The algorithms that determine which content appears in AI-generated summaries begin to reflect the dynamics of digital marketing. This shift will however lead to an era where advertising will play a lesser role than before.
Imagine how digital marketing works today. A hotel’s website starts an auction behind the scenes when a visitor visits it. The site’s platform, which is called the supply-side, shares information with an advertising exchange. Advertisers compete to place an ad. The whole process is completed in a blink of an eye and the highest bidder gets the ad.
Imagine the same auction model being applied to content. If a user asked Gemini “What are some of the best romantic hotels in Charleston?” eligible sources — from authoritative sites like Condé Nast Traveler The following are some examples of how to get started: Travel + Leisure to the hotel’s website — compete for visibility in Gemini’s response. In a new auction, the content that is most accurate, relevant, recent and authoritative wins. The demand-side platform will disappear in the near future. Brands and publishers will bid with quality content instead of dollars in the future era of internet.
Due to the decreasing effectiveness of paid media, brands cannot rely on purchasing visibility in order to generate demand for bookings and revenue downstream. The competition now is based solely on the quality and usefulness of the content.
To be successful, brands need to consistently create content that is relevant and meets the criteria for AI-generated summary. Ranking factors for Google are divided roughly 60/40 by off-site factors, such as review sites, trusted media, and blogs.
Jess Kramer says, “Search has been fundamentally reshaped by the AI generation,” a partner with Techne Infiniti Ventures. “Boutique brands and lifestyle brands that have been overshadowed for years by the large budgets of OTAs, global chains and other OTAs, can now regain visibility by creating relevant and high-quality content. AI level the playing field by rewarding quality over budget, and enabling long-lasting visibility without massive paid expenditure.”
The path to staying visible is now clear for brands who want to be seen as traditional SEO and marketing tactics lose their edge. Brands must invest in compelling stories that can outperform authoritative publishers and competitors brands to thrive in the content-auction environment. What is the reward for investing? Content that wins at auction and creates scalable demands.
About Curacity
Curacity, a platform for demand creation that helps travel brands track revenue generated from marketing in the upper funnel, is available. Curacity helps hotels, resorts and cruises reach travelers with high intent during the inspiration stage, before they decide to purchase. The attribution technology of Curacity closes the marketing-to-booking loop by identifying media-exposed customers who book a hotel stay. Curacity enables travel marketers to make more informed decisions using data by directly tying content to revenue. Curacity is headquartered in New York and has offices in Stamford Conn., Toronto and Buenos Aires. Curacity was also named Digiday’s best content marketing platform of 2024. Visit www.curacity.com For more information, please click here.
