Marketing to AI Agents: Study Reveals Shift Toward Machine-Readable Advertising
A groundbreaking study from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria reveals that AI agents like GPT-4o, Claude, and Gemini respond best to keyword-rich, text-based ads, not visual designs. The research tested how AI agents booked hotels using various ad formats, finding that banner ads and structured, on-page information (like pricing) had the most influence. GPT-4o emerged as the most decisive and consistent in completing tasks. As users rely more on AI to make decisions, marketers must shift from emotional appeal to clear, machine-readable content—ushering in an era of API-driven, machine-to-machine advertising.