies that will thrive aren’t those using AI to simply work faster – they’re the ones using it to push creative boundaries and deliver ideas that were previously too complex, too expensive, or too time consuming to be possible.
The future we’re seeing emerge is one where:
Creative teams are much less limited by time or resources in their exploration, allowing them to investigate many directions simultaneously, quickly test which ones have legs, and uncover truly breakthrough ideas.
AI tools simply become part of the ‘way things are done around here’ and seamlessly blend into the way they work
Traditional divisions between roles become blurred as skilled individuals can work across a broader range of tasks
Clients benefit from more innovative ideas, leading to better performing work and creating deeper engagement with their customers.
A call to action
To our fellow agency leaders: this is our moment. The technology is ready and the opportunity is clear. Yes, there are challenges to navigate – from skill development and agency growth, to client education to data privacy. But the rewards for those who get this right are many.
As the creative industry embraces AI, we’re constantly finding new ways to augment creativity and increase the value we can add to brands. But it’s not enough to just give people the tools – it’s about equipping people with the skills and confidence to work with AI as it evolves.
The question isn’t whether AI will transform our industry – it’s already happening. The real question is how will you integrate AI in a way that augments the value to bring to your clients, and aligns with your agency’s creative vision? Every agency’s journey will be unique, shaped by their particular strengths.
Moving forward
For those ready to embrace this change, the path forward is about building teams that are confident with AI, developing processes that leverage its strengths, and creating work that shows clients the enhanced value we can deliver.
The future of creativity is human + AI, and for those of us willing to embrace this change, the creative possibilities are exciting..
To dive deeper into how creative agencies are successfully navigating the AI transition, download our full report. Drawing on conversations with 30 creative agency leaders and our experience helping over 20 agencies embrace AI throughout 2024, it offers practical insights on everything from building AI-confident teams to developing new client service models. Whether you’re just starting your AI journey or looking to accelerate your adoption, you’ll find actionable strategies and real-world examples to guide your next steps.
Visit wearespark.ai to access the complete research and join the conversation about the future of creative work.
Hey! What?, the Bristol-based marketing and communications agency renowned for its bold creative work, we’re appointed by Miss Millie’s Fried Chicken to create a new brand and positioning.
Known for their flair in disruptive branding and storytelling, brand and creative agency Hey! What? have collaborated with the much-loved South West fried chicken chain to elevate its profile as the brand continues its national expansion.
This partnership marks a major milestone for Miss Millie’s, which has been serving customers for over 30 years and is in the midst of a revitalised growth strategy. Hey! What? has developed a comprehensive brand and campaign that celebrates Miss Millie’s roots while embracing the brand’s modern vision.
Hey! What? delved deep into Miss Millie’s archives to rediscover the brand’s original identity, which prominently featured the Mildred mascot (inspired by Colonel Sanders’ daughter). Recognising that the mascot no longer felt contemporary, the team made the bold decision to retire it, instead focusing their creative energy on crafting a hand-drawn, timeless typographic marque.
Alongside the identity, they have developed a comprehensive design system and more youthful tone of voice which positions Miss Millie’s alongside the more on-trend high street chicken brands in the market.
Read the full case study to get an overview of the full suite of work and the branding process from start to finish.
We are really proud to share that Varn has been recognised with a Highly Commended Award in The Small Business of the Year Award, at the prestigious Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards 2024. This highly competitive category was open to organisations with up to £5 million turnover in their last financial year. It celebrates companies that demonstrate strong growth & resilience, plans for sustained growth and innovation, as well as customer/staff engagement, an ethical approach to business and strong business results.
The Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awardsare the UK’s largest awards programme celebrating the best of British business. These awards welcome and celebrate businesses of all sizes, from entrepreneurial start-ups and SMEs to well-established key industry players in the FTSE 100.
Our award submission included the story of our growth as we’ve scaled from a small team of specialists to a team of 28 experts, in a challenging market. We also explored in our entry how we have innovated across our search expertise, developed our VarnFest events and reimagined the workspace with our woodland office. We were also proud to highlight to the BBEA our intentional approach to diversity and inclusion, giving back to our community and clients.
