Powering Brands for the Age of AI Discovery, Recommendation and Growth

Performics UK's Connected Search team, spanning Starcom, Zenith, and Spark agencies, supports nearly 80 client brands across Publicis Media UK on SEO, content, and generative engine optimisation. As AI search and non-linear consumer journeys reshaped how brands are discovered, the team's traditional channel-siloed approach faced declining visibility and fragmented measurement.

The solution was Connected Search, a new model for discovery that acted as an operating model and a team capability to help clients and the agency thrive. This would be done by connecting signals (aligning data and audiences via shared frameworks like Publicis's Connected ID), connecting teams (removing silos across SEO, content, paid search, and social), and connecting outcomes to business impact.

Execution involved five pillars: building an end-to-end operating model with shared KPIs and centralised governance; removing silos both internally and with clients by eliminating duplicate KPIs and sharing knowledge; reinventing measurement through tracking visibility across search, social, retailer, and AI environments alongside causal modelling; re-engineering talent by upskilling teams in AI and GEO; and learning to balance clients both slow to react and keen to accelerate.

The results speak for themselves. Sky Mobile skyrocketed in competitor citation rankings, with roaming visibility also seeing a substantial jump; L'Oréal saw an increase in search visibility, consideration engagement, and organic DTC revenue, contributing to a growth in Publicis search revenues; while Stellantis scaled its approach across 100+ brand-market combinations, boosting incremental revenue. The team was, and continues to be, the bedrock of our client growth