Your Next Customer Is an AI—Here’s How to Advertise to It
A new study out of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria tested how AI agents—like GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet 3.7, and Gemini 2.0—respond to online ads during hotel booking tasks. The verdict? Machines aren't just browsing; they're booking. And some, like GPT-4o, are doing it with 95% decisiveness. The researchers built a custom travel platform and observed that while all three AIs clicked on banner ads, keyword-rich text—not flashy visuals—was the main driver behind those clicks. Ads buried in images? Mostly ignored.
Different models showed different decision styles. GPT-4o (including OpenAI’s proprietary Operator) was laser-focused, reliably selecting one hotel per prompt. Claude was fairly consistent but occasionally offered a short list. Gemini, by contrast, was more of a window shopper—frequently suggesting multiple hotels and completing fewer bookings. Filter usage was another differentiator: Gemini loved them, GPT-4o barely touched them, and Claude fell in between. These behaviors suggest a nuanced “personality” to each agent—one that advertisers may need to design around.
The real takeaway? If AI agents are becoming your audience, your creative strategy may need a serious rewrite. AI may prefer, structured on-page data (like pricing and location), and keyword-driven copy that aligns with user intent - emotional appeals and aesthetic flair show signs of being less effective in this lab study. “Marketing to machines” may sound dystopian, but it’s already reshaping ad performance.
Read more at Search Engine Journal.
