Propellic founder and chief executive Brennen Bliss recently shared his insights on the recent AI Mode launch in the UK, following the roadmap announcement made by Google CEO Sundar Pichai two weeks ago.
Bliss pointed out that Google’s AI Mode stands to change how travelers research trips.
As he explains it: “Instead of conducting ten separate searches for 'hotels London,' 'London restaurants,' and 'London attractions,' travelers can now ask complex questions like 'Plan a weekend in London for foodie couples who want boutique hotels near markets and live music venues.' This shifts travel marketing from keyword optimisation to conversation optimisation. You need to anticipate and answer the full context of how people actually plan trips."
Scrapping the messy middle
As Bliss explained further, travel marketing professionals are always talking about the messy middle where they cannot easily map a traveler's buying journey between inspiration and booking.
AI Mode's rollout further complicates that journey, and travel marketers will be forced to build a strategy around even less data.
Bliss opined: “My recommendation: maintain visibility across all stages of the booking journey. Have answers for top, middle, and bottom of funnel intents. Continue testing and be ready to influence and trial new organic and paid surfaces as they go to market.”
Indeed, the implications for the travel industry are significant, given how most travel companies rely heavily on top-of-funnel content in the form of blog posts, destination guides, and curated itineraries to attract audiences and feed retargeting campaigns.
Given such a scenario, AI Mode is set to disrupt that pipeline dramatically.
Bliss concluded by saying: “Instead of users visiting ten different websites to compare options, they’ll now have one conversation with Google’s AI. That means your content may no longer drive traffic. It may simply train the AI. My prediction? This becomes the default search experience within 12 months, not the two to three years most people are assuming.”
