Introducing agentic advertising—ads that target AI agents, not humans

Remember BlackBerry before the iPhone? TiVo before streaming?

AI search is just a stepping stone—what’s coming next will change everything.

Soon, consumers won’t even visit an AI platform to get answers.

Instead, their AI agent will handle tasks for them—from shopping to booking travel. And brands will need to optimize for AI decision-making systems, not human emotions.

This is agentic advertising—ads designed to influence AI-driven virtual assistants.

Imagine you're on a business trip to New York. After a long day of meetings you're hungry and exhausted and all you want is the best Chinese roast duck noodles, delivered to your hotel, at the price you're willing to pay. You let your AI agent know and voila, dinner!

Meanwhile, on the back end, a complicated network of conversations and interactions is taking place, with businesses bidding to be the one that fulfills your request.

Here’s what makes agentic advertising different:

✅ Data > Emotion
✅ Accurate personalization > Inferred interests
✅ Utility > Design
✅ Marketplaces > Media

📖 In my latest WARC column, I break down what this means for search marketers—and why a lot of what works in search today will still apply in the agentic world.

One key insight: Advertisers will place agentic ads in AI-driven marketplaces that will facilitate various forms of trading. Advertisers will integrate with AI-powered ecosystems to ensure their products are seamlessly discoverable.