AI is altering how folks uncover, examine and select — throughout each business. However not each business is equally susceptible. New analysis from BCG maps the place massive language fashions (LLMs) are prone to disrupt the buyer journey, and it breaks the panorama into 4 clear archetypes: Breached, Undefended, Contested and Secured.

Each tells a unique story about how AI is reshaping advertising and marketing, discovery and retention — and what manufacturers must be doing about it proper now.

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Breached: When AI takes over discovery and destroys the funnel

In sectors like journey, information, retail and well being and health, AI isn’t simply shifting site visitors — it’s collapsing the comparability layer fully. Search, aggregators and even branded content material are being passed over as customers ask LLMs what to purchase and belief the reply. That’s an enormous drawback if your enterprise depends on visibility in conventional discovery channels.

These manufacturers are vulnerable to being demoted to knowledge suppliers for AI interfaces, with little pricing energy or differentiation left. The playbook right here is all about regaining direct relationships: loyalty, closed-loop experiences, unique knowledge, and built-in comparisons at the moment are mission-critical.

Undefended: Excessive consideration, low retention, large threat

Verticals like gaming, courting and betting (RMG) aren’t but being changed by AI. Nevertheless, discovery is shifting quick, and model loyalty is skinny. These companies typically depend on efficiency advertising and marketing and low-friction app installs, making them particularly uncovered to disappearing visibility throughout search, app shops and programmatic.

To keep away from fading into the background, these manufacturers have to flip from transactional to sturdy. Meaning investing in personalization, AI-fueled loyalty and strategic integrations to make sure they seem in AI-mediated suggestions.

Contested: Robust manufacturers, fragile workflows

Productiveness instruments like Google Drive or Microsoft Workplace aren’t simply displaced. What’s altering is the way in which customers entry them. AI brokers are more and more dealing with duties like formatting a presentation or writing a spreadsheet method. That doesn’t eradicate the software, nevertheless it does put a brand new layer between model and person.

For these firms, the technique is twofold: double down on person worth contained in the platform, and assist form the requirements for a way AI plugs into the class. Proudly owning or at the very least influencing the agent interface is now a part of long-term aggressive benefit.

Secured: Moats that also matter — for now

If you happen to’re in fintech, conventional finance, social platforms or streaming media, AI isn’t coming to eat your enterprise mannequin but. These industries profit from deep person relationships, regulatory complexity and proprietary knowledge that’s laborious to duplicate. That doesn’t imply they will coast.

The chance right here isn’t disruption. It’s falling behind on AI-driven effectivity and engagement. The chance? Use AI to deepen loyalty, make personalization proactive, and switch regulatory or knowledge benefits into strategic capabilities.

The complete examine is available here. (No registration required.)

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