Tim Peter's Blog, page 2

AI and Zero-Click Search: The Real Story (Episode 467)

For all the talk about zero-click search, folks seem to keep overlooking one of its key consequences: How Google (and others) will make money. In short, Google can’t survive in a zero-click world. Their entire business depends on clicks. Paid clicks.

The shift towards zero-click results signals a genuine turning point for how you think about marketing your business, in part, because it will absolutely grow your costs for acquiring new customers.

So, what’s the real story behind zero-click sear...

The Rise of Agentic AI Among Your Customers (Episode 466)

Agentic AI is almost certainly going to be huge… and probably soon. Early versions of agentic AI already exist today. Some of them even work pretty well. And the early data suggests customers are OK with the idea of agentic AI.

Those facts lead to a few key questions for you:

What’s driving — or limiting — adoption of agentic AI?When will we see agentic AI reach large customer groups?Which companies in the agentic AI space are best positioned to win?What will customer adoption of agentic AI...

Revisiting The Brand is the Prompt (Thinks Out Loud)

Unlike a lot of folks, I’m not convinced that AI agents are the end of brands. Sure, there’s a risk. But I still believe most customers will choose brands that work for their needs & and will train their agents, as those evolve, to pick their preferred options in many cases.

Of course, getting customers to train their agents that you’re the right choice isn’t something you can wait to do when (or if) agents become available. Instead, it’s something you can (and should!) do right now. Even bett...

Revisiting AI Is Eating the World, But Who’s Paying for Dinner? (Thinks Out Loud)

Google seems scared. Customers seem ready to jump. Behaviors are shifting fast and furious.

While I tend to think Google is in the best possible position to win the AI wars, they’re also the fattest target for startups like OpenAI. The Mary Meeker report illustrates many of the ways that ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Anthropic threaten the Big Tech status quo. But, increasingly, Google’s own actions also show that they’re concerned. My suspicion is that their data — which they have more of than any...

Revisiting Is It Impossible for Marketers to Keep Up With AI? (Thinks Out Loud)

Does it seem like you are destined to fall behind when it comes to AI? I know for many marketers and e-commerce professionals, especially at small or mid-sized businesses, it can seem that way.

In some ways, it’s not just possible, but actually likely that you will. AI is incredibly fast. It’s incredibly powerful. To think that human beings can outthink AI is not realistic. As I like to say, “You’re not going to out-AI AI.”

But, in a far more meaningful way, I’m don’t think that our inability...

Revisiting Google Closes the Gate (Thinks Out Loud)

You may have heard me say that “gatekeepers gonna gate.” Well, Google’s AI Mode shows exactly what that looks like in practice. AI Mode is so disruptive to the way the web has worked for years that it looks like Google’s closing the gate on marketers, setting the stage to make a big move away from organic traffic and towards more paid traffic.

Google’s not alone, of course. Pretty much all the Big Tech gatekeepers are doing something similar.

What can you do about it? How can you make sure th...

The Brand is the Prompt (Thinks Out Loud 465)

One of my favorite facts about the internet is that people will always tell you when you’re wrong. Seriously. It’s a feature, not a bug. Because when that happens, it helps you think more clearly, more deeply about your topic and your ideas. If you want to know what you really think, ask the internet. They’ll let you know whether you got it right… or not. That’s what happened last week when I talked about how companies can win in AI-powered search. Whether we’re talking about Google’s AI Overvie...

Revisiting Is Apple Dropping Google? What Does That Mean For Your Business?

Apple told us at their WWDC that they’re seriously rethinking how they use AI on their devices, largely because they way they’s previously announced AI on their devices straight up didn’t work. You may also know that Apple has apparently begun looking at partnering with ChatGPT and others as the default search engines on their devices.

As you’re undoubtedly aware, Google is currently Apple’s default search engine on its devices. It’s also, arguably, the biggest player in consumer adoption of ar...

Apple told us at their WWDC that they’re seriously rethin...

Apple told us at their WWDC that they’re seriously rethinking how they use AI on their devices, largely because they way they’s previously announced AI on their devices straight up didn’t work. You may also know that Apple has apparently begun looking at partnering with ChatGPT and others as the default search engines on their devices.

As you’re undoubtedly aware, Google is currently Apple’s default search engine on its devices. It’s also, arguably, the biggest player in consumer adoption of ar...

AI Is Eating the World, But Who’s Paying for Dinner? (Thinks Out Loud 464)

Mary Meeker’s latest report is out and it’s all about artificial intelligence. It’s a brilliant report. But it’s missing why all of these changes matter for marketers and e-commerce/customer acquisition leaders.

That’s where this episode of the podcast comes in.

Tim asks:

What are the big trends in the Mary Meeker AI report? And how will they affect marketing and customer acquisition?What should you be doing right now to prepare for a world where AI agents make purchases on your behalf?Whic...