What the Agentic Web Means for Brands

OpenAI’s recent launch of Atlas marks a pivotal moment for digital marketing, and for the evolution of the internet itself. Atlas showcases the rise of the agentic web, an internet in which AI completes tasks on users’ behalf and actively represents them.

For marketers, this means algorithms will increasingly mediate how people discover, evaluate and interact with brands. The path forward lies in diversification and data: Expanding how we reach audiences and unifying how we measure performance across every screen. 

The Diversification Imperative

First, we have to acknowledge that AI is already reshaping online behavior. Gartner predicts that by 2026, traditional search traffic could decline by as much as 25%, largely due to the proliferation of AI-driven tools and intermediaries. For marketers, this means fewer touchpoints, increased competition for attention and greater urgency to diversify beyond search-centric strategies, as the traditional web is no longer the only (or even the primary) place for digital discovery. 

The good news, however, is that the broader, open internet—which includes mobile, connected TV (CTV), and beyond—is more measurable and performant than ever. 

Take, for example, the fact that consumers spend nearly 90% of their time on mobile within apps (a channel largely shielded from the volatility of search engines), generating more than $935 billion in annual revenue globally. Paired with other, high-attention environments, like CTV and digital out-of-home, mobile can help marketers maintain connection with consumers wherever they spend time. These environments also tend to offer greater engagement and measurement, allowing brands to connect media with storytelling in one continuous loop and build more resilient, diverse portfolios in the process. 

Data as the Demand-Side Advantage

Of course, diversification without data is just more noise. From the perspective of a demand-side platform like Nexxen, the most effective advertisers are going a step beyond diversifying channels and integrating data to inform every decision, including bid optimization and creative conquesting. 

To identify quality environments, track incremental reach, and optimize for outcomes that matter most to their businesses’ bottom lines, brands need to start crafting open, privacy-led data strategies that link mobile, CTV, and other channels into one cohesive framework. Put differently, we need to treat data as the connective tissue and infrastructure, rather than a campaign byproduct, to excel. 

Ultimately, by approaching campaigns with diversification and data top-of-mind, we can turn disruption into discovery—building brand value in places algorithms can’t define. The rules of online engagement may be changing, but we now have the chance to rewrite them on our terms, for good.