In part two of Performance Delivered: Insider Secrets for Digital Marketing Success, host Steffen Horst continues his conversation with marketing experts Navah Hopkins (Microsoft) and Shawn Walker (Symphonic Digital) on how AI is transforming paid search strategy.

They dive into:

• When to use AI vs. manual campaign management
• How to differentiate your brand when competitors use similar AI tools
• Testing AI in new accounts without risking core campaigns
• Why clean data and human oversight are essential
• Predictive modeling — promise vs. reality
• How to plan budgets in an AI-first world

If you missed part one, catch up to hear their discussion on AI’s truly disruptive trends vs. efficiency gains, and predictions for the next 12–24 months in paid search.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro

00:11 – Welcome back & episode overview

01:22 – When to plan with AI from day one

03:28 – Differentiation in an AI-driven market

04:34 – Brand positioning and being where competitors aren’t

07:07 – Strategy shifts: reporting, funnel growth & brand control

10:07 – Dunning-Kruger effect in campaign evaluation

12:32 – Trusting AI insights vs. human verification

15:04 – Critical thinking in prompting & data interpretation

18:10 – Predictive modeling: promise vs. reality

22:42 – Budget planning in the AI-first world

26:14 – Accounting for learning periods & runway

27:59 – Focusing spend for better results

29:45 – Targeting by time zone & campaign consolidation

31:47 – Closing thoughts & guest info

The views and opinions expressed on the “Performance Delivered” podcast are solely those of the author and guests and should not be attributed to any other individual or entity. This podcast is an independent production of Performance Delivered, and the podcast production is an original work of the author. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2025.