Tom Vaughton, CEO of Varn proudly shares that, “Being recognised in The Small Business of the Year category at the Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards 2024, is a proud moment for me and the team. The process of compiling our award entry, made me reflect on the last few years, how Varn has grown, how fortunate we are with our team and how much I’m personally enjoying the journey. I now realise, this is really quite something after running Varn for over 14 years.”
If you would like to find out more about the Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards or have any questions for our team, please get in touch and you cancontact us here.
Bristol creative agency SIM7 has swept the board this awards season, scooping three prestigious international prizes for a brand campaign which ‘redefines executive education marketing’.
The trio of awards, all won for the IESE Business School’s Real Leadership brand campaign, include first place in the Brand Campaign category at the Digital Communication Awards, Best Integration of Purposeful Marketing at the CMI Content Marketing Awards, and a ‘Búho’ award for Brand Strategy at Educafestival.
Each welcomed entries from around the world. Fierce competition for the top spots came from Ketchum, MSLGROUP, Weber Shandwick and a rollcall of other major global agencies.
Says Professor Dr. Ana Adi, Chair of the Jury for the Digital Communication Awards 2024, “IESE Business School’s Real Leadership campaign redefines executive education marketing. Through digital platforms, it boosts global visibility and underscores the school’s core human values, cleverly critiquing the past decade’s ‘hustle’ mindset. This campaign establishes a new benchmark for the future of leadership training”.
Campaign rationale
The brand campaign takes an honest, authentic and human approach which was conceived as an antidote to the clichéd ‘business speak’ creative that has dominated the sector in recent years. Assets include OOH adverts deployed across the world in Europe and Latin America, a major podcast, landing pages, brochures, Google Max ads, campaign videos and more.
Oriol Gil, IESE’s Brand & Content Senior Manager says, “The world of MBA and executive education is changing fast, with a more nuanced audience profile and expectations. SIM7 created a major campaign for us that pushed the boundaries of our brand guidelines and created a completely new strategy”.
Results
By using an authentic narrative and tapping into the genuine concerns and
motivations of business leaders, it resonated with IESE’s core audiences and has delivered substantial results in the form of awareness, enquiries and admissions. Its main campaign video has attracted 3+ million views, and season one of its podcast consistently ranks in the top 30 of the Spotify/Apple leadership and management charts.
SIM7’s Simeon de la Torre is proud of the campaign and the recognition it has earnt, “ As an agency that works with higher and business education clients around the world, winning these three awards is a huge honour for us. We knew from the start that this had to be a campaign with cut-through, and that pure creativity wasn’t enough.
“It was a huge strategic branding exercise that brought together all our skills in messaging, design and positioning, which ultimately spawned something really different with a big dollop of humour and heart”.
Notes
SIM7 is a Bristol-based creative agency that works with clients around the world in sectors including education, property, technology and more: sim7creative.co.uk
Founded in 2017, the agency uses language to empower design and drives growth by creating brands, campaigns and strategy. SIM7 currently employs six people, has increased its turnover significantly in the past 12 months and is set to build its international client base even further
in 2024/25.
Distortion Creative Group, the parent company of Studio Giggle, has announced the appointment of Rob King as its new CEO and investor. King’s arrival comes as the company embarks on a rebrand and ambitious expansion strategy, targeting growth in Bristol and the South West, with a vision to become a global creative leader.
With a background in senior roles at renowned organisations such as Abbey Road Studios, Zinc Media owned The Edge Picture Company and a number of award-winning creative agencies. King brings a wealth of experience in sales, marketing, and creative strategy. His focus will be on scaling Studio Giggle’s operations in live events, film, animation, and content production, while transforming Distortion Studios into a world-class virtual production hub.
King sees his new role as an opportunity to take Distortion Creative Group to the next stage of its growth and development. “Studio Giggle is entering its 18th year, and this ‘coming of age’ marks the start of an exciting new chapter for the company. We’ve been a maverick creative force in Bristol, but now we’re set on becoming the go-to agency for creative content in the South West as well as for our clients nationwide and beyond,” he said.
Despite a well-documented downturn in the film world, Distortion Creative Group has seen growth over the past year, expanding its staff by 20% following new work for clients and producing events in locations as far-flung as Singapore and the Middle East. “The vision that directors Jonathan Brigden and Steve Garratt have shown crafting the region’s go-to creative agency is phenomenal. I look forward to collaborating with them on the next steps, as well as working with the talented staff base that has made Distortion Creative Group what it is today.”
