Hero Conf talks

Shop local: utilising Google Ads to grow your local business

If you’re running an Ads account for clients with a local business and want to learn more, this talk is for you. 

Managing a client that relies on local leads, local visitors, local shoppers? Whether KPIs are lead gen, ecommerce or footfall, whether budgets are large or small, join Hannah to find out: 

– the benefits of structuring campaigns geographically
– how to leverage location assets
– why you should prioritise presence targeting
– the 101 on Local Services Ads
– mastering location settings
– local inventory ad criteria
– how to track Store Visits

BigQuery & PPC: deeper insights into your campaign data

This talk is for every PPC advertiser out there who wants to make a deeper analysis of their campaigns. You will need to have been running campaigns for a few years to get the most out of this talk. 

BigQuery is a fantastic tool which data managers are using for years now. How is it possible that not a lot of PPC people are actually using it? In this talk Lars provides hands on tips and best practices in using BigQuery for your PPC campaigns to get better results including use cases.

The social search surge: how social media is revolutionising search & discovery

This talk is suited to marketers with some experience in search and social.

Search & Social have long been considered distant friends, who don’t have that much in common & have different goals in life. But it’s time to scrap this notion, as these two channels have grown closer than ever & as their relationship has now become completely intertwined, it’s something advertisers need to be taking advantage of.

In this talk, Beccie will examine how social media platforms are shaping an entirely new era of search behaviours, how advertisers should be navigating their future strategies for inspiration and discovery, and what this means for the growing complexities of cross-channel measurement.

Leveraging lead generation through Meta Ads

In this session, Gopika will delve into the role of lead generation strategies for service-based and e-commerce businesses. She will share actionable insights on crafting high-converting lead generation campaigns using Meta Ads.

– Explore the various ways to set up lead generation campaigns effectively with Meta Ads
– Learn how to craft compelling ad creatives and messaging that resonate with your audience, leveraging principles of behavioural psychology.
– Discover how to structure landing pages optimized for maximum conversions.

Mastering ad group segmentation for paid search success

This talk is suitable for experienced PPC specialists

In this talk Charlotte will educate attendees on the strategies, techniques, and best practices for organising and segmenting ad groups in paid search campaigns to maximise performance

The rise of social commerce and shoppable ads

This talk is ideal for marketing professionals who’ve been running campaigns for 1-2 years. 

In this talk, Ruffine will delve into the rapid evolution of social commerce and the growing impact of shoppable ads on modern consumer behaviour. She will explore how businesses can harness the power of user-generated content (UGC) and influencer-led campaigns to create authentic, engaging shopping experiences that drive conversions

Using AI to reimagine effective paid campaigns

In this talk, Ebony will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising how marketers design, execute, and measure campaigns. She’ll draw insights from her experience as a digital marketing coach working across industries like Biotechnology, Education, and Music.

Attendees will learn how AI-powered tools can streamline campaign management, enhance personalisation, and deliver actionable data insights to optimise performance.

The talk will provide practical strategies for integrating AI into marketing workflows, showcase real-life case studies of AI-driven success, and empower professionals to harness these tools for creativity, efficiency, and measurable impact in their campaigns.

Scaling Pmax while keeping tROAS 50

A consumer electronic retailer from the Adriatic region couldn’t scale Performance Max campaigns while keeping profitability where they wanted it. David will demonstrate how he achieved this, and provide insights into how conversion values fluctuated through time.

This talk is suitable for those who want to gain insight or start to run Performance max campaigns

Why your paid social is broken – and how to fix it

With paid channels growing rapidly, it’s no longer enough to just wait for customers to find you. In this talk, Simran will explore why paid social is essential in today’s marketing world. She will show how to use paid social effectively throughout the entire funnel—driving awareness, engagement, and conversions.

AI & automation tactics for Amazon Ads

In Mark’s talk he will focus on 3 important amazon topics / case studies and how AI or automation can be used to maximize results.

Advanced targeting strategies with Google demand generation ads

This session explores the advanced targeting capabilities of Google Demand Generation Ads, empowering PPC professionals to drive better results. From custom audiences and in-market segments to enhanced remarketing and lookalike targeting, attendees will learn how to move beyond basic strategies to maximize ROI with precision targeting.

Whether your goal is boosting conversions, refining ad reach, or scaling smarter, this talk delivers actionable insights and proven techniques to elevate your campaigns.

This talk is perfect for experienced PPC professionals and in-house marketing leads who are already familiar with Google Ads

Ad-diction method: create psychology-based ads that convert

Creatives have become the key factor on Meta. Using technical hacks to scale is no longer enough: it’s essential to focus on the ads themselves and the messaging behind them.

Join Paolo who will show you how to craft effective ads by leveraging ethical psychological triggers that will make your target audience desire your product. We’ll cover:

– How to identify the most powerful psychological triggers for your audience.

– The Ad-Diction Method: Practical strategies for turning these triggers into high-impact creatives.

– Real-life case studies demonstrating these principles in action.

You’ll leave with a clear and replicable method to create ads that convert, lowering your ad costs, starting today.

This talk is suitable for newbies who have yet to launch their first ad, as well as the more experienced who want to optimise their advertising costs.

Leveraging PPC and SEO collaboration for winning search strategies

Ellie’s talk emphasises the integration of PPC and SEO to create a unified search strategy that maximizes visibility, drives traffic, reduces costs, and enhances digital performance. It highlight the importance of embracing the new search landscape where paid and organic search lines are blurring. This talk will cover how closer integration between the two channels can drive efficiency, increase awareness, achieve tactical synergy, and set cost targets, while leveraging Google Automation tools to enhance overall search effectiveness.

This talk would suit PPC professionals who work in silo.

From insights to impact: using Meta’s API to elevate campaign performance

In this session, Bianca will unravel the Meta Marketing API and show how it can unlock powerful insights to optimize product performance and drive better results from catalog campaigns. From uncovering hidden data to automating campaign management, you’ll learn actionable strategies to take your campaigns beyond Ads Manager.

Whether you’re looking to boost ROAS or refine your product sets, this session will equip you with the tools and knowledge to stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of paid social.

This talk is suitable for social media marketers, paid social specialists

How not to waste money bidding on your owned search terms

How do you solve a problem like traffic cannibalisation between Organic and Paid Search?

How do you ensure your search ads don’t steal traffic from your organic content, while ensuring your ads appear if your rank was ever to fluctuate?

Chris will answer these question, as he tells the story of how he overcame these challenges by creating a bespoke solution. He will cover the data used, the failures and obstacles he faced along the way and the results.

By the end of his talk, you will be able to identify if a similar solution would benefit your marketing strategy and how it will save your business money.

This talk is ideal for marketers of all backgrounds who are looking to align their Paid Media and Organic Search strategies to boost efficiency and maximise reach. An understanding of SERPs and organic rankings, along with a working knowledge of Google Ads are beneficial, but not necessary.

Google Ads audits for ecom: you’re lighting money on fire!

In this talk, Duane is going to show you why he thinks everyone should be auditing their ad account at least twice a year.

There are a dozen different ways he sees ad accounts lighting money on fire and being wasteful with ad spend.

Let’s pull back the curtain, and show what is going on in ad accounts.

This talk will cover:

• Why a 5x ROAS is sometimes a 2x and how some manipulate conversion tracking
• Understanding why the Search Term Report still matters in an AI world
• Your Asset Group and Listing Group breakout matter,… if you don’t want to waste money
• The mobile world is finally here but our site’s conversion rate hasn’t caught up
• Tips on using reports to look at data by locations, networks and other values to find how your money really got spent

Sometimes your top level numbers look amazing but when you dig below the surface and really do your due diligence. You find out things are worse then you were lead to believe.

This talk with help you audit your ad account and get a better handle on what is really going on. Follow the numbers and save some money in 2025.

The ideal audience for this talk is people who have been running Google ads for ecom brands for 2+ years and want to get the most out of each dollar/pound/euro being spent.

What are you looking at? Creating better ads through eye tracking studies

Normally you measure and optimize your ads through views, clicks or conversions.

But what if you could see your ads through the eyes of your clients?

You would be able to build much more effective creatives with less distractions and more focus. That’s what you’re about to learn in this session.

Felix will show you the results of over a dozen eye tracking studies of Meta and TikTok ads.

In the end you’ll know how to guide the focus of your target audience exactly to where you want it to be: on your brand, your message and your offer.

This talk is ideal for social media marketers and advertisers.

Strategies for multilanguage ad copy optimisation with LLMs

Are you struggling to create compelling ad copy across multiple languages? Discover how Large Language Models (LLMs) can revolutionise your multilingual advertising efforts, saving time and boosting performance.

This talk will feature a real-world case study, providing you with actionable insights you can immediately apply to your global campaigns.

Gokce will share key takeaways including:

• A comprehensive comparison of LLM performance in generating multilingual ad copy
• Advanced prompting techniques specifically designed for multilanguage ad copy generation
• Strategies for maintaining brand voice and cultural nuances across different languages

This talk is ideal for PPC specialists and digital marketers, international businesses looking to optimise their ad copy across different markets and professionals seeking to leverage AI for performance marketing.

A scientist’s approach to PPC optimisation

In this talk, Dr. Igor Ivitskiy—a PhD mathematician turned marketer—will reveal how to unlock the full potential of your Google Ads campaigns by applying mathematical and scientific methods.

He will share insights into Google’s neural network algorithms and demonstrate practical techniques for optimizing keywords, placements, audiences, creatives, and landing pages.

Ideal for PPC professionals, digital marketers, data analysts, and data-driven marketers who are interested in optimizing their Google Ads campaigns using mathematical and scientific methods, he will provide actionable strategies to enhance campaigns and achieve consistent, predictable growth.

Let’s go back to keywords

Years ago, the magic of Google AdWords was that we advertised on keywords that perfectly matched the needs of the user.

I want to show that such advertising still works in 2025 and is doing quite well.

How to work with keywords in the era of pMAX and automation? How to search for them, how to create a content marketing plan strategy for exceptionally effective campaigns?

I will show you my workshop, together we will search for and learn tricks related not only to AI.

This talk is ideal for specialists who’ve been running campaigns, even for 2-3 years of experience. Additionally, all people responsible for content marketing strategy, especially if the activities concern content planning for SEO.

Demystifying incrementality for paid media and beyond

In this talk, Liam will explore the pressing challenge faced by PPC and paid media specialists: proving the value of investment in their channels amidst privacy changes and the evolving landscape of measurement.

He’ll dive into incrementality as the solution, covering testing, goal setting, and strategy.

Attendees will learn what incrementality is, why it’s essential now, how to set up an effective test, and how to apply the insights to campaigns.

With real case studies from Impression clients, Liam will provide actionable guidance, equipping the audience to navigate and elevate their campaigns.

Expect data, real case studies, and incredible (bad) jokes all packed into one high-energy session.

This talk is ideal for anyone either deep into PPC or Paid media, or overseeing these channels in-house.

Maximize ecommerce PPC success with actionable CRO strategies

In this talk, Marouscha will share actionable CRO strategies tailored for PPC specialists in ecommerce.

She’ll cover neuroscience-backed techniques, overlooked UX elements, and essential tools to boost conversions and improve campaign performance.

Attendees will leave with quick wins to elevate their campaigns and exceed client expectations.

The ideal audience for this talk is PPC specialists eager to enhance their conversion rates and overall campaign performance. It’s particularly beneficial for those looking to integrate easy to implement CRO strategies into their PPC efforts to boost client satisfaction.

Mastering data-driven social media campaigns: a tactical guide

In this talk, Mehtab will guide the audience through the essentials of mastering data-driven social media campaigns.

He will share tactical insights on how to leverage metrics that matter, optimize audience targeting, and drive impactful results.

Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to enhance their campaign performance through data-backed decisions.

This talk is suitable for digital marketers, social media managers, and brand professionals seeking to use data to boost campaign performance and engagement.

The evolving role of the paid media specialist: strategist, analyst, and creative partner

In this talk, Sal is going to explore how the Paid Media specialist role has involved in the past few years with the introduction of AI and Machine Learning. This doesn’t mean our jobs have become redundant, in fact, we’re now needed more than ever before!

Sal will explore how paid media specialists can provide unique value to businesses that goes beyond updating bids on a platform.

This talk is suitable for specialists who are struggling to adapt to the changing industry, as well as for businesses considering if it’s worth investing in in a paid media specialist or agency

Data isolation vs integration: the future of effective media planning and strategy​

In this session, Sarah will explore the critical role of data integration in shaping future marketing strategies.

Attendees will gain an understanding of how the isolation of data can limit marketing potential, while integrated data sets can drive more informed media planning, creative development, and strategic decisions.

Sarah will demonstrate examples of ways to successfully transition from siloed data approaches to holistic strategies that maximise both creativity and effectiveness, ensuring that campaigns are both impactful and measurable.

This talk is ideal for marketers who are measured on performance, either in the long-term or short-term, and marketers who are increasingly being asked questions about performance, growth and brand versus activation.

Is paid search as we once knew it dying?

With Google’s market share dropping, the constant shifts in user behaviour (hello TikTok search!), and the increase in zero-click results in the SERP, is paid search as we once knew it dying?

In this talk, Sophie will dive deep into how search trends and user behaviours have shifted over the last 5-10 years (and why) – and with that, how paid search strategies and best practices have evolved.

With so many new regular changes to the SERP and the way users find answers to their questions, shop and browse online, how should we – as paid search experts – keep up and stay ahead of the curve?

This talk is for anyone interested in the evolution of Google Search.

Taking your PPC account management skills from average to awesome

You’re doing a fantastic job of managing your PPC accounts, and are seeing great results. But what can you do next? What’s the difference between the average and an awesome PPC campaign manager?

In this talk Sophie will cover actionable account and campaign management tweaks and strategies which you can easily implement to improve your PPC efforts. From rethinking how you utilise keywords, to exploring how to utilise portfolio bid strategies, Sophie will shine light on the less glamorous, but still very important, aspects of expert PPC management.

This talk is for PPC marketers of all career lengths, who want to make their PPC efforts more efficient and effective.

From trends to triumph: fuelling high-impact social campaigns

Driving cut-through on social platforms is becoming increasingly difficult.

In this talk, Sophie will explain how you can leverage a trend-led approach to drive success across Meta and TikTok.

Focusing on how you can conduct a thorough trend analysis that’s aligned to your brand; and how this can be translated into a solid creative brief and campaign strategy to drive results.

This talk is aimed at brands or agencies looking to grow their new customer base and drive success on Paid Social!

Building high quality lead gen using LinkedIn ads

Join Sveva who will share a strategy used with direct collaboration with their client. By clustering their clients into two groups: PMI and VIP, based on company size and focussing on targeting specific audience: job functions, job seniority and company size, they achieved 90% quality leads.

Sveva will show how focussing on the right message to the right target and in the right moment, coupled with testing landing pages and lead gen forms, leads to obtaining these results. 

The science behind Google Ads Quality Score: key insights & actionable tips

In this talk, Sylwia will delve into the intricacies of Google Ads Quality Score and how it can be leveraged for better campaign performance.

You will learn how to improve ad relevance, boost click-through rates, and optimise your landing pages—all actionable strategies to make your ads work harder and cost less.

This talk is aimed at digital marketers, PPC executives or those just starting running PPC ads, and business owners looking to enhance ad performance and lower costs.

The truth hurts: breaking free from misleading ad results with 1PD measurement

Measurement is keeping us on our toes – with the spectre of cookie deprecation hovering over us, and AI and signals taking over from traditional attribution.

For anyone running paid media, particularly upper-funnel social or brand (or even generic PPC, video or YouTube) campaigns, this might be worrying!

It’s time for agencies and in-house to evolve measurement using first-party data.

Amy will be bringing ideas to life with a case study from a real client (Norse Atlantic Airways) & sharing tips suitable for any vertical & brands either ends of the brand/performance spend spectrum.

This talk is aimed at anyone who works in (or is interested in) Paid Media or Strategy, whether brand-side or agency.