Digital marketing used to be about clicks, but the rise of ChatGPT means it’s ‘now all about winning the mentions’



  • Consumers are now using large language models like ChatGPT to shop, requiring changes in traditional marketing practices. In the era of generative AI, companies need more branded content and third-party mentions.

Some consumers are beginning to shop using ChatGPT, and digital marketing that’s geared toward web searches must shift too, experts say.

The threat that generative AI poses to search engines was highlighted when Apple’s senior vice president of services said Safari web browsing recently decreased for the first time in 20 years, attributing it to users switching to large language models.

While Google refuted these claims, saying its search engine continues “to see overall query growth,” other data hints at ChatGPT’s influence in shopping.

Between late October and mid January, Amazon.com was the most frequently visited domain referred from ChatGPT’s search function, accounting for 9.13% of all traffic, according to a survey by Datos. 

Overall, e-commerce domains received 12.65%, trailing news (21.42%) and academic (17.81%) domains, Datos said.

The increase in popularity to shop via AI alters a marketer’s approach to get eyes on their brand.

Traditional marketing techniques revolve around search engine optimization (SEO) practices to create a better chance of showing up on a user’s Google query.

To improve the odds that the search algorithm will raise a company’s visibility on the web, SEO practices focus on keywords, a site’s load time, and mobile-phone friendliness. 

But marketers now have to optimize for an investigative query from LLMs, which will pull from online content and third-party mentions. That includes a brand’s website and the general consensus on social media platforms like Reddit and X

“Until recently, digital marketing was all about winning the clicks. With the rise of LLMs, it is now all about winning the mentions,” Yaron Litwin, chief marketing officer of the Parent Control App, told Fortune.

Like retail brands, the CMO of the content-filtering software business has adopted AI marketing to get ahead of the trend.

And when it comes to searching for the top-rated running shoes, for example, it’s “more of a conversation,”  Erik Huberman, CEO of Hawke Media, a Los Angeles-based marketing company, told Fortune

The LLM will then give users options by explaining why each shoe is the best fit for that specific query. 

While marketers are beginning to optimize for LLMs, Huberman said that the increase in ChatGPT shopping is “not significant enough yet to really throw anyone off.” 

“So we haven’t seen like a drop in organic traffic that’s anything concerning…no alarm bells have gone off, but we know it’s coming, so we’re prepping for it,” he added.

Hawke Media is partnering with Gumshoe, an AI optimization expert that helps marketers understand how their brands are perceived and talked about by LLMs by generating thousands of conversations using AI models. 

As LLMs take a holistic approach, Pietryla PR & Marketing President Christine Wetzler told Fortune that brand reputation is now “critical.” 

“Credibility is being built outside your site now,” so companies must curate “brand storytelling,” Wetzler said.

Brand storytelling echoes the brands voice, in digestible content for an LLM, like articles, blogs, or on-site customer reviews.

“This is your new digital billboard,” Mongoose Media CEO Lauren Petrullo told Fortune. “If your company isn’t correctly represented, AI will fill in the blanks often inaccurately.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



  • Related Posts

    Gen Z is tired of hearing they’re lazy and will only work remotely: ‘People talk about us but not to us’
    • May 21, 2025

    Leaders of the youngest generation in the workforce are pushing back on the old narrative that they’re lazy and disruptive. In reality, they aren’t trying to upend the entire corporate…

    Continue reading
    Markers in blood and urine may reveal how much ultra-processed food we are eating
    • May 20, 2025

    © 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy…

    Continue reading

    Random News

    Could the Finland-Russia border be the next conflict zone after the Ukraine war?

    • By gonews
    • May 21, 2025
    • 1 views
    Could the Finland-Russia border be the next conflict zone after the Ukraine war?

    Spotify says support for external payments on iOS has already boosted subscriptions

    • By gonews
    • May 21, 2025
    • 1 views
    Spotify says support for external payments on iOS has already boosted subscriptions

    Muller Marks The End Of An Era As Bayern Clinch Season With Dominant Hoffenheim Win

    • By gonews
    • May 21, 2025
    • 1 views
    Muller Marks The End Of An Era As Bayern Clinch Season With Dominant Hoffenheim Win

    Netanyahu’s Endgame: Isolation and the Shattered Illusion of Power

    • By gonews
    • May 21, 2025
    • 1 views
    Netanyahu’s Endgame: Isolation and the Shattered Illusion of Power