This article originally appeared on Mi-3 on 16th October 2026.
Bonfire, an Australian performance agency, recently hosted a sold-out event titled Multiplier at Google's Melbourne offices.
The event drew 100 marketers and focused on the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on the future of search, highlighting seven costly mistakes agencies make in the AI search era.
The event featured special guests including Arun Muthu, Google's head of Agency & Ecosystems ANZ, Bonfire's senior strategist Evan Dela-Grammaticas, and performance strategy lead Brodie McMaster.
The panel discussed how AI advancements are changing consumer behaviour in discovering brands, researching products, and making purchasing decisions.
According to Alex Gavalas, Bonfire’s general manager – Strategy, "Multiplier brought together 100 business leaders and senior marketers, including clients and new faces, at Google’s Melbourne office to explore what changes in AI and search mean for their businesses." Gavalas also noted the event's importance in helping businesses understand the evolving AI and search landscape.
The discussion underscored the need to create distinctive content, deliver a robust website experience, and prioritise customer needs over simply gaming algorithms. Bonfire's McMaster identified seven costly mistakes agencies make in AI search, which include neglecting brand language and misinterpreting data dashboards.
Gavalas added, "Arun’s observation that ‘AI moves in dog years’ captured the pace of change, while Brodie gave attendees practical actions they could take immediately. Her message to keep asking questions, challenge assumptions and look beyond the first answer was particularly valuable.
"That’s what Multiplier is about: helping businesses understand what’s changing and what to do next. Thank you to Lauren, Arun and the Google team for hosting us, and to Evan, Lovisa and the broader Bonfire team for bringing it all together."