Shift Happens

What if 90% of your local search opportunity is still sitting on the table? In this episode of Shift Happens , host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Kyle Harris, VP of Local Optimization at DAC, to unpack the “90% problem”: why multi-location brands still struggle to get the fundamentals right across every location. They explore how accurate listings, reviews, photos, and the small details of each loca...

Santa hats in September? On Shift Happens , that can only mean one thing: the holiday season is already on the agenda. Host Nasser Sahlool and Melis Ciner, DAC’s vice president of media, talk about how marketers can make the most of the months-long shopping rush without relying on one big day or deep discounts to do all the work. From reaching shoppers while they’re still researching to keeping ne...

Keywords had a good run. But people are searching in full sentences, AI is answering before the click, and marketers are realizing that yesterday’s playbook is running out of pages.   Search is becoming faster, more conversational, and far less predictable, and Google is building AI into every stage of the journey. In this episode of Shift Happens , host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Miles Sava...

What happens when the pace of change goes from fast to “that year’s worth of work just became obsolete overnight” fast? In this episode of Shift Happens , host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Norm Hagarty, CEO and Managing Partner at DAC, to explore what decades of disruption can teach leaders about navigating the age of AI—without losing sight of the people behind the transformation. Together, they u...

If authority is no longer controlled by brands alone, how do you earn trust from both people and AI? In this episode of Shift Happens , our host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Jenna Watson, SVP of Media at DAC, and Dan Temby, SVP of Technology & Analytics at DAC, to explore brands should approach search marketing in today's AI search-driven world. They unpack why every mention, signal, and intera...

The feed had a good run. But people are tired of scrolling, squinting at AI slop, and wondering whether that rhinoceros playing ping pong is real. Digital behavior is shifting from public performance to private connection, and Snapchat has been built for that shift all along. In this episode of Shift Happens, host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Bob Cornwall, Country Manager for Canada at Snap Inc., t...

The internet didn’t lose its human side. It just got harder to find. As AI becomes a bigger part of how people search, discover, and make decisions, where do they turn when they want something more than a polished summary? Increasingly, they turn to Reddit: a place built on real conversations, lived experience, niche communities, and the kind of honesty algorithms can’t easily manufacture. In this...

TV didn’t die. It changed the script.   How should marketers rethink TV when audiences are moving across more screens, platforms, and viewing environments than ever before?  In this episode of Shift Happens , host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Mike Fogarty, Head of Client Development, Brand and Agency Partnerships at Tatari, to explore the rise of convergent TV and what it means for modern...

How should marketers turn anxiety into action when change becomes the new normal? In this episode of  Shift Happens , host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Jared Hendrickson, Vice President and General Manager of DAC’s New York office, to explore how marketing leaders can navigate an era defined by AI disruption, budget pressure, shifting platforms, measurement challenges, and rising expectations....

If search used to be about ranking on Google, what is it really shaping today? In this episode of  Shift Happens , host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Matt Southern, Senior News Writer at  Search Engine Journal , to explore how search is evolving beyond rankings, clicks, and traditional SEO metrics. They unpack the shift from Google-only visibility to a broader decision ecosystem spanning A...

If AI used to be about generating answers, what is it really driving today?   In this episode of  Shift Happens , host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Dan Temby, Head of Technology and Analytics at DAC, to explore the rapid evolution of AI from conversational tool to action-oriented system. Together, they unpack the rise of “agentic” AI, technology that doesn’t just respond to prompts, but c...

In this episode of Shift Happens , host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Jessi Wood, Senior Content Strategist at DAC, to explore how social media’s role has evolved from a top-of-funnel awareness channel to a core driver of brand connection and loyalty. They unpack how the shift from broadcast to relationship-building is changing the way brands show up on social, why consistency and clarity matter mor...

In this episode of  Shift Happens , host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Felicia Delvecchio, Vice President of Media at DAC, to explore how fast-moving advertisers like Temu and Shein are reshaping media auctions in 2026 — not just through scale, but through the speed at which they ramp spend up or pull it back.   They unpack why today’s challenge is less about permanently rising media costs...

