How Consumers Decide Now: AI Content & New Search Paths
AI Copywriting Is Now Beating Humans — Even When Audiences Know It’s AI
A new study shows AI-generated persuasion can outperform human-crafted messaging
What's the News:
A new academic study found that AI-generated ads built using persuasion frameworks (authority, consensus, scarcity) significantly outperformed human-written ads in preference tests — 59.1% vs. 40.9%. Even when participants were told the ads were AI-generated, many still preferred them.
Why It Matters for Performance Creative:
This challenges a long-held assumption that AI-produced creative feels cheap, generic, or less compelling. With strategic prompting and structured persuasion techniques, LLMs can produce highly persuasive messaging at scale, accelerating variant testing while maintaining, or improving, performance.
Marketers Should:
Build AI-assisted creative workflows that combine human strategy with machine-scale variant production.
Prompt LLMs with psychological frameworks: authority, social proof, scarcity, urgency.
Test human-vs-AI copy across engagement, CTR, conversion, and qualitative sentiment.
Consider testing a hybrid model: humans set positioning and intent, AI handles rapid iteration and multivariate testing.
TikTok Launches “Nearby” Feed to Power Local Discovery
A new local search battleground emerges, that brands can win organically
What's the News:
TikTok is rolling out an optional Nearby feed that lets users discover businesses, restaurants, and local experiences based on shared location data. The update positions TikTok as a competitor to Google Maps, Instagram’s location posts, and Yelp.
Why It Matters:
TikTok’s influence on purchase decisions is already massive: 83% of weekly U.S. users 13+ take action after seeing an ad, including researching a brand (48%) or making a purchase (43%). The Nearby feed increases organic reach potential and strengthens TikTok’s role in bottom-funnel discovery, especially for brands with physical locations.
Marketers Should:
Treat TikTok like a local search engine and optimize for discovery.
Create short, search-friendly videos: business walkthroughs, behind-the-scenes clips, tours, staff intros, local tips.
Use clear location markers in captions and hashtags to support indexability.
Develop an always-on local content pipeline that mirrors SEO fundamentals, but built for video.
Google AI Mode Sends 69% of Transactional Traffic as Users Compare More Brands Than Ever
AI answers are reshaping how organic discovery happens
What's the News:
New data shows Google’s AI Mode sends traffic in 69% of transactional queries. A striking 89% of users click more than one business, and 84% scroll below the fold because they treat AI summaries as curated lists, not as single answers. Only 27% say the AI snapshot alone is enough to make a decision.
Why It Matters:
Zero-click behavior remains common for informational queries, but transactional searches still rely heavily on websites. Brand comparison is increasing, not decreasing. If your brand isn’t included in the AI summary, you don’t exist in that decision moment.
Marketers Should:
Optimize to be included in AI-generated answers across critical transactional terms.
Shift SEO reporting toward outcomes: AI visibility share, leads, revenue—not just traffic volume.
Build content that reinforces brand differentiation since users evaluate multiple options.
Align SEO and paid search strategies to ensure visibility across overlapping queries.
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