In this edition of Behind the Screens, we talk to Matt Hogan, Head of Paid Media at Williams Commerce, about life in one of the most complex and fast-changing areas of digital marketing.
Matt brings over a decade of experience across affiliate networks, lead generation, and full-funnel paid strategies for ecommerce and B2B brands. Analytical by nature, he’s passionate about understanding data, but equally focused on the people and outcomes behind every campaign.
Before we get into the details of paid search, we asked him to share a little about himself.
Tell us a little about yourself
“I’m 37 (shush, don’t say it too loud), born and raised in Nottingham. Father to an 8-year-old daughter who likes to make sure I’m never bored.
Passionate about sports, football in particular, although my playing days are behind me.
I’ve worked in marketing for 13–14 years now. I’m very analytical and enjoy reading and understanding data, which is vital for the role.”
This mix of humour, groundedness and curiosity reflects what Matt brings to his work. He’s part strategist, part problem-solver, someone who sees the beauty in numbers and the satisfaction in turning data into real-world results.
1.Setting the Scene: The State of Paid Media
The world of paid media is moving at breakneck speed, driven by new AI-powered tools and constant platform updates. Matt explains that this change of pace brings both opportunity and confusion.
“We’re in a transition period that brings a lot of headaches. Platforms like Google and Meta are releasing features they can’t fully explain, leaving it to marketers to experiment and make sense of it.”
Despite the turbulence, Matt says it’s still one of the most rewarding fields in digital marketing:
“It’s tough to stay on top of everything, but when performance is strong and clients are happy, that’s the best part of the job.”
He also warns against underestimating the skill involved in paid media.
“There’s a misconception that anyone can do it. Paid Media needs instinct — knowing when to pivot, when to scale, and when to hold back. That only comes from experience.”
2.The Role of Paid Media in Digital Marketing
Matt sees paid media as a critical part of a wider digital ecosystem, sitting alongside SEO, CRO and email marketing.
“It’s a big cog in a bigger infrastructure. Paid Media connects the dots between brand awareness and conversion; it helps businesses understand the full customer journey.”
He emphasises the need for balance:
“If you’ve got strong content and a high-performing website, Paid can amplify it. But if your site is slow or your content is weak, you need to fix that first. Every channel must support the others.”
3.Keys to Success
We’re in a world where customers don’t always browse. Instead, they ask AI assistants to shortlist their options. To make the cut, your product data needs to be machine-readable, detailed, and accurate.
Example: Picture someone asking Amazon UK’s AI assistant: “Show me vegan leather boots under £100 with good reviews.” Only the brands with properly optimised feeds , pricing, material info, sustainability tags, verified reviews, make it into the shortlist. We’ve seen retailers who keep their Merchant Centre and Amazon feeds clean and consistent get recommended over and over again. And the best part? It scales reach without extra PPC spend.
4.Agency Differentiation
For Matt, what sets Williams Commerce apart isn’t just technical expertise, but the way the team works with clients.
“We’re not just an agency doing the work behind the curtain. We build relationships, explain what we’re doing, and act as an extension of the client’s business.”
He shares a recent success story from the food sector:
“We identified Pinterest as a new opportunity for one of our major food clients. It’s now outperforming expectations and consistently beating year-on-year results. The same client’s Meta campaigns are also growing, last Christmas was their best yet outside of the pandemic, and we’re aiming to top that this year.”
5.AI and the Future of Paid Media
Few people have as balanced a view on AI as Matt. He sees its potential, but also its limits.
“AI is handling more optimisations and audience targeting, but we’re heading toward a ‘build campaign, add budget, press play’ level of automation and I’m against that. The human eye and understanding of a business are still vital.”
While automation will continue to evolve, Matt believes the human element will remain central to success.
“AI won’t replace human strategy. It should make us better. As long as we can keep some control, we’ll be OK, but the key is adapting without losing what makes us valuable.”
6.Final Takeaways
Matt’s advice for businesses is simple but powerful:
“Never stop testing. Be expressive with your brand. Try new channels, new audiences, new objectives, but scale slowly and always monitor your data. That’s how you find sustainable growth.”
And looking ahead? He’s clear-eyed about the future:
“AI is here, and it’s not slowing down. Whether it’s for better or worse, it’s going to define how we all work in Paid Media, so we need to be ready for it.”
Conclusion
Paid Media has always been about data and performance, but as automation takes hold, it’s also about instinct and adaptability. Matt Hogan’s insights remind us that even in an AI-driven landscape, the best results come from experience, curiosity, and a deep understanding of people, not just platforms.
For Williams Commerce, it’s this blend of human insight and evolving technology that continues to drive results for clients in an ever-changing digital world.
