"Agentic AI isn't just another clever buzzword in the ever-expanding AI lexicon. This next evolution of artificial intelligence doesn't just suggest or create - it acts. It decides, it purchases, it optimizes. It's like giving your consumer a digital PA that's constantly scanning the world for the best deals, the best experiences, the best brands. "Every single marketer in this room is going to be marketing to bots," warned advisor, academic and author Shelly Palmer at CES 2025. "We are going to be marketing to the personas that are on those phones." If you're still thinking about old-school ad targeting, it's time for a reset."
"So what does that look like? Consumers no longer browse. Their AI agent does it for them. It knows their budget, their brand preferences, their sustainability values. It doesn't need to be convinced with a 30-second spot - it needs structured data, trust signals and relevance in the moment. Does that mean traditional tactics like ad IDs and SEO are on the chopping block? Palmer didn't mince his words when he says: "It is the end of link-based search... They click on nothing. They summarize. If you've got the answer you want, why are you going to click?""
Agentic AI agents will act autonomously on behalf of consumers, making decisions, purchases and optimizations based on preset budgets, preferences and values. Machines will increasingly select brands and experiences, eliminating traditional browsing behavior and reducing the need for click-driven search. Effective marketing will require machine-readable structured data, clear trust signals and immediate relevance rather than 30-second ads or link-based SEO. Marketing strategies must adapt to bot-to-bot interactions, positioning brands where AI agents can discover and trust them before consumers issue explicit queries. The classic awareness-to-conversion funnel will compress, forcing proactive brand presence and data-driven interoperability with consumer agents.
Read at The Drum
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