Zero-Click Futures and AI Truths: How Tag Digital is Redefining Event Marketing
speaker
Laura Davidson is currently the CEO and Director at Tag Digital, a company specializing in paid media across various platforms exclusively within the events sector. With over 2500 event campaigns run annually in 40 countries, Laura has a wealth of experience in this field.
Prior to her role at Tag Digital, Laura worked as a Lecturer at the Digital Marketing Institute, teaching courses in SEO, PPC, ecommerce, and analytics. She also worked as the Communications Director at Moviecom.tv and as a Contributing Writer at LiPulse Magazine.
Laura holds a 2:1 degree in Law and English from the University of Strathclyde.
SUMMARY
What do hamster photos, AI-powered marketing, and global event domination have in common? In this episode, Heather Holst-Knudsen sits down with Laura Davidson, CEO and co-founder of Tag Digital, to uncover how she turned a scrappy startup into a global performance marketing powerhouse for events. From their first client win with UBM to building AI-powered digital twins and tackling the zero-click future, Laura shares bold insights on data, creative, authenticity, and the leadership grit it takes to grow in a rapidly changing market.
Key Topics Covered -How Tag Digital went from local web agency to global event marketing leader -The hamster photo dispute that sparked their pivot to events -Why clean, segmented data is non-negotiable for ROI -AI, automation, and the rise of the zero-click economy -Why emotional creative and authenticity drive true event success -How AI will change attribution—and why media mix modeling is your new best friend -Building confidence, adaptability, and humor as leadership superpowers
About Laura Davidson
Laura Davidson is currently the CEO and Director at Tag Digital, a company specializing in paid media across various platforms exclusively within the events sector. With over 2500 event campaigns run annually in 40 countries, Laura has a wealth of experience in this field. Prior to her role at Tag Digital, Laura worked as a Lecturer at the Digital Marketing Institute, teaching courses in SEO, PPC, ecommerce, and analytics. She also worked as the Communications Director at Moviecom.tv and as a Contributing Writer at LiPulse Magazine. Laura holds a 2:1 degree in Law and English from the University of Strathclyde.
TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] – The Hamster Photo Dispute and Early Days Laura shares how Tag Digital began by building websites for local businesses, including a vet with a hamster photo they forgot to license, leading to a “hamster dispute” years later. She and Craig started Tag Digital in a tiny office shared with a football team, offering websites, social media, and blogs before pivoting to events.
[00:02:00] – Landing Their First Event Client In London, they secured UBM (now Informa) as their first corporate client, leading them into PPC and retargeting. As referrals grew, they focused exclusively on the events niche, dropping other local clients.
[00:04:00] – Niche Strategy and International Growth A mentor advised them to niche down. Event clients like Informa and DMG started expanding Tag Digital’s reach globally, fueling rapid growth and doubling revenue year over year.
[00:06:00] – Land and Expand Strategy Heather and Laura discuss how event marketing sales differ from SaaS: each event is its own P&L, requiring tailored land-and-expand strategies to win across portfolios.
[00:08:00] – Secrets to Successful Attendee Acquisition Laura emphasizes: Clean, segmented data for predictive advertising Memorable, emotional creative beyond generic show floor visuals Brand recognition and credibility as key drivers for attendance
[00:10:00] – Personalization Challenges They discuss balancing hyper-personalized creative with platform limitations and targeting hidden buyers (procurement, legal) who influence decisions but aren’t in typical contact databases.
[00:13:00] – The Privacy Shift and Always-On Strategy Laura predicts privacy changes will force brands to adopt year-round value strategies, moving from one-off asks to continuous engagement to remain relevant and avoid data loss risks.
[00:14:00] – Technical Strategies for Future-Proofing She advises event marketers to invest in: Server-side tracking as pixel reliance declines Media mix modeling instead of narrow attribution Cohesive strategies aligned to business goals
[00:16:00] – Tag Digital + MDG Integration Tag Digital now offers full-service solutions under MDG/Freeman, expanding beyond PPC into influencer marketing, PR, creative, and strategic consulting to meet evolving client needs.
[00:18:00] – AI in Event Marketing Laura shares how Tag Digital uses AI to: Build internal knowledge bots for employee questions Create voice agents for training on client scenarios Generate regionally nuanced creative Analyze huge datasets for strategic insights
[00:25:00] – The Zero-Click Economy She predicts a future where AI provides answers directly, reducing clicks and complicating attribution. Agencies must pivot to broader outcome modeling rather than channel-based ROI.
[00:29:00] – Authenticity in a Post-Click World In an AI-saturated environment, authentic human experiences and influencer-driven content will differentiate events. Attendees seek realness over perfection.
[00:35:00] – Laura’s Personal AI Use She uses AI daily for note transcription, task automation, and even built a digital twin to answer team questions—though it occasionally has an Australian accent glitch!
[00:40:00] – Joining MDG and Freeman Laura describes their acquisition as culturally aligned, with strong female leadership and shared goals for growth and integration, calling the move a “natural fit.”
[00:42:00] – The Future of Event Marketing She predicts B2B will increasingly leverage influencer marketing and thought leadership, as emotional storytelling becomes crucial for brand connection and buyer trust.
[00:43:00] – Rapid Fire Favorite book: Grit by Angela Duckworth Funniest early memory: The infamous hamster photo licensing dispute Craig is the better gift giver, always thoughtful and observant
