The great marketing shift. Advancements in artificial intelligence mean that digital marketing as we know it today is swiftly on its way out, according to Forbes. With most search engines veering away from traditional search result rankings in favor of AI-driven results, digital marketing is losing its anchor — search engine optimization.

Rewriting the rules. Traditional browsers are slowly exiting the scene as AI platforms take their spot. Case in point: Apple is reportedly considering acquiring Perplexity in a bid to prioritize AI search after Safari searches fell for the first time ever in April 2024. Samsung and Google are also reported to be parting ways as Samsung seeks to incorporate Perplexity as its default search engine over Google. Not even the big players are safe from the tumults of AI — so what’s the future of marketing going to look like?

By 2028, three out of five marketing jobs will be handled by AI, according to IDC’s Worldwide Chief Marketing Officer 2025 Predictions report (pdf). Traditional agencies are predicted to reduce staff by 55% by 2028, allocating sources to AI contractors and AI services. The report notes that by next year, 65% of individuals will conduct search primarily through AI, pushing marketers and agencies to optimize for AI, and not traditional search. Agencies are also predicted to spend up to five times more on LLM optimization by 2029.

What does LLM optimization look like? In Google’s AI Mode — and other AI search platforms — answers are fused together from multiple sources with no direct citation. This makes SEO redundant, and thus the end goal for brands becomes being directly featured in AI responses. How often your brand is mentioned is the new criteria — and companies are already deploying software to track the nature and extent of AI mentions, and take action accordingly.

It’s time to rethink your strategy. If the only way you’re getting the word out on your business is through keyword placement, that’s no longer enough. AI tends to source text that is clear, informative, and sounds trustworthy (and human). Digital content should prioritize depth, quality, and readability over ranking. Public forums such as reddit — and similar online communities — have proven to be fertile ground for web crawlers feeding LLMs, and are platforms worth strategically exploring when it comes to content marketing.

Just because digital marketing as we know it is changing forever, doesn’t mean you should call it quits. Around 80% of business schools worldwide have already begun integrating AI into their curricula — with many offering post-graduate courses. With up to 70% of all job skills expected to change by 2030, according to LinkedIn’s 2025 Work Change Report (pdf), now proves the time to upskill, re-calibrate, and move quickly.

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