Explore the evolving media landscape with Deanna Mulkeen of Wpromote as she unpacks trends like social search, AI-driven media buying, and how brands can embrace platform-agnostic strategies to craft impactful, consumer-first experiences.
In today’s rapidly evolving media landscape, the lines between platforms, formats, and audiences are more blurred than ever. We recently spoke with Deanna Mulkeen, Head of Media Investment at Wpromote, about the dynamic shifts shaping the future of advertising.
From the rise of social search to the impact of AI and automation on media buying, she unpacks how brands can break free from outdated funnel thinking, embrace platform-agnostic strategies, and focus on crafting meaningful creative experiences that truly resonate with modern consumers.
Wpromote is an independent, full-funnel marketing agency that's all about helping brands grow smarter. We focus on combining performance expertise with strategic and creative thinking to build marketing that actually moves the needle.
The trend I’ve been following for the last couple of years is media convergence. I know it’s not a term that’s new to anybody. Still, it’s been interesting to see how social platforms have now labeled themselves as search and vice versa, and we’re seeing unexpected but powerful partnerships emerging, like retail media networks teaming up with video platforms.
We’re starting to see this meaningful change with these partnerships that have now come into fruition, which makes us question what is considered media today. We need to ask how we reorient ourselves to this new landscape where expectations have shifted, and rigid funnel thinking just doesn’t apply anymore.
At the end of the day, it reinforces the need for smart strategy: who you’re trying to reach, where the breakthrough moments are, and how behavior is changing. And, because nothing is staying in its lane as it used to before, it also means thinking about media from a brand focus and not necessarily just about sheer execution.
There have been a lot of changes in digital media lately, and there are more options than ever. We’re also seeing a shift in how we evaluate platforms, not just what they do, but what they represent and how they contribute to a client’s media mix. I think the most meaningful change we're going to see transpire in the next year or two is how much AI and automation will become foundational in how we plan and buy media.
Additionally, the type of ad tech we incorporate into the mix is important, not just to patch gaps, but to unlock personalization that truly meets consumers where they are. We're going to see significantly greater efficiencies in performance media, along with stronger creative delivery and optimization. Media buying will become more sophisticated and platform-agnostic, reducing the need to focus on who is managing which channel or platform. The approach will be more seamless and more agnostic overall.
The best part? It frees us up to focus on brand and creativity again.
I think we’ve lost sight of that in the last several years, where we’ve been so hyper-focused on how we drive results. But when machines handle the heavy lifting, it enables us to focus on what really matters: creating breakthrough moments. The big question is how to capture attention in such a fragmented world, and how we craft experiences that feel novel and fresh. The kind that makes someone pause and think, “Wow, that was different.”
Especially now, when so much of marketing feels interchangeable, making that kind of impact is more important than ever. I think the prerogative for brands is going to be how to facilitate that great brand storytelling, those cut-through moments, those meaningful experiences that honestly add value to the lives of consumers.
This is one of my favorite topics, especially from a performance agency standpoint. Much of the bread and butter has traditionally come from platforms like Google and Microsoft Bing. More recently, however, the narrative has shifted toward the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity—and the extent to which they’re stealing search share from the major behemoths in the space.
What’s particularly interesting to us is the growing impact of what we’re calling the dynamic duo of social and search. We’ve seen this trend emerge prominently on TikTok, where standalone search opportunities are becoming increasingly tactical. From a Google perspective, we’re noticing significant overindexing in YouTube search behavior, along with a growing sense of immediacy in the opportunities it presents.
When search connects users with both the product and the creator, it reveals the full journey—from research to consideration to direct interaction—making the experience more tangible and trustworthy for consumers.
Additionally, Reddit’s efforts to open up its treasure trove of insights and data have enabled us to have strategic conversations with our clients about sentiment and the authentic discourse happening worldwide. We can see where people are seeking advice and feedback—not just from influencers and content creators, but also from their peers—on a profound and large scale.
None of them cleanly fits into one bucket, and I think we say social search as though it’s monolithic. But, in actuality, when we start to think about it, each one fits in a very different way. That means we need to orient our brand experiences accordingly, which means breaking down silos and integrating teams.
It’s important to remember that “social search” isn’t a single concept. Each platform brings something different, which means brands need to rethink their approach—breaking down silos and integrating across brand, performance, earned, and paid media teams.
Ultimately, SEO and content strategy need to align with consumer context and timing. We’re no longer limited to traditional search—the space is more visual, immersive, and interactive. That opens up a richer landscape where brands can truly support the consumer journey and simplify decision-making.
En tant que Director of Marketing and Communications chez Equativ, Amy dirige les stratégies de contenu, de médias sociaux et de relations publiques propres à l'entreprise. En collaboration avec les parties prenantes de l'ensemble de l'organisation, elle écrit sur des sujets allant des innovations en matière de produits d'Equativ aux tendances générales de l'industrie.
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