AI is changing how we search and it is time for brands to face this head-on 

'Search engines are a very important driver of traffic and therefore also of business. AI will fundamentally change the way we use search engines. AI tools like ChatGPT already provide answers to questions, without users having to click through to the websites where they would previously have found that specific information. Google and Bing are also trying to use AI to formulate answers to the search query itself. As a result, the number of click-throughs from search engines to websites is likely to drop significantly. This will be a major shift in traffic from search engines.' 

"Google's grip on web search has been weakening for some time because search habits are changing. A lot of search traffic has shifted to marketplaces like Bol and Amazon. Alongside this, Gen Z are more likely to use TikTok or Instagram as their primary search tools. More than 50 percent of young people search on TikTok, not Google. This means that the focus is shifting from text-based search results to visual and interactive forms of information provision.' 

"Our clients have a lot of questions about this. Last week, I sat down with a major telecom provider. They want to know how best to build their media approach, given the changes at Google. This is one of their biggest management concerns, as they rely heavily on organic traffic. They are wondering what is going to happen and how they can prepare their media channels for the drop in inbound traffic. This is a major concern that we see with other clients as well. Search engine dominance is waning, and companies want to know how to deal with this.' 

'For brands, it means that you have to diverge from the strategy where a large part of your traffic originates from a search engine. You need to think about an alternative strategy. A large part of that strategy should consist of creating more media that you own. It is essential to use information from your datasets to generate traffic to your own channels. To do this, it is important to map out your brand touchpoints with customers, so that you can identify any opportunities you might be missing. It is not enough to allocate your budget to Google and Meta/Facebook – the landscape will only become more fragmented. If your inbound traffic from search engines disappears, your business will suffer. It is critical to the future success of your business that you are prepared for this. 

"AI is already having a major impact on marketing and communication and this will only increase. A good example is the use of AI to create personalised content at scale. 

We've been talking about hyper-personalisation for years, but it didn’t materialise. Why not? Because the costs and benefits of creating content for a specific niche were prohibitive. But thanks to AI, you can now partially automate the generation of personalised emails and ads that match specific interests and individual user behaviours. This not only increases the efficiency but also the effectiveness of campaigns. 

I think marketers will eventually embrace this, because there will be more diversity in the profession. It's not just about creating the best Google ad campaign, and sitting back and counting your wins. Diversification is increasingly important and that requires more innovation and engagement from brands than 10 or 15 years ago. In that sense, it's also a great time for brands.'

'Companies would be wise to start experimenting now. Not only to be prepared for the consequences of AI, but also to proactively turn AI into opportunities for your business. At iO, we help our customers to conduct AI experiments in different domains. This can range from implementing simple chatbots for customer service to using AI for data-driven marketing campaigns. The most important thing is to learn and iterate. By starting early, companies can gain valuable insights and discover what works and what doesn't, as well as identifying the business case for AI for their organisation. This enables them to be better prepared for the future, and large-scale integration of AI technologies.' 

'The biggest challenge is the change in mindset needed to fully embrace AI. Companies need to learn to see AI not only as a tool, but also as an integral part of their business strategy. This requires investment in staff training and development, as well as in technology. On the other hand, there are opportunities. AI can help businesses gain deeper insights into customer behaviour, optimise marketing campaigns, and improve operational efficiency. For example, by using predictive analytics, you can better anticipate market trends and customer needs, which ultimately leads to higher customer satisfaction and better business results." 

"We use AI to improve efficiency and customer service. We are looking at how we can turn help pages into interactive communication channels, such as chatbots. And: how can we predict behaviour, so that we can, for example, release cancelled holiday home bookings quickly? The question is always: how can we automate the creative process? How can we ensure that we no longer have to do expensive film shoots in South Africa, but can achieve this just as well by using AI? It's all about finding the best ways to integrate AI and work more efficiently."

'Enthusiasm is good, but naïve enthusiasm can be dangerous. Many organisations use AI tools like ChatGPT, without understanding that they are revealing sensitive information. My advice would be to hire experts with experience in AI experiments. We set up protected AI environments for customers so that they can safely experiment with their own data.  

We have already got a lot of experience with a range of companies in different sectors. This has resulted in the development of tried and tested examples. We can share our experience with others. This can inspire brands to develop new ideas that they can apply to their own business. We notice that companies often get excited when we put these examples on the table. AI is going to change the world and we are happy to jumpstart our customers in the field of AI.'