We’re proud to share that Symphonic Digital has been named a Silver Winner at the 2025 SMARTIES™ North America Awards, alongside Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., for our work on Future-Proofing SEO for an AI-First World.
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Hosted by the Marketing + Media Alliance (MMA), the SMARTIES™ Awards recognize marketing that delivers measurable business impact through innovation, strategy, and execution. This year’s competition honored only 34 campaigns across Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories, making this recognition especially meaningful.
What “Future-Proofing SEO” Really Means in an AI-First Era
Search is no longer confined to blue links.
AI-powered experiences, large language models, and evolving search interfaces are reshaping how people discover information, evaluate brands, and make decisions. Our work with Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. focused on preparing SEO not just for today’s algorithms, but for how discovery will function in an AI-first future.
That meant:
- Building search strategies grounded in entity authority and semantic relevance
- Structuring content to support AI-driven retrieval and summarization
- Aligning technical SEO with long-term visibility across emerging search environments
- Treating SEO as a durable growth channel, not a short-term traffic lever
The result was a strategy designed to evolve alongside AI, rather than react to it.
Leadership Behind the Work
This award-winning strategy was spearheaded by Chelsea Scaffidi alongside our Head of SEO, Lindsie Nelson.
Chelsea’s ability to translate complex shifts in search and AI into clear, scalable SEO strategies was central to the campaign’s success. Her leadership on this work reflects not only deep technical expertise, but also the trust and collaboration she builds across teams and with clients.
In recognition of her impact, Chelsea has since been promoted to SEO Team Lead at Symphonic Digital—a well-earned next step that aligns with the role she has already been playing in shaping the future of our SEO practice.
Why This Recognition Matters
The SMARTIES™ Awards are judged by an international panel of senior marketing leaders and evaluate campaigns on:
- Strategic rigor
- Creative execution
- Proven business outcomes
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Winning Silver in this context reinforces a core belief at Symphonic Digital: future-ready marketing requires deep technical understanding, disciplined strategy, and a willingness to rethink established playbooks.
As the MMA noted in this year’s awards announcement, today’s most effective marketing blends AI, purpose, and performance to create meaningful impact at scale.
A Shared Win
This recognition reflects the collaborative partnership between Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Symphonic Digital, and the trust required to rethink how SEO should work in a rapidly changing ecosystem. It’s also a testament to the strength of our SEO team and the leadership driving it forward.
Looking Ahead
As AI continues to reshape how information is surfaced and consumed, the need for adaptable, future-proof search strategies will only grow. This award reinforces our commitment to helping brands stay visible, credible, and competitive—no matter how discovery evolves. We’re honored by this win and excited for what’s ahead.
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