While Studio Giggle has traditionally worked with clients in London and internationally, its plans include a focus on Bristol’s burgeoning tech and fintech industries, offering creative and technical production solutions that align with the region’s growing reputation as a global hub for creativity.
“Bristol has been our home for 18 years and it’s a great opportunity to now give back and help businesses in the area excel creatively,” King emphasised.
As part of the expansion plan, King will also oversee the development of Bristol’s first permanent virtual production facility, positioning Distortion Studios as a pioneer in sustainable and cutting-edge production technologies. “We have an incredible mix of creativity, technology, and storytelling that puts us in an advantageous position as the world enters a new era of production possibilities. In particular, our early adoption of AI and software, including Unreal Engine, has revolutionised the creative potential for clients of all sizes,” he added
Looking ahead, Distortion Creative Group is preparing to expand its portfolio. “Our rebrand positions us as pioneers in exciting new areas of creative technologies, so expansion is certainly front of mind,” King noted. “We’re keen, however, to stay true to our values of true collaboration with our clients, technical innovation and award-winning creativity.
Distortion Creative Group is preparing to unveil the details of its growth plans, including the addition of new companies to the Distortion Creative Group. “This isn’t just about a rebrand or staying the same size,” King noted. “We’re on a growth trajectory, and in the next few years , we’ll look back at this moment as the time when we transitioned from a boutique agency to a larger creative group.
Steve Garratt, Distortion Creative Group’s Founder and Creative Director, added: “Rob’s addition marks a pivotal point in our on-going plan to grow a world class creative agency and Virtual Production studio in Bristol. Both Jonathan Brigden and I are excited to welcome Rob to the team and draw on his unique expertise.”
Rob King’s move to Bristol further underscores the company’s commitment to investing in the city’s creative future. His appointment marks a pivotal moment as the company positions itself for sustained growth and global reach.
For further information or to arrange an interview with Rob King, please contact:
Distortion Creative Group is a leading creative agency based in Bristol, UK, offering a full range of services across live events, film, animation, and content production. Its flagship company, Studio Giggle, is known for its innovative approach to storytelling and creative production, with clients including Sky and British Airways. Distortion Studios is at the forefront of virtual production technology, delivering sustainable solutions for clients worldwide.
With over 5000 attendees, digital marketeers flock to Brighton twice a year, for a 2-day global search marketing conference, which has the aim of helping search and digital marketers meet, learn, and do their jobs better. Tom Vaiughton is a regular speaker at Brighton SEO and after 25 years of working in search and digital marketing, Tom is frequently asked to share his ideas and thoughts on how search, Google, website visibility and SEO is evolving and impacting brands and businesses. This October 2024, Tom Vaughton, founder and CEO of Varn, delivered an insightful talk on the main stage at Brighton SEO, on the future of SEO in the AI era titled “How ‘Awesome’ will define SEO in the New Era of AI-Powered Search.”
Drawing on 25 years of experience in the SEO industry and having worked with over 400 clients worldwide, Tom shared a thought-provoking reflection on the evolution of search and the impact AI is having on SEO strategies today.
In his talk, Tom explored how AI-powered tools like natural language processing (NLP), voice search and image and video recognition, are transforming the way search engines interpret and rank content. He emphasised the importance of staying ahead of these shifts while remaining true to the core principles of great SEO—high-quality content, strong user experience and an unwavering commitment to long-term success.
One of Tom’s key takeaways was the need for SEOs to stop relying on shortcuts and to fully embrace the concept of “awesomeness,” a term borrowed from Google’s John Mueller, meaning businesses and agencies should aim to be exceptional in all aspects of SEO; whether it’s content quality, user experience or technical optimisation. He encouraged attendees to test, learn and evolve their SEO strategies, highlighting the critical role of innovation, thoughtful content creation and a clear understanding of user intent in the age of AI. Tom emphasised the importance of creating exceptional, user-focused content that delivers true value over time, rather than simply chasing algorithms. As AI becomes more adept at understanding nuanced queries, SEOs must prioritise personalisation and relevance in order to capture and convert users at every stage of their search.
