In each episode of Invoca’s new podcast, The Modern Revenue Executive, CEO Gregg Johnson meets with marketing and sales leaders to uncover their winning strategies. In this edition, Gregg sat down with Google Head of Industry Don Batsford to discuss how AI is fundamentally reshaping search, consumer behavior, and marketing as a whole.
Keep reading to learn our five most important takeaways from the conversation. You can also watch the video below or tune in to your favorite streaming network to catch the whole conversation!
1. Search Has Evolved from Keywords to Conversations
The most fundamental shift in search behavior is moving away from the keyword-based queries we've trained ourselves to use for the past two decades. Generative AI is changing these habits, leading people to query differently. As Don explained, "Historically, we were wired to think about search as a series of keywords. It felt kind of stilted and unnatural. Now, search is moving toward long-form, conversational queries that mimic the way we actually speak.”
This shift has massive implications for marketers. Users are no longer adapting their queries to match what they think a machine wants to hear. Instead, AI is adapting to understand natural human language, complex questions, and multi-turn conversations. For marketers, this means rethinking content strategy to address longer, more nuanced queries rather than optimising for 2-3 word keyword phrases.
The evolution encompasses the entire customer journey, from initial awareness through post-purchase care. "Think about everything from introducing a concept in a traditional funnel to the messy middle where you're learning about things, to when you're interacting with a product or service," Don said. "Those are all being improved from a user standpoint and also from a company standpoint by AI."
2. Empathy Is the Key Human Skill in an AI-Driven World
As AI handles more tactical marketing functions, the most valuable human contribution becomes understanding the emotional and contextual aspects of customer journeys. Don emphasised that "empathy is the most important skill for today’s marketers. It's not just about emotionally relating to the users — it's about understanding the path that they’ve gone on."
This empathy-driven approach helps marketers guide consumers through every step of the journey. “Think about your landing page, your call script, the follow-up emails you send, and even the creative you show,” Don said. “At each of these stages, your customers have different needs — it’s your job to anticipate them.”
While AI can handle routine tasks, humans will always be necessary to handle more nuanced interactions. This is especially true for complex, high-stakes purchases like homes, cars, insurance, and financial services. As Don noted, "These are sweaty palm moments where you need a confidant to walk you through what you don't know. In these situations, robots just won’t cut it — you need the reassurance and empathy only a human can provide."
3. There Is No Single "Best.” Personalisation Is the New Standard
One of the most challenging mental shifts for marketers is abandoning the pursuit of a single "best" creative, landing page, or call script. Traditional performance marketing focused on A/B testing to find the optimal version. AI enables something far more sophisticated.
"Traditionally, most digital marketers said, ‘Let’s run an A/B test and then make a decision based on the results,’" Don explained. "But the truth is, there is no one variation that is best for everyone. People are coming at your marketing with different perspectives and experiences. What resonates with one person won’t necessarily resonate with another.”
The new reality requires creating hundreds of variations tailored to specific audience segments, stages of the buying journey, and individual contexts. Each customer receives messaging that speaks directly to their situation through their preferred channels — a level of granular personalisation that would have been economically impossible just a few years ago. “Though this can sound daunting, the good news is that the cost of exploring those concepts has dropped incredibly, thanks to AI," Don said.
This approach enables brands to serve each demographic with messaging precisely tailored to their unique needs and life circumstances. Consider a telecom provider: they can craft distinctly different experiences for a teenager receiving their first smartphone, a young professional needing reliable connectivity for remote work, a growing family adding multiple lines with parental controls, and retirees downsizing to simplified, cost-effective plans.
4. Video Content Is No Longer Optional — It's Expected
AI has dramatically lowered the cost of producing video content just as streaming and connected TV have exploded in popularity, creating a perfect storm of opportunity for marketers. This shift means video is no longer optional — it's expected across all screens. But more importantly, the TV screen now offers capabilities previously limited to digital channels.
"Attribution for connected TV ads is better than ever. Today’s marketer can connect ad impressions to downstream consumer interactions like website visits and phone calls. This helps them understand the revenue and business impact their video ads drive,” Don said.
This channel offers a big opportunity for marketers because adoption has outpaced advertiser investment. "Connected TV is where the people are spending their time right now. And yet, advertisers aren’t investing in this channel on a large scale. It feels like we’re still in the first inning of the ball game," Don said. With AI making video production more accessible and results more measurable, marketers have an opportunity to capture disproportionate value before the channel becomes oversaturated.
5. Refactoring Your Organisation Is Essential, but Don't Try to Do Everything at Once
The shift to AI-powered marketing requires rethinking what humans do versus what technology handles. This can feel overwhelming, but Don’s advice is clear: “Don't try to transform everything overnight. Focus on areas where AI can dramatically reduce costs.”
He also encouraged marketers to keep a steady exchange between AI and human strategy. Use AI to sort through call transcripts, website interactions, and support tickets to spot trends, then let your team review those insights and decide how to respond. That way, AI handles the heavy lifting while people stay focused on direction, creativity, and judgment.
The key is to start small. Focus on a few promising use cases, learn from what works, and build from there. As Don put it, “It takes empathy and curiosity to really understand customers and create experiences that haven’t existed before. That’s what makes this work exciting.”
Listen to the Full Episode
Want to listen to the full conversation between Gregg and Don? Tune in to your favorite streaming network below:
