The Analog Shelf Moment Is In A Death Spiral

Imagine, for a moment, a Gen Z shopper standing in the skincare aisle, phone in hand, asking ChatGPT, "What's the best cleanser for sensitive skin?" Right there. Right then. At the same time, your product sits three feet away.

Cetaphil noticed that 40-50% of their target customers were doing exactly this. So they made a choice that separates them from the myriad of choices consumers have at that moment: They stopped optimizing for search engines and started optimizing for answer engines. Now, this could be seen as gaming the system, and it smacks slightly of that. However, it can also be seen as earning the right to be the answer when someone asks the question that matters. It's being called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), but we will have to wait to see if that name/acronym sticks.

What is most interesting to me is that we are seeing the shift from making great ads, hoping people remember you later when it's time to buy, to being present in the precise moment someone decides to trust a recommendation, either from an algorithm, a human, or both. When AI recommends Cetaphil on the spot, people buy. Not because they were manipulated, but because they were helped.

Marketers make change happen: for the smallest viable market, and by delivering anticipated, personal, and relevant messages that people actually want to get. Being the right solution at the right time for the right customer isn't a new goal for marketers, but making sure you show up with the right answer at the moment someone is actively signaling they are ready to listen just may be.