Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how consumers discover, research and evaluate products, creating a hybrid search ecosystem where traditional engines like Google remain dominant while GenAI tools increasingly shape mid-funnel decision-making. Shoppers turn to AI for clarity, comparison and confidence, yet still validate information before purchase, altering the structure of the journey and the expectations placed on brands. As AI-driven search and shopping become more influential, the implications for marketers and retailers are profound, demanding new approaches to trust, data accuracy, discoverability and optimization for agent-driven environments. This Knowledge at Hand and CMO Brief reports show how AI is reorganizing the consumer path to purchase and what this means for the future of brand visibility and retail marketing.
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On November 5, the ARF Social Council explored how audiences perceive authenticity on social media and how brands can build trust, credibility, and stronger outcomes through more genuine messaging and partnerships. Attendees heard new research from HawkPartners, Breakthrough Research, SunDogs and the ARF Social Council, followed by a dynamic discussion.
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A recent Journal of Advertising Research study presents the first empirical evidence that petfluencers can outperform human influencers in driving engagement and willingness to pay. Across four studies—including a real-world A/B test and controlled experiments, the researchers show that pet influencers benefit from higher perceived sincerity, and that message framing matters. When temporal cues align with consumers’ propensity to anthropomorphize animals, the persuasive impact increases further.
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A new Journal of Advertising Research study investigates how music tempo—a ubiquitous but understudied element in video advertising—interacts with regulatory focus to shape consumer purchase intentions. Analyzing 26,025 real-world video ads and running three controlled experiments, the researchers find that fast-tempo music significantly boosts purchase intention for promotion-focused ads, while tempo has no meaningful effect in prevention-focused ads. The mechanism is driven by time pressure and consumers’ reliance on heuristic vs. systematic processing. These findings offer actionable insights for advertisers optimizing creative strategy in short-form video environments.
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