As part of our Inside the Jury Room series, we spoke with Allisa Warne, Global Customer Marketing Program Lead for LinkedIn, to hear their perspective as a judge for this years M&M Global Awards.
In the interview, Allisa shares their views on the biggest opportunities for media over the next 12 months, how media’s role in shaping consumer behaviour continues to evolve, and the ways brands are using AI to drive greater relevance and effectiveness and the brands setting new industry benchmarks.
The extended deadline for the M&M Global Awards is 25 June. Enter now to benchmark your work against the industry’s best, gain global recognition, and secure your place among the world’s leading media campaigns.
What do you see as the biggest opportunity for media over the next 12 months?
Over the next 12 months, the biggest opportunity lies in shifting from visibility in traditional SEO results to GEO (generative engine optimisation). 83% of AI-assisted searches now end without a single click. Brands need to start thinking about how they can drive visibility and trust through building expertise and proof points so they can stay visible in AI assisted searches.
How has the role of media evolved in shaping consumer behaviour in recent years?
It goes without saying that influencers and creators have significantly shaped customer behaviour. And on LinkedIn, brands are able to reach and influence decision‑makers at scale through trusted creators and video. Creators aren’t a new concept, but I think brands are evolving their approach beyond just promotion to co-creating and integrating creators into the overall media strategy.
How are brands leveraging AI in smarter ways to create more impactful campaigns?
As AI-generated copy becomes more common and easier to spot (I’m looking at you, m-dash!) the brands that stand out are using AI to streamline repetitive tasks like research, audience analysis, and generating the “messy first draft”. It’s less about mass producing content and more about integrating AI into workflows and bringing the human touch to campaigns. The real opportunity is using AI as a creative accelerator, not a replacement for human connection.
Which campaigns or brands do you think have set new benchmarks recently in the media industry?
I have to give our own brand team a shoutout for LinkedIn Ads’ latest campaign, Bullspend. It taps into a challenge almost every B2B marketer is facing right now: proving real ROI from marketing spend. The campaign calls out “Bullspend” — marketing activity optimised to look good on dashboards but that fails to drive meaningful business outcomes like pipeline, revenue, or growth. What makes it so impactful is how sharply it captures the industry shift away from vanity metrics toward measurable business impact, while using a bold, memorable creative concept that instantly resonates with marketers.
