Sep 17, 2025
AI Shopping Agents, HubSpot Loop, Chief AI Officers, and the Cost of Bad AI Ads
Artificial intelligence in marketing has reached a strange and powerful crossroads. On one hand, we see highly polished brand-controlled experiences like Ralph Lauren’s Ask Ralph app. On another, companies like HubSpot are rolling out frameworks like “The Loop” to redefine trust-first marketing. Luxury fashion groups are elevating AI to the executive level with Chief AI Officers (CAIOs). And then, in contrast, we see embarrassing failures like Melbourne’s AI-generated Royal Show billboards that left audiences cringing.
This moment makes one thing clear: AI isn’t the future of marketing anymore. It’s the present. But how we use it—responsibly, strategically, and creatively—will define winners and losers.
AI Shopping Agents: The Death of Search-As-We-Know-It
For years, the customer journey has relied on search. A buyer types keywords, evaluates the results, and clicks to purchase. But OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Perplexity are rolling out autonomous shopping agents. These bots bypass traditional search. A user tells the agent what they want, and the bot handles discovery, comparison, and checkout. The marketer’s job is no longer about ranking on a page—it’s about being included in the conversation that the bot initiates.
This has radical implications. SEO tactics like link building or keyword stuffing have no place in an agent-driven world. Instead, the focus shifts toward data quality, structured product feeds, clear brand positioning, and partnerships with the ecosystems training these agents.
The question marketers should ask: Is our brand data structured in a way that an AI agent can understand and recommend us?
HubSpot’s “The Loop”: Re-centering Marketing on Trust
At Inbound 2025, HubSpot made a surprising move. Instead of announcing a new AI widget, they introduced “The Loop,” a framework to guide how marketing should be done in an AI-first age.
The four pillars are:
Express – Communicate your brand voice with clarity.
Tailor – Personalize based on customer data.
Amplify – Distribute across channels, formats, and communities.
Evolve – Refine based on feedback and performance.
Why does this matter? Because AI has made it easy to generate unlimited content. The challenge is no longer creation, but credibility. HubSpot is saying: don’t just scale content—scale trust. Brands that become consistent, authentic, and human will thrive even in an AI-saturated landscape.
Chief AI Officers: AI Joins the Executive Suite
Fashion brands like Ralph Lauren, Estée Lauder, Nike, and Lululemon have begun naming Chief AI Officers (CAIOs). This is more than a trendy title. It represents the recognition that AI strategy, governance, and ethics are not IT problems—they are boardroom priorities.
A CAIO is tasked with:
Aligning AI usage with brand values.
Ensuring compliance with data privacy and intellectual property.
Accelerating creative innovation without sacrificing authenticity.
Translating technical capabilities into consumer experiences.
When AI can generate a product recommendation, a social ad, or even a financial forecast, the stakes are too high to leave decisions to middle management. Expect CAIOs to become as common as CMOs in the next five years.
When AI Ads Go Wrong: The Melbourne Example
Of course, not every AI experiment is a win. The Royal Show in Melbourne unveiled AI-generated billboards that went viral for all the wrong reasons. Sheep looked distorted, faces seemed uncanny, and the overall effect was more creepy than creative. Critics called it “AI glitch art”—and ticket sales didn’t benefit.
This is a cautionary tale. AI lowers barriers to creation, but bad execution damages trust faster than ever. Consumers may forgive a boring ad, but not one that feels inauthentic, lazy, or outright broken. Marketers must understand that AI is a tool—not a substitute for taste.
Key Takeaways for Brands and SMBs
Optimize for Agents, Not Just Search
Structure your product data.
Ensure AI ecosystems can interpret your offers.
Adopt Frameworks That Center Trust
Content is cheap; credibility is scarce.
Frameworks like HubSpot’s “Loop” help you scale relationships, not just impressions.
Consider Leadership Investment
Even SMBs need governance.
If a CAIO isn’t realistic, assign someone AI stewardship responsibilities.
Beware the Shortcut
Bad AI outputs go viral for the wrong reasons.
Always apply human oversight and taste.
Why This Matters Right Now
AI is forcing marketers to make real choices:
Do we lean on automation or double down on authenticity?
Do we prioritize scale or protect our brand voice?
Do we chase speed or invest in governance?
The right answer is balance. AI isn’t replacing marketers. But it is reshaping the context in which marketing happens. If you’re not preparing for agents, building trust-first frameworks, and putting guardrails in place, you’ll be playing catch-up.
