By Benny Ong, Founder & Managing Director, OC Digital
I’ve been thinking quite a lot about where paid advertising is heading.
For the last year or so, most of the conversations I’ve had around AI have been about SEO, GEO, AEO and how businesses can get their brands mentioned in ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI platforms.
That is still important.
But I think we are starting to see another part of the story now.
AI is not only changing how people search. It is also starting to change how businesses can advertise.
And honestly, I think this is going to be a very interesting space over the next few years.
We Have Been Doing Paid Search the Same Way for a Long Time
If you’ve been doing digital marketing for as long as I have, you’ll know that Google Ads has always been heavily driven by search intent.
Someone searches for something.
We identify the keyword.
We write an ad.
We send them to a landing page.
If everything works, we get a lead or a sale.
It is a very simple concept, and it has worked extremely well.
For example, someone searches:
and an agency can show an advertisement.
Someone searches:
and a law firm can advertise.
Someone searches:
“luxury Japan tour”
and a travel company can appear.
But the way people are using search is changing.
Instead of typing three or four words into Google, they can now have a conversation with an AI.
And that changes things.
People Are Giving AI Much More Information
This is the part I find particularly interesting.
Let’s say someone is looking for a digital marketing agency.
Previously, they might search:
“digital marketing agency Singapore”
That’s about it.
But they might ask ChatGPT something like:
“I run an SME in Singapore and I’m looking to increase my leads. We are already doing Google Ads but the results aren’t very consistent. I also want to improve our visibility on AI search. Which agencies should I speak to?”
Now I know much more about that person.
I know they’re an SME owner.
I know they’re already spending on Google Ads.
I know they have a lead generation problem.
I know they’re interested in AI search.
And I know they’re potentially looking for an agency.
That’s a very different type of intent.
The user is effectively telling the platform what problem they are trying to solve.
And from an advertising point of view, that’s quite powerful.
ChatGPT Ads Changes the Conversation
OpenAI has now introduced advertising capabilities for ChatGPT, including Ads Manager, where advertisers can create campaigns, manage budgets and measure performance.
For me, this is significant.
Not because I think every business should immediately move their advertising budget into ChatGPT.
I don’t.
It’s still an emerging channel, and businesses need to understand how it performs before putting serious money behind it.
But the fact that advertising is entering an environment where people are having these kinds of conversations is something we should pay attention to.
Think about a person who is already asking AI for recommendations.
They may not even know exactly which company they want yet.
They’re researching.
They’re comparing.
They’re asking questions.
And potentially, they’re getting closer to making a decision.
That is a very different environment from someone simply scrolling through a social media feed.
And Google Is Moving in the Same Direction
Gemini is a little different.
I don’t think we should look at Gemini as simply “another platform where we can buy ads.”
Google is bringing more AI into Search itself.
We already have AI Overviews, AI Mode and more AI-driven features within Google’s advertising ecosystem.
Google is also using Gemini and AI more heavily across products such as Search and Performance Max.
So for businesses already running Google Ads, this is important.
We don’t necessarily need to create an entirely separate “Gemini strategy”.
We need to understand how Google Search itself is changing because of AI.
That’s a much bigger conversation.
I Don’t Think Businesses Should Just Throw Money at AI Ads
This is probably the most important point I want to make.
Whenever a new advertising platform comes along, the first question businesses usually ask is:
“How much should I spend?”
I think that’s the wrong starting point.
The first question should be:
“What are my customers actually asking?”
Before we start talking about budget, CPC or impressions, we need to understand the customer’s behaviour.
What are they asking ChatGPT?
What are they asking Gemini?
What are they asking Google?
What are they comparing?
What information do they need before contacting a company?
What makes them choose one business over another?
Once we understand that, then we can start thinking about advertising.
This Is Where I Think Agencies Need to Change
I’ve been running digital marketing campaigns for many years, and I’ve seen how much the industry has changed.
But one thing that hasn’t changed enough is how some agencies approach paid media.
A lot of the conversation is still around:
- CPC.
- CTR.
- CPA.
- ROAS.
Those numbers are important, of course.
But they don’t tell you everything.
If I only look at CPC, I might be missing why the customer clicked.
If I only look at CTR, I might not understand what made the customer interested.
And if I only look at conversions, I might miss what happened before that conversion.
AI search gives us an opportunity to understand the customer journey differently.
We can start looking at the actual questions people are asking.
The problems they are trying to solve.
The words they use.
The things they are worried about.
The reasons they are comparing different businesses.
That information can be useful far beyond the advertising campaign.
The Interesting Part Is What Happens With the Data
This is probably where I see the biggest opportunity for OC Digital.
Imagine we are working with a law firm.
Instead of only looking at keywords such as:
“lawyer Singapore”
we start looking at the actual questions potential clients are asking.
Maybe they are asking:
“Do I need a lawyer for a shareholder dispute?”
“How much does a corporate lawyer cost?”
“What happens if my business partner breaches our agreement?”
“Which law firm should I use for a commercial dispute?”
Suddenly, we have a much better understanding of what the market is concerned about.
That information can then influence the advertising.
But it can also influence the website.
The SEO strategy.
The content.
The landing pages.
The sales team.
Even the way the business positions its services.
That’s much more valuable to me than simply saying:
“We got 200 clicks this month.”
SEO and Paid Advertising Are Going to Have an Interesting Relationship
For a long time, SEO and paid advertising have been treated as two separate things.
SEO is organic.
Google Ads is paid.
Different teams. Different KPIs. Different strategies.
But I think AI is starting to blur the lines a little.
Not because SEO and paid advertising are becoming the same thing.
They aren’t.
But both are increasingly dependent on understanding intent.
If we know what customers are asking, we can use that information everywhere.
We can build better content.
We can improve landing pages.
We can identify new keywords.
We can find content gaps.
We can improve our AI Search Readiness.
And yes, we can potentially build better paid campaigns.
This is why I don’t see ChatGPT Ads or AI-powered Google advertising as something that should sit in a separate box.
It should be part of the bigger marketing strategy.
I Also Don’t Think Google Ads Is Going Away
There is sometimes a tendency in digital marketing to hear about a new technology and immediately assume the old one is dead.
We’ve seen this many times.
TikTok isn’t going to kill Google.
Facebook didn’t kill Google.
Instagram didn’t kill Google.
And I don’t think ChatGPT is going to kill Google either.
What will change is how people use each platform.
Someone might discover a business on Google.
Then ask ChatGPT to compare a few options.
Then go back to Google.
Then visit the company’s website.
Then check reviews.
Then finally make an enquiry.
The journey is becoming less linear.
That’s what advertisers need to understand.
So Where Does This Leave Businesses?
Personally, I think businesses should start experimenting.
Not blindly.
Not by taking 50% of their existing advertising budget and moving it somewhere new.
Start with a smaller test.
Understand the platform.
Look at the quality of the traffic.
Look at the leads.
Look at the questions and intent.
Compare the results with your existing channels.
Then decide whether it makes sense to scale.
That’s how we’ve always approached new platforms at OC Digital.
Test first.
Measure properly.
Then put more money behind what works.
There Is Another Question Businesses Need to Ask
There’s one thing I’m particularly interested in.
What happens when AI becomes one of the places where customers make their actual decisions?
Today, people might use Google to find ten companies.
Tomorrow, they might ask AI:
“I’ve narrowed it down to these three companies. Which one would you choose and why?”
That is a very different moment.
At that point, the customer isn’t just looking for information.
They’re looking for help making a decision.
And that is where brand reputation, authority, content, reviews, expertise and trust become extremely important.
Paid advertising can get you in front of the customer.
But it can’t magically make a weak business look strong.
The fundamentals still matter.
This Is Why I Don’t See AI Advertising as a Standalone Service
If someone asks me:
“Can OC Digital run ChatGPT Ads?”
That’s an interesting question.
But I don’t think that’s the most important question.
I’d rather ask:
“Who are you trying to reach, what are they asking, where are they searching, and what happens after they find you?”
Then we can decide whether ChatGPT Ads, Google Ads, SEO, AI Search Readiness, Meta or another channel makes sense.
The platform should follow the strategy.
Not the other way around.
I Think We’re Going to See a Lot More of This
We’re still early.
There will be a lot of changes.
The platforms will change their advertising products.
The targeting will change.
The measurement will improve.
New AI platforms will appear.
Some will become important.
Some probably won’t.
That’s normal.
But I think the direction is quite clear.
People are spending more time asking AI questions.
And wherever people’s attention and buying decisions move, advertising eventually follows.
We’ve seen this happen before.
The difference this time is that AI isn’t just another place to display an advertisement.
It is becoming part of the way people research and make decisions.
That makes it much more interesting.
What I Think Businesses Should Be Doing Now
If I were a business owner today, I wouldn’t be asking:
“How do I advertise on ChatGPT?”
I’d start with:
“What are my customers asking AI about my industry?”
Then I’d look at how my business is currently represented.
What does Google say?
What does ChatGPT say?
What does Gemini say?
Who are my competitors?
What questions are customers asking?
Where are the gaps?
Then I’d look at paid advertising.
Can I reach these customers?
Can I test the channel?
Can I track the leads?
Does it make commercial sense?
If the answer is yes, then scale it.
If not, learn from it and move on.
The Next Stage of Performance Marketing
I don’t think the next stage of digital marketing is going to be about abandoning everything we’ve done before.
It’s about adding another layer.
We already have Search.
We have Social.
We have Video.
We have Performance Max.
Now we’re starting to see AI becoming part of the search and advertising ecosystem.
For me, the exciting part isn’t the technology itself.
It’s the amount of information we can potentially learn about why people buy.
That’s what will make AI advertising valuable.
Not simply more impressions.
Not simply another dashboard.
But a better understanding of the customer.
And ultimately, better marketing.
My Take
I’ve spent a lot of time over the past year looking at SEO, GEO, AEO and AI Search.
I think paid advertising is now becoming the next part of that conversation.
ChatGPT is opening up a new advertising environment.
Google is making Search increasingly AI-driven through Gemini and its broader AI Search products.
I don’t think we know exactly what this will look like three years from now.
But I think it would be a mistake for businesses to wait until everything is already established before they start learning.
The companies that start testing now will have something very valuable later:
experience.
They’ll know what works for their customers.
They’ll know what doesn’t.
And they’ll have data that businesses entering the space later won’t have.
That’s usually where the real first-mover advantage comes from.
For me, this isn’t about jumping onto the next AI trend.
It’s about watching where the customer is going.
And right now, the customer is increasingly asking AI.
So naturally, as marketers, we need to start paying attention to where those conversations are going next.
Written by Benny Ong, Founder of OC Digital, with over 18 years of experience in SEO, digital strategy, and AI search optimisation.