Tom’s talk provided a thoughtful, forward-looking take on SEO in a new AI era, urging SEOers and marketers to stay adaptable, experiment with new approaches, don’t take shortcuts and always prioritise your end user.
The Varn team also attended many other insightful talks this year. Read on to hear our key takeaways…
Tom shares examples of errors that AI makes, that his young children were able to easily identify correctly. His example shows that while AI is powerful, it’s not flawless, emphasising the need for human insight.
Tom cautions against over-relying on AI in SEO and highlights the value of human experience and judgment. His proposed “cybermethod” blends AI’s efficiency with human expertise to produce higher-quality results by combining their strengths.
Key takeaways:
Divide the content creation process into multiple tasks.
Carla offers marketers a unique way to approach their target audience research. Rather than categorising by demographics such as age and gender, she suggests categorising by five ‘curiosity cohorts’.
This approach encourages marketers view their audience through a fresh lens. This can potentially drive greater ROI, and results in content that truly speaks to the consumer’s interests, increasing brand loyalty and engagement.
Key Takeaways
Set the right tone of voice which aligns with the curiosity type.
Have the right format for the content.
Decide on what your CTA will be.
Nikki Halliwell: How to Overcome SEO Challenges in Website Migrations
In her talk, Nikki provided a thorough guide to overcoming website migration challenges, focusing on common blockers and how to address them. She highlighted the importance of asking the critical questions and strong communication throughout the process of migration to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Key takeaways:
Make sure to ask clients important questions, for example: What parts of the site are going to be migrated? Why is the migration happening? What are the KPIs?
Fluctuations are normal and you need to be patient and inform your client of what to expect in the process.
Migrations are much easier with good communication between everyone involved in the process to make sure you all know who’s doing what and when.
Make sure you understand what type of migration is happening and why, to ensure the correct steps are in place.
Yasmin Burchill: The Digital Generation is Here: Why You’re About to Overhaul your Online Strategy
In this talk, Yasmin drew our attention to Gen Z: how they are changing search, and how do we adapt to this? As the younger generation have grown up with technology and are more tech savvy, there are 3 priorities we need to consider to make SEO more accommodating:
Key takeaways:
Digital first. As users are diversifying from Google, using other platforms as search engines (e.g. TikTok, the new search engine for Gen Z), the typical channel of conversion is not really followed anymore. Therefore, Yasmin suggested that marketing should be considered as an ecosystem, looking at the bigger picture rather than relying on ‘old’ marketing strategies to be successful.
Authenticity. Gen Z are more driven to a website which is genuine and shows individuality, i.e. they are more likely to interact with content which is tailored to them based on sequential creatives, so including this in your SEO content strategy is important.
Sustainability vs price. Gen Z are socially conscious, caring more about managing finances, physical health, well being, and sustainability because they have been exposed to new information regarding these areas. Therefore, it is key to have a sustainable message on your website and market this to the younger generation to gain their attention.
Nathan Ifill: How Smart Bidding Really Works Behind the Scenes
Nathan began by explaining the importance of Bayes Theorem in SEO, in particular paid ads. Essentially, when you are testing a hypothesis and making changes to your SEO strategy, you need to assess the impact in order to know if this hypothesis was successful or not by keeping track of changes such as levels of organic traffic.
Key takeaways:
“Feed the beast” – give Google all the information it needs so that it can make the right decisions for its users and direct them to the correct landing page. But make sure this information is updated regularly.
Don’t mess with the past – so don’t remove data exclusions, otherwise you will get undesired fluctuations in your campaigns, and this will mislead your SEO analysis. So make sure decisions are evidence-driven (i.e. Bayes Theorem).
Model the model – use Google tools to your advantage and track how your campaigns are doing.
Liv Day: How to Find the Relevance Gap Between Your Site & Its Link Profile
Liv Day opened the conference with a deep dive into the critical role that relevance plays in a site’s link profile. She highlighted the impact of irrelevant backlinks on traffic and rankings, detailing how such links can skew the perceived topicality of a website, potentially causing search engines to misunderstand a site’s focus.
Her team removed toxic and irrelevant links pointing to the site, including those leading to 404 pages. The results? A surge in traffic in August 2024, the best organic performance in five years. These results led Liv to emphasise that relevance should be treated as its own metric. She urged brands to use data to close relevance gaps between their content and backlink profiles. She shared her process, using tools like IBM Watson’s natural language processing to help analyse website content and links to confirm their alignment for link building success.
