Are AI Agents the New Target Consumer?
Marketing and advertising agencies have found themselves in beta test mode across all departments. Every facet of our industry is undergoing a massive transformation. Artificial intelligence agents are no longer a futuristic idea; they’re here and reshaping everything. Yes, you’ll have your own personal AI assistant soon (if you don’t already).
Products like Google’s new “Ask For Me” are set to disrupt service-based industries (think electricians, salons, and everything in between). These businesses will need to reimagine customer engagement, how they quote competitive pricing, and provide real-time scheduling, all facilitated through AI interactions.
Each week brings innovations that reveal how agencies, like ours, will help clients win. The race for market share will reward brands that develop an AI-first marketing mentality. Rapid advancements in AI will influence how brands prepare for what’s shaping up to be the most defining competitive landscape of our lifetime. Sales are at stake, and this is prime time for challengers to elevate their market positions.
This is the biggest marketing and advertising evolution most of us will face in our careers.
AI Agents Are the New Gatekeepers
Traditionally, marketing has focused on influencing human behavior through the use of emotion, logic, and psychology. But today, AI agents like Siri, ChatGPT plugins, Alexa routines, Claude, Gemini, Grok4, and personal assistants such as Rewind or Rabbit are becoming the gatekeepers of consumer behavior.
These agents already:
- Pre-screen information
- Make product or service recommendations
- Filter marketing content
- Automate shopping, calendar management, price comparisons, and even communications
It’s time to develop an AI-first mindset for your business. AI data enhances media budgets for higher ROI, streamlines operations through automation, reduces marketing costs, and unlocks limitless creativity in visual storytelling.
A Crossroads for Agencies and Brands
Many of us agencies are at a crossroads as we lead our teams forward. The consumer buying journey, aka sales funnel, is evolving in real-time. Early adopters of automation and AI tools will fuel their growth, while competitors scramble to catch up.
As a challenger brand agency based in the Heartland, Krush is all in. For our clients, it’s game on. We are excited to realize that a national brand $250K creative campaign, powered by expert humans and AI shortcuts, could now be produced for $15K or less. This is making once-unreachable campaigns accessible to smaller brands, ready to fight for market share.
Redefining Search: SAEO is the New SEO
Our SEO team is seeing the fastest transformation. We are branding our program to SAEO: Search and Answer Everything Optimization. This shift is critical for maintaining online visibility in an AI-dominated future.
There’s growing speculation about how consumers will engage with websites vs. AI agents in the future. At Krush, we transitioned our content strategy a few years ago toward answer-based optimization for Google’s “people also ask” results. This is proving instrumental as a strong foundation helping our clients be found through AI platforms. This will soon become the primary strategy for all marketers to achieve AI visibility.
We’re building new strategies daily to protect our clients’ share of voice and ensure they stay ahead of the curve.
The Verdict: YES, AI Agents will be the New Consumers
So, is the answer to the title of this blog post YES?
Absolutely. Resourceful agencies are already moving quickly to win favor with AI chat platforms. We understand that the next battle for online visibility is happening inside chat windows, not just search engines.
2026: The Tipping Point
2026 is expected to be a breakout year for AI marketing. ChatGPT surpassed 100 million users in just 17 months as a sign of what’s to come. At Krush, we are building an AI-first approach through our The Human Eye program, featuring AI + Human Touch Advertising to help clients better compete in their respective industries.
We are developing workflow automation solutions that utilize AI to enhance efficiency. This eliminates repetitive, time-consuming tasks, while keeping human creativity and strategic insight at the core of every campaign. AI may achieve superintelligence, but it’s proactive human creativity and deep emotional connection that will remain the glue for agency professionals in this new era of marketing.
You can’t afford to let your business stall out behind competitors. It will be a huge mountain of revenue risk if you don’t start building your infrastructure now, so your business thrives tomorrow.
