Velocitydrift

AI is no longer just a tool layered onto marketing. It’s restructuring how people discover brands, how platforms monetize attention and even how digital identities persist. From chatbot traffic that converts faster than Google to Meta’s messaging consolidation and ChatGPT’s ad test, the rules of reach are changing again.

Inman On Tour

Inman On Tour Nashville delivers insights, networking, and strategies for agents and leaders navigating today’s market.

AI isn’t just changing the tools marketers use. It’s reshaping the infrastructure underneath visibility, messaging and even identity.

This week’s signals point to a media landscape where chatbot traffic converts faster than search, authentic creators can revive legacy brands, messaging platforms are consolidating again, digital presence may outlive its owner and conversational AI is beginning to monetize at scale.

The platforms aren’t standing still. The question is whether your strategy is keeping up.

Chatbots reshape visibility and conversion

Traffic from AI chatbots is starting to look different from traditional search. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky says visitors arriving through ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude convert at higher rates than those coming from Google, signaling that users who turn to AI assistants are often further along in their decision-making.

At the same time, Google and Microsoft are reshaping their ad ecosystems. Google Ads now provides real placement data inside the “Where ads showed” report, offering visibility into search partners and display networks that were previously opaque.

Microsoft is expanding multi-image Shopping ads on Bing and launching a structured learning path with a Credly-verified badge for marketers who complete it.

Underneath these updates is a larger infrastructure shift. AI Overviews now appear on roughly 21 percent of searches, and answer engines increasingly pull from forums, niche publishers and well-structured tables rather than defaulting to the biggest domain.

Traditional SEO still matters, but answer engine and generative engine optimization are redefining authority. Repetition across credible sites, clear structure in the first 100 words and content AI cannot easily replicate are becoming critical if you want to be cited rather than skipped in a zero-click result.

What this means for real estate professionals

Visibility is no longer just about ranking first on Google. It’s about being cited inside AI answers that shape buyer and seller decisions before they ever click. Brokerages and agents should audit their top content, tighten structure, expand brand mentions across reputable sites and monitor ad placement data closely because the platforms determining reach and conversion are evolving faster than most marketing playbooks.

Staples finds Gen-Z momentum in the feed

Staples is getting a second look, not through a rebrand or a national ad campaign, but through a single employee with a phone.

A TikTok creator known as “Staples Baddie” is drawing millions of views by showcasing the retailer’s lesser-known services, from custom mugs and oversized banners to direct mail tools and rewards programs. