Kitchen Side: Live in New York! (Part 1)

Last Updated on March 5, 2025

Listen to the Podcast

In this Kitchen Side episode of The Long Game Podcast, Alex, David, and Allie record their first in-person conversation in New York City. The episode revolves around insights gathered from dozens of marketing leaders, discussing SEO traffic declines, AI’s real impact on marketing, attribution challenges, and the balance between brand and demand generation. The team reflects on how companies are adapting to falling organic traffic, the rise of video SEO, and why traditional top-of-funnel strategies are losing effectiveness. They also explore the importance of customer research, the disconnect between social media conversations and real-world priorities, and how teams can align leadership expectations with evolving marketing realities.

Key Takeaways

• SEO Traffic Declines: Nearly every marketing leader interviewed reported a drop in organic traffic, leading to internal strategy shifts and leadership concerns.
• AI in Marketing Operations: While AI is not yet a core part of content creation, teams are leveraging it for keyword research, automation, and efficiency improvements.
• Video SEO on the Rise: Many companies are prioritizing video content as search engines increasingly favor multimedia formats.
• Attribution & Leadership Education: As traffic declines, marketers are struggling to shift leadership focus from surface-level metrics (traffic) to real business outcomes (pipeline and revenue).
• The “Traffic Trap” Problem: Some teams have historically been gold on traffic rather than conversions, forcing a reevaluation of SEO and content strategies.
• Brand vs. Demand Debate: Companies are reassessing how to balance brand-building efforts with performance-driven demand generation.
• The Shift in Customer Research & Buying Behavior: Many marketing decisions are now happening outside of trackable systems, making traditional attribution models less reliable.

Show Links

• Connect with David Khim on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Allie Decker on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter

Time Stamps

• [00:00] Introduction: First in-person recording in NYC
• [05:15] Why the team conducted customer research interviews
• [12:30] Common themes from marketing leaders: AI, SEO, and attribution
• [19:45] The impact of falling organic traffic and leadership reactions
• [26:20] The shift from traffic-based goals to business-driven marketing metrics
• [34:50] The rise of video SEO and changing content formats
• [42:15] The “Traffic Trap” and its impact on content strategy
• [50:30] Dark social, invisible customer journeys, and attribution challenges
• [58:45] Final thoughts on the future of marketing strategies