Category: In the News

This week’s Media Briefing looks at what AI Mode, the latest generative AI search experience Google has rolled out, means for publishers’ search referral traffic.

• Users’ queries in AI Mode are two to three times the length of traditional searches, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said during the company’s annual I/O developer conference on Tuesday. Google thinks this means users will discover more web content. Publishers aren’t convinced.
• Local newspapers’ AI-generated content makes up book titles, News Corp introduces mandatory AI training for journalists, and more.

Less clicks, more problems

After months of anxiety and speculation, the rollout publishers feared — Google’s AI Mode in search — has arrived.

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Publishers have long chased growth through social platforms and short-term traffic spikes. These tactics often prioritize volume over value, inflating reach without building meaningful relationships or translating into lasting engagement or revenue.

Without meaningful data or audience insights, personalization efforts fall flat, revenue is unpredictable, subscription offers miss their mark and ad performance suffers. Instead, savvy publishers are leveraging a valuable asset: their own audience data. With the right tools, audience data is the foundation for long-term revenue, activated by personalization and automation through owned channels.

“Given the ongoing challenges in the media and publishing space, such as subscription fatigue, news avoidance and declining trust, it’s increasingly clear that cultivating long-term loyalty is the right path forward,” said Georgia Gkolfinopoulou, senior marketing strategist at Marigold. “With younger audiences favoring new formats like podcasts and short-form videos, it’s vital that publishers adopt informed, channel-specific strategies. 

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