Oct 1, 2025. Singapore – At the CMA Asia event in Singapore, industry leaders warned that generative AI is rewriting the rules of digital marketing, urging brands to pivot from traditional SEO to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to stay visible in AI-driven search results.
Overview:
- CMA Asia podcast focused on building a content-driven community and adapting to industry changes.
- Speakers highlighted the rise of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and its impact on content strategies.
- Discussions emphasized connected commerce as a key driver for e-commerce performance.
- Performance branding was presented as a balance between short-term metrics and long-term brand growth.
- Creative personalization and reverse benchmarking were showcased as tools to boost engagement and retention.
Generative AI Forces a Marketing Reset
“SEO no longer matters because how many of you are clicking the links in the AI overview? Zero,” said Mark Laudi, Managing Director of Hong Bao Media, as he highlighted a 50% traffic drop reported by the Australian Financial Review. The shift underscores a critical challenge: brands must now optimize for AI summaries rather than search engine rankings.
FAQs:
What is GEO in marketing?
GEO refers to optimizing content for AI-driven search experiences and summaries so that brand information is eligible to be cited and surfaced by generative systems.Why are traditional SEO tactics less effective now?
Users increasingly consume AI-generated overviews without clicking, which reduces referral traffic from classic blue-link results and rewards content designed for AI summaries.What evidence was shared about traffic declines?
Speakers pointed to a reported ~50% drop in article traffic at a major publisher as AI overviews capture attention that once flowed to source links.What is connected commerce?
It is a strategy that connects every touchpoint—PDPs, imagery, A+ content, brand stores, ratings, and reviews—so users encounter consistent answers and assets across the journey.Why are click-through rates a poor proxy for impact?
Even a “good” CTR captures a tiny slice of the audience; time spent, completion rates, and repeat exposure better reflect attention and memorability.What is performance branding?
A planning approach that pairs conversion goals with brand-building objectives, optimizing for both near-term sales and long-term reach, recall, and distinctiveness.How did GXS Bank raise email open rates to ~65%?
Through dark-mode-safe design, creative storytelling, and lifecycle personalization that makes messages feel helpful and relevant rather than generic.Which e-commerce levers matter most now?
Clear titles, question-led copy, benefit-led imagery, interactive A+ modules, and seeded ratings/reviews that answer shopper barriers and feed marketplace algorithms.Why go video-first in paid media?
Video unlocks richer feedback—watch time, completion, and sequence testing—enabling creatives to iterate on what holds attention, not just what gets clicks.How does this approach help with AI discovery?
Structured answers, consistent messaging, and authoritative assets increase the chance that generative systems summarize and attribute a brand’s content.| Category | Summary |
|---|---|
| What |
1. Generative AI disrupts content marketing 2. Shift from SEO to GEO 3. Focus on performance branding |
| How |
1. Optimize for AI summaries 2. Use connected commerce strategy 3. Personalize creative campaigns |
| Why |
1. 50% traffic drop from AI overviews 2. Declining click-through rates 3. Need long-term brand growth |
| Who |
1. Andy Edmonds CMA Asia 2. Mark Laudi Hong Bao Media 3. Clement Ma PRECIOUS, Robert Lai Kaliber, Tim Lai GXS Bank |
| Where |
1. Singapore event 2. ASEAN marketing context 3. Regional e-commerce platforms |
| When |
1. October 1, 2025 2. CMA Asia podcast session 3. Pre-Christmas event series |
Connected Commerce and E-Commerce Performance
Clement Ma, Head of Digital Marketing at PRECIOUS, stressed that connected commerce—integrating every consumer touchpoint—is essential for growth. “Quality content fundamentally drives the e-commerce flywheel,” he told BackGroundBriefing.news, citing that 51% of grocery sales are influenced by digital interactions.
Performance Branding Over Click Metrics
Robert Lai, CEO of Kaliber, challenged the industry’s fixation on clicks. “A 2% click-through rate is considered good, but what about the 98% who don’t click?” he told BackGroundBriefing.news. Lai argued that brands must look beyond short-term metrics: “Do we want long-term growth or short-term wins? Most people will say both, but most index on the short term.”
He also criticized deceptive ad placements: “Some platforms force clicks just to skip content. That’s not engagement; that’s frustration.”
Creative Personalization as a Differentiator
Tim Lai, Head of Creative at GXS Bank, revealed how his team doubled email open rates to 65% by rethinking traditional banking communication. “First impressions matter. If your email looks broken in dark mode, you’ve lost the customer,” he told BackGroundBriefing.news.
On personalization, Lai added: “We live in a world where banks sell identical products. The only way to stand out is to say it differently—and make it relatable.”
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