If you’re still media buying like it’s 2022, shipping a few dozen creatives a month and hoping algorithmic luck finds you, you’re leaving performance on the table. Today’s ad auctions reward volume and variation, not vanity. The brands pulling ahead are the ones feeding machines more options, faster, and letting models do what they do best: match the right message to the right person in milliseconds.
We treat AI as infrastructure. It powers how we create, publish, measure, and now, how we capture demand from AI search and agents. Recently, I shared the blueprint we’re deploying with modern commerce brands on the eCommerce Coffee Break podcast.
Media Buying Has Changed: Win With Creative Velocity
New ML systems on channels like Meta and AppLovin perform best when they can choose among hundreds of creative variants, not dozens. If you launched 50 ads last month, the question is: how do you launch 500–1,000 this month without burning out your team? The answer lives outside the ad platforms. We pair AI creative iteration tools with third-party bulk publishing via platform APIs so we can launch and learn in minutes, not hours. Keep the account structure simple, isolate true experiments, and let volume drive learning.
What it looks like in practice: in a recent engagement, we converted thousands of existing TikTok Shop affiliates into Meta-whitelisted influencer handles, then used our bulk-publish stack to deploy native ads from those pages across Meta, YouTube Shorts, AppLovin (and soon Reddit). The result: a step-function increase in daily revenue, higher efficiency at 3–4× spend, and a system that comfortably ships 1,000+ ads per month.
AI Search Is the New Word-of-Mouth (and It’s Already Driving Revenue)
Search is shifting from blue links to answers. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, an estimated 5.6% of U.S. search traffic on desktop browsers in June 2025 went to an AI-powered large language model like ChatGPT or Perplexity. If you’re not visible to these LLMS, you will feel the drop in traffic before you understand why.
We built the AI Visibility Index (AIVx) to benchmark brand presence across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews by prompt coverage, model-by-model differences, and sentiment. It’s a practical compass for where and how to show up and what to fix first.
Reality check on attribution: traffic recommended by LLMs often lands as “direct” or “branded search” because many models cite third-party sources (e.g., listicles, Wikipedia, Reddit) rather than linking to your PDPs. We consistently see those sessions convert at a higher intent than non-branded SERP clicks, so make sure your post-purchase survey explicitly lists “Perplexity/AI Chat” as a source to reveal the impact.
How to rank for AI (today):
- PR as a ranking signal: earn coverage in authoritative third-party outlets your category agents trust; this is the bulk of AI visibility right now.
- Technical + content SEO: schema, fast pages, FAQ-style content that answers directly.
- Traffic to authority pages: models seem to reward the pages consumers actually visit.
These are the three pillars we deploy for what we call AI Optimization — PR, SEO, and distribution.
Retention, Reimagined: From Flows to AI Salespeople
Batch-and-blast SMS and boilerplate replenishment flows are invisible to customers. We’re testing AI-driven conversational agents across iMessage and WhatsApp that behave like a high-touch salesperson, checking in on fit, surfacing the right offer, and closing with context. The result is a more human experience and better conversion.
Our Engagement Model: Audit First, Then Build the Roadmap
We don’t prescribe tactics before diagnosis. Every engagement starts with a full-funnel audit, starting with growth history, forecast, channel mix, new vs. returning revenue, then a sequenced roadmap. In weeks 2–4, we rebuild the account structure, deploy new creative at scale, and implement server-side tracking (CAPI) so learning compounds. By the end of week four, the full strategy is live.
Who wins with us: brands with the budget to staff a cross-functional team (search, social, influencer, creative, PR/SEO) and a deep bench of raw creative. More inputs → more personalization → better auction outcomes.
The Risk of Standing Still
If you’re shipping “tens” of creatives while your competitors ship “hundreds,” the auction will under-personalize your delivery, and your performance will decay. If you ignore AI search while Gen Z moves research into chats and agents, you’ll cede top-of-funnel word-of-mouth to others.
Get the Playbook
- Check out the AI Visibility Index (AIVx) to see how your category is surfacing across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI Overviews, and what to fix first.
- Read more on agentic commerce and how AI intermediaries are rewriting growth strategy.
- Talk to our team about an audit and roadmap purpose-built for Q4 and beyond.
AI is the new operating system for growth. The sooner you align your media, PR/SEO, and retention around it, the faster you’ll compound advantage.
Stay Ahead of What’s Next
Break through on new platforms and formats with strategies designed to keep your brand visible and relevant.
