EPIC-25 – Sem Tielemans – What’s Next for PPC?

What’s Next for PPC? Data, AI, and the New Rules of Ecommerce Advertising

In this comprehensive and data-driven presentation, Sem Tielemans (Strategic Partnerships and Growth Manager at Producthero) delivered crucial insights into the fundamental transformation of PPC agencies and ecommerce advertising. Drawing from extensive research including 100+ agency visits, the Dutch Search Awards interviews, and global PPC industry data, Sem revealed how AI automation is reshaping the entire agency value proposition.

The session opened with striking evidence of the scalability crisis facing agencies: while manual crafting and technical expertise once differentiated successful agencies, the rise of AI automation is fundamentally changing what clients value. Sem presented compelling bubble charts showing the dramatic shift from “yesterday’s” focus on campaign management and reporting to “today’s” emphasis on marketing strategy, data management, and attribution modeling.

A standout section featured insights from leading agency founders, including Richard Hill (eComOne) emphasizing that agencies must “double down on strategic thinking” to become true growth partners, and Harry Calvin Williams (Found.) highlighting the need for customer-centric, test-and-calibrate strategies in a privacy-first world. The presentation included revealing industry data showing that 94% of PPC specialists manage Google Search weekly, while finding talent remains the top challenge (70% of agencies struggling).

Sem outlined the critical areas agencies must master: data ownership and first-party strategies, attribution modeling and cookieless tracking, and AI-optimized ad structures. He emphasized the shift from execution to data strategy and automation oversight, supported by compelling SparkToro research showing the disconnect between where audiences are influenced versus where budgets are allocated.

The session concluded with practical implementation steps: enhancing tracking with APIs and first-party data, strategic AI tool adoption, investing in customer insights to reduce cookie dependency, and developing multichannel approaches. Sem also previewed Producthero’s evolution from Google Shopping optimization to a comprehensive multichannel advertising platform covering Google, Microsoft, Meta, and TikTok.

Whether you’re an agency founder concerned about commoditization or a PPC specialist looking to future-proof your career, this session provided a clear framework for transitioning from tactical execution to strategic value creation in the AI-driven advertising landscape.