The Early Adopters Will Win in the Age of AI-Driven Search and Media
OpenAI Prepares ChatGPT Ads as a New Paid Media Channel
A new frontier in digital advertising is taking shape.
What’s the News:
OpenAI is staffing up to build an ad platform inside ChatGPT, hiring for roles like “Growth Paid Marketing Platform Engineer.” Job descriptions reference campaign management, attribution, and integrations—signaling a clear intent to monetize ChatGPT’s 700M weekly users with ads【Adweek†source】【Search Engine Land†source】.
Why It Matters:
This could introduce an entirely new paid media channel, alongside search and social. Marketers will need to budget, learn new ad formats, and measure performance in a conversational context. Over time, ChatGPT could automate the full ad cycle, from planning to analysis.
Marketers Should:
Track OpenAI’s announcements, beta programs, and APIs for early access
Secure budget now for 2026 testing so you’re not left behind
Prepare frameworks for testing ad formats, targeting, and attribution in AI-first environments
Google Experiments With Agentic Search Capabilities
Search is shifting from finding to doing.
What’s the News:
Google’s Search Labs is testing agentic capabilities in AI Mode, starting with restaurant reservations【Search Engine Land†source】. Instead of just surfacing results, Search will directly handle tasks like bookings and purchases.
Why It Matters:
As more agentic features roll out, users may transact inside Google without ever leaving. That means less downstream traffic for marketers and fewer opportunities to convert outside the platform. Optimizing for visibility within AI Mode, and other AI search tools, will become a nonnegotiable for growth.
Marketers Should:
Test agentic presence and workflows now
Optimize schema, availability, and APIs to plug into Google’s systems
Create parallel paths (e.g. loyalty hooks, exclusive offers) to retain direct engagement
Google Launches AI Search Live in the U.S.
Multimodal search is here—and it’s AI-first.
What’s the News
On September 24, 2025, Google rolled out AI Search Live in the U.S. Users can now ask questions in real time using their phone’s camera and voice, receiving AI-driven answers alongside links【Google Blog†source】【Search Engine Land†source】【TechRadar†source】.
Why It Matters:
Search is now multimodal—people type less, show and speak more
AI summaries compete directly with traditional “blue links”
Success is measured by visibility in AI answers, not just clicks
Marketers Should:
Build answer-ready content that’s clear, concise, and structured
Optimize product images, alt text, and visual search metadata
Track AI answer visibility as a new KPI, not just traffic
Plan for multi-step conversational queries, not just single keywords
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