Key Takeaway:
Relevance is key to SEO success, and digital PR should focus on building highly relevant backlinks, not just quantity.
Darren Jacobs explored the explosive growth of retail media and the convergence of e-commerce and digital advertising. Retail media systems are created by brands to advertise directly on retailer websites, to create an end to end customer journey from browsing to purchase.
With 20% of global ad spend going to retail media, driven in part by the post-COVID shift to e-commerce, retailers are turning their own first-party data into a powerful tool for closed-loop attribution and personalised customer experiences. Jacobs explores how companies like Walmart and Tesco are leading the way, by building sophisticated retail media networks to make the most of their revenue streams.
Key Takeaway:
Retail media is growing rapidly and becoming an integral part of the digital ecosystem, driven by data and a desire for more personalised shopping experiences.
Companies are missing a trick if they are not informing their digital marketing strategy with customer data to inform it.
Sophie Coley: Audience-Centric Planning & Creative Personas– A Strategic Approach to Relevancy
In the third talk of the online PR section, Sophie Coley emphasised the importance of boundaries in fostering creativity and maintaining relevance. Drawing on her journalism background, she shared how she uses a persona-driven approach to content creation. By doing so, she aligns with the daily lives and emotional triggers of the audience.
She shares how important it is to understand key life moments when products or services are needed. This way, brands can create more meaningful and resonant content. She recommended using tools like Google Suggest, Reddit, and TikTok to dig deeper into audience personas. She also suggests creating buyer personas to map user journeys to align organic strategies with.
Key Takeaway:
Focus on the “who, what, when, and why” of your audience to ensure your content is framed to their needs and triggers.
Jonathon’s talk provided valuable insights into automating SEO content audits, helping to extract key on-page SEO elements such as meta titles, descriptions, H1 tags, and word counts. Given how time-consuming content audits can be, this approach offers a much more efficient and scalable solution.
Key takeaways:
By using Google Sheets for documentation, Google App Script, and ChatGPT, you can streamline the content audit process and speed it up significantly.
This method ensures a consistent and accurate audit format, allowing it to be applied across multiple clients and projects.
There’s no need to fear the use of AI and embracing tools like ChatGPT can make the auditing process faster, more efficient, and ultimately more manageable.
Jo Cameron’s talk explored the potential benefits and challenges of starting a podcast, building on her experience of creating 20 episodes of MozPod in just seven days with a budget of $20k. She demonstrated that starting a podcast doesn’t require a huge budget and can be highly effective in reaching new audiences.
Jo left the audience with an inspiring message from one of her podcast episodes. A guest shared how she and her partner reflect on three things they are grateful for each day, especially on difficult days. This was a reminder that even in SEO, recognising small wins can help maintain motivation and focus on long-term success.
Key takeaways:
Batch recording episodes can help maintain productivity, with the flexibility to record episodes on new trends as they emerge.
Focus on telling interesting stories and reaching new audiences. Avoid making your podcast overly promotional, as this tends to put listeners off.
Use elements such as thumbnails, timestamps, and end cards to boost visibility and engagement and by making it user-friendly.
Ensure your podcast has a core message that stands out and resonates with listeners. Including human stories can create a deeper connection with your audience.
Jenna Kamal: How to Grow Traffic with a Site-Wide Spring Clean
Jenna’s talk emphasised the importance of “letting go,” linking this idea with the concept of a site-wide clean-up. She took the audience on a journey through the gradual decline of their organic blog traffic over the years. Through various discoveries and a deep-dive process, her team managed to identify the root of the issue and transform their approach to improve site performance.
Key takeaways:
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different strategies and, most importantly, be open to listening to feedback and data.
Refreshing content regularly and ensuring it remains relevant is key. This includes fixing URLs with dates, redirecting old or thin content, and maintaining an overall clean structure.
Take a gradual approach—rushing the process can negatively impact not only your teams but also how Google views and ranks your site.
Our team had an insightful few days at BrightonSEO, with helpful insights for our Future Talent Graduates from some of the SEO industry’s leading experts. Thank you to all the speakers this year, it was great to hear from you.
