By the time a consumer types something into a search bar, the decision is often already made. That was the starting point for one of the conversations that unfolded at Hemingway’s during Day 2 of Cairns Crocodiles.
It was a session that challenged the fundamental logic of how most media budgets are built.
The panel, featuring Adam King senior industry manager and Vanessa Jones, industry manager, both at Pinterest. Alongside, Vikki Pearce, head of digital QLD at Zenith, and futurist and trend forecaster Tully Walter.
The conversation came at a timely moment. As AI-driven search continues to reshape how consumers discover products and brands, the traditional funnel is under pressure from both ends.
The panel argued that the brands winning today are not the ones with the biggest budgets, but the ones planting seeds of desire long before a purchase is even considered.
They made a compelling case that intent isn’t born at the moment of search. It’s shaped long before through exploration and visual discovery. The slow accumulation of inspiration that happens well above the purchase funnel.
“There is a huge amount of fake content, so trust has never been more important. Curation is becoming more important. And this is where visual discovery plays a really interesting role,” kicked off King.
“When you make a purchase, it isn’t always a rational decision. There is an element of imagination, who you want to be, where do you want to go, trying on different hats,” added Walter.
“Part of that exploration is imagining your new life, piecing together the elements of the life that you want before you make that purchase.”
It is a shift that has significant implications for how budgets are allocated. If desire is formed through slow visual accumulation rather than a single search moment, then the platforms and formats that enable that kind of exploration deserve far greater investment than they currently receive.
The problem, as the panel framed it, is that most media systems are still engineered to compete at the end of the journey. They are busy chasing demand that has already been formed by someone else.
“There’s a lot of conversation around context. Creativity is built but you’ve got to make sure that you’ve got conversion as well. We often in media just get one size,” said Pearce.
“It’s about moving from attention to intention. The ones that can really capitalise and reach audiences with purposeful content and add value are the ones that win,” continued Jones.
“Just because you’re visible, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t mean you’re desired,” concluded Walter.
The session pushed marketers to think differently, not about how to win at the moment of intent, but how to shape that intent before it’s ever declared.
