EP362: Performance Marketing In 2026 Shifted From "AI-Assisted" To Genuinely Agentic - Find Out What This Means For Ecommerce Brands

“AI ad platforms will win by becoming less like ad managers and more like answer engines. Measurement is becoming the strategy, because zero-click behaviour is already changing the funnel.”

Performance & brand marketing expert Josh Duggan digs into where AI, search and commerce are actually heading; not in theory, but in the real world of live campaigns and platform shifts.

ChatGPT ads are already here, but the platform is still acting like Google Ads 15 years ago. Josh reveals why the current setup is full of irrelevant targeting, weak reporting and click-only optimisation - and what that means for brands trying to get ahead before the real opportunity arrives.

You'll discover:

• Why ChatGPT ads currently feel basic, clunky and dangerously easy to mis-trigger with the wrong intent.
• The biggest missing pieces in the platform, from negative keywords to search-term visibility and conversion-based optimisation.
• Why shopping feeds, offline conversion value and customer list matching are likely to matter far more than today’s ad units.
• How Google is quietly turning paid search into a more automated, more AI-shaped experience.
• Why AI Overviews, AI Max and dynamic product feeds could reshape how brands win visibility in search.
• How Meta is changing faster than most marketers realise, with 70% of Instagram content now coming from accounts you do not follow.
• Why creative diversity, always-on content and dynamic landing pages are becoming the new performance edge.
• Where TikTok Shop, ShopMy, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube and affiliate channels fit into the next growth cycle.

Josh also breaks down the real state of trade, including why UK online spending is still growing, why fashion and footwear are more volatile and why November remains the make-or-break month for many brands.

If you want a clear-eyed view of what is hype vs. what is already working and where paid media is heading next, this episode is essential listening.

Chapters:

• [00:30] Introduction and episode overview
• [02:35] ChatGPT ads: early limitations and potential
• [12:30] Google search, AI discovery and shopping ads
• [21:05] Meta’s growth, creative diversity and AI-generated advertising
• [30:10] Other channels: TikTok Shop, ShopMy, Pinterest, Snapchat and YouTube
• [35:00] Ecommerce trading outlook, market performance and Q4 priorities
• [41:10] Closing thoughts