Worries over whether the changing dynamics of search marketing will affect major brands have finally reached the boardroom. In several earnings calls this month, executives at high-profile advertisers like Airbnb and Expedia fielded questions from analysts over the impact of generative AI chatbots or Google's AI Overviews feature on their businesses. It's a sign that alarm bells are ringing. "It's going to be really tricky for brands to play in this new space," said Daniel Moreno, a senior SEO and GEO consultant at Dept U.K.
Only a third of brands fully integrate search into their media mix according to new research from the Internet Advertising Bureau. In its Search Marketing Barometer 2012, which surveyed the top 200 advertisers according to ALF, 72% of brands stated that search is only partially or not at all integrated with the wider media mix. Some 94% said their is a greater opportunity to integrate search.
