Consumer intent is increasingly expressed in systems beyond traditional search, yet most brands fail to meet it in the moment.

In this session, Sebastian Pawlowski (Lastmile Retail) and Greg Sterling (Near Media) reveal findings from a multi-faceted study combining 300,000 SERPs, consumer research, and cross-industry analysis of search and AI discovery behavior.

The research shows that large-scale consumer intent across major verticals is not consistently captured or translated into leads and sales. Instead, brands are losing visibility due to structural gaps in content depth, discoverability, and how information is surfaced across evolving search and AI systems.

We define this as Hidden Demand: real, observable consumer intent that does not translate into brand discovery or engagement.

This session shows where intent is showing up, why it’s missed, and how marketers can improve visibility and engagement at the moment buying decisions are being made.

Attendees will learn how to:

- Identify where high-value consumer intent is being missed across industries
- Understand how AI is reshaping discovery, intent, and visibility in real time
- Reframe search as a system of intent capture—not just rankings or visibility
- Recognize structural gaps between consumer intent signals and brand presence

Brands aren’t failing because demand is invisible, but because their tools and tactics were built for an earlier era of consumer discovery.