Phil’s field notes
Intent. Performance. Search. AI. A point of view from inside the work.
By Phil Ohren
· 7 min read
OpenAI is testing first-party ChatGPT analytics — mentions, impressions and clicks. Why that's a watershed for intent marketing, and what to do before it ships.
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· 7 min read
ChatGPT ads tested against Google, AI-written brand panels, Canva's reset and Aussie AI returns. Six AI stories, each with a so what and a to-do.
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· 7 min read
Google's AI Mode ads land in Australia, Meta shifts AI content risk to advertisers, and new chatbot rules. Six AI stories, each with a so what and a to-do.
Read article· 5 min read
In-market buyers want the safest good decision. Here's how to get inside their head, and why it's what gets brands recommended by people and AI.
Read article· 9 min read
Your past campaign data, wins and losses alike, is the cheapest risk insurance you have. How to analyse it before you spend another dollar.
Read article· 8 min read
Cause marketing works when the cause genuinely fits what your buyer cares about. What it is, how to do it well, and why proof matters more now.
Read article· 9 min read
My December 2019 predictions for marketing in 2020, written weeks before COVID, left as they were with a short verdict on each.
Read article· 5 min read
Meet the buyer at the moment their need is sharpest. Why intent signals matter in online advertising, written years before 'intent' became an AI buzzword.
Read article· 9 min read
Start with the questions real people ask, not the keywords you wish they typed. A free method for understanding exactly what people want.
Read article· 4 min read
In 2018 everyone said half of all searches would be voice by 2020. That didn't happen as sold, but the advice to answer questions clearly aged well.
Read article· 4 min read
Relevance, speed, trust and getting the person to their next step. What made a search engine useful in 2018 is what answer engines compete on now.
Read article· 6 min read
Research before you create. How to find out exactly what your audience wants to read or watch, starting with what they already say in comments.
Read article· 1 min read
Was 'Cheeky Nando's by The Peri Boyz' earned media or quietly funded brand content? A 2015 look at a viral video and what it teaches about niche audiences.
Read article· 3 min read
Buying a .com.au or .au domain works differently from the rest of the world. Who's eligible, what to check and how to pick a name that works for your brand.
Read article· 2 min read
Native advertising is paid media that matches the platform it appears on. The two main types, native formats and native content, and the newest form: ads in AI answers.
Read article· 2 min read
Marketing is a lot like Where's Wally: the buyer is already in the crowd telling you what he wants. Still the simplest way to explain intent marketing.
Read article· 1 min read
A 2015 note on Dan Ariely's TED talk: behavioural economics asks why people choose what they do, not just how. Buyer psychology still sits at the centre of good marketing.
Read article· 6 min read
The basic premise of YouTube optimisation is answering the question people came with. 14 tactics, with notes on what's changed since Shorts, chapters and AI summaries.
Read article· 2 min read
Before you create, find out what's already working for your competitors. The 2014 method, plus a 2026 step: check which competitor pages AI assistants cite.
Read article· 4 min read
Six questions with John Den Haan, then Head of SEO at Switched On Media, on SEO in Australia vs Europe and where search was heading in 2013.
Read article· 4 min read
In September 2013 Google moved all searches to SSL and hid organic keywords behind '(not provided)'. A look back, and why history is rhyming with AI search reports.
Read article· 2 min read
From my SMX Sydney 2013 talk: after Penguin 2.0, the goal isn't links that look natural, it's links people would actually click.
Read article· 3 min read
In 2013 Tourism Australia shared its social media guidelines so the whole industry could tell one story. A smart model for any brand that sells through partners.
Read article· 2 min read
In 2012 mainstream publishers chased pageviews with junk content. In 2026 the same thing is happening with AI slop. Useful content still outlasts cheap traffic.
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