If search is shifting toward AI answers, summaries, and recommendation-style results, what does SEO success look like now?  In this episode of  Shift Happens , host Nasser Sahlool is joined by Thom Lodge, Associate Director of SEO at DAC, to unpack why brands need to rethink SEO for a world where visibility is no longer just about clicks, rankings, and traffic. As AI syste...

Are brands moving too fast across too many channels to stay recognizable, and is AI making that better or worse?   In this episode of  Shift Happens , DAC’s SVP of Client Strategy, Nasser Sahlool, sits down with Mylène Savoie, GM of DAC Montreal, to unpack why the “big idea” matters more than ever in a world of rapid-fire platforms, shrinking attention spans, and AI-powered cre...

If performance media is so measurable, why invest in brand at all?  In this episode of Shift Happens, host Nasser Sahlool, SVP of Client Strategy at DAC, is joined by Robert Cooney, VP of Client Strategy, to examine how an overreliance on last-click performance has pushed media strategies out of balance — and why many brands are now paying the price.  T...

Are tight budgets, rising expectations, and AI hype making marketing planning harder than ever?  In this episode of  Shift Happens , DAC’s SVP of Client Strategy, Nasser Sahlool, sits down with Luke Regan, VP and Managing Partner, DAC UK, to explore how brands can build real agility in a disrupted landscape. They unpack why AI is only effective when paired with strong data foundatio...

Is AI changing local search as dramatically as everyone claims — or are the fundamentals still what matter most? In this episode of Shift Happens , DAC’s SVP of Client Strategy, Nasser Sahlool, sits down with Kyle Harris, Director of Local Optimization, to break down how AI is reshaping local discovery — and what’s actually driving results for brick-and-mortar brands.

Is AI actually making your media more efficient — or just driving more empty traffic?  In this episode of  Shift Happens , DAC’s SVP of Client Strategy, Nasser Sahlool, joins Jenna Watson, SVP of Media, to unpack what AI Max really delivers, where it falls short, and how to balance automation with human strategy. They also explore the emerging keyword l...

Is your content getting harder to find — even as you create more of it?  In this episode of  Shift Happens , DAC’s SVP of Client Strategy, Nasser Sahlool, joins Orli Milstein, Director of Content Strategy, to explore how AI is reshaping discovery and why traditional SEO tactics no longer cut it. They unpack what it means to structure content for both hu...

Are your dashboards full of data that looks great but doesn’t actually drive business?  In this episode of Shift Happens, DAC’s SVP of Client Strategy, Nasser Sahlool, sits down with Dan Temby, SVP of Technology & Analytics, to unpack why marketers chase vanity metrics, and what to measure instead.  0:00: Intro 0:50: How do we know which metrics on our dashbo...

Welcome to  Shift Happens: The art, science, (and chaos) of modern marketing .      Each episode unpacks the forces reshaping marketing—from AI and data to privacy, creative, and performance—and asks experts how they transform disruption into an advantage.  Listen to all our episodes here: https://www.dacgroup.com/insights/podcasts/

Oh man, the future! Dan, Jenna, and Nasser are back to make sense of a year in which everything changed in digital... again. Grab yourself a frothy coffee and join our future-proofed trio as they dissect 2023, speculate what 2024 may have in store, and make questionable attempts at Australian and Welsh accents. The year in review: Excitement, frustration, jamón AI, AI, Oh! New possibilities in 202...

In the first part of DAC's AI Sunrise Series, the gang returns to discuss the topic on everyone's lips. Join Jenna, Dan, and Nasser as they explain what the dawn of AI means for digital marketers, businesses of all shapes and sizes, and the world in general. Along the way, they generate lifelike content about: The solipsistic world of AI-powered monocles Surprise! AI tools are already ubiquitous A...

And we're back! Our triumphant trio returns to reveal all about marketing's hottest topic: generative artificial intelligence. Find how "the most profound technological development since the internet itself" is set to reinvent, well, pretty much everything. Along the way, Dan, Nasser, and Jenna delve into topics definitely not suggested by ChatGPT, including: Neural networks and fighty robots: How...