Sweating on your search and social strategies? Chill out with Bonfire’s Will Bal and Adelaide University’s Geena Lamb.
Is AI-disrupted SEO grinding your gears? Are you kicking that can filled with big strategic decisions down the road?
We feel the same prickly heat. And we’ve got another pair of award-winning minds lined up for State of Social ’26: Friction to make it all better.
The Best Answer Wins, with Bonfire’s State of Social Hall of Famer Will Bal
Search just got friction-free for your customers, and friction-heavy for marketers who haven’t caught up. People are asking AI engines like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Google’s AI Mode what to buy, where to go and who to trust, and those engines provide full answers, not just website links.
Right now, very few marketers can explain what that shift means for their brand. This is your Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) opportunity. Sounds like jargon, but with Will Bal’s help and his practical lessons from Bonfire’s frontline, it’s simpler than it may appear. Discover what’s changed, why it matters and what you need to do before the end of the year.
Starting from Zero: Why We Ditched 1 Million Followers, with Adelaide University’s Geena Lamb
Starting a new social media presence is rare. Choosing to do it by walking away from more than one million existing followers is even rarer. Join award-winning social media strategist Geena Lamb as she reveals the creative and strategic choices behind launching Adelaide University’s social media channels, following one of Australia’s largest university mergers.
Geena will unpack why starting fresh was a deliberate strategic decision, how legacy audiences can limit relevance, and what it takes to build an engaged, modern community from scratch. Whether you’re managing long-standing accounts, navigating a rebrand or simply questioning your approach, this session will challenge how you think about growth, community, and the value of a clean slate.
Will and Geena join a veritable who’s who of digital and social branding and marketing talent on stage at SOS26. Seriously, check it out. All that talent sharing all that friction-wrangling expertise across two fun-filled, gourmet-food-fuelled days. SOS26 is the best-value training around.
