Ad.com Kicks Off Day 1 of MediaPost’s 2025 Performance Marketing Insider Summit

Ad.com kicked off Day 1 of MediaPost’s Performance Marketing Insider Summit with the opening sponsored presentation, delivered by Jeffrey Alderman, SVP of Sales & Marketing.

As the Premier Sponsor of the event, Ad.com opened the week by addressing a reality many brands felt during Holiday 2025: spending hit record highs, but traditional, Google-centric search did not perform the way it used to.

Holiday 2025 Changed the Rules

Holiday 2025 made one thing clear—how people search, discover, and buy has changed.

Even with U.S. retail spending crossing the trillion-dollar mark, brands that relied only on classic search struggled to capture demand. Clicks declined, zero-click results increased, and shoppers turned to new tools to make decisions faster.

Consumers didn’t just search. They compared prices, checked availability, and discovered products across AI assistants, marketplaces, social platforms, retail media networks, and brand sites.

Why Traditional Search Fell Short

During the highest-spending season of the year, performance teams faced real pressure:

• More searches ended without a click

• SERP space continued to shrink

• CPCs increased across competitive categories

• Privacy changes reduced targeting precision

• AI-generated answers replaced traditional listings

The result was higher costs, less visibility, and incomplete coverage of the customer journey.

What’s Working Now

Jeff’s opening presentation focused on what brands must do differently to win going forward:

Diversify Beyond Google

Search still matters, but it can no longer carry performance alone. Brands need visibility across multiple discovery points.

Use First-Party Data More Intentionally

As targeting options narrow, first-party data is critical for scale, personalization, and long-term performance.

Invest Where Shoppers Actually Buy

Retail media networks and marketplaces continue to grow because that’s where high-intent decisions happen.

Adapt to AI-Driven Discovery

AI assistants and summaries are shaping how consumers research and decide—brands must be present where those decisions are made.

Setting the Tone for the Week

As the kickoff presentation for the Summit, Ad.com’s session set the stage for deeper conversations around performance, measurement, and growth in an AI-driven market.

The message was simple and clear:Relying on one channel is no longer a strategy. Winning today means meeting customers wherever they search, discover, and buy.

About Ad.com

Ad.com helps brands drive performance through diversified, cross-channel strategies that go beyond traditional search. By combining data, media, and technology, we help advertisers reach high-intent audiences across the full customer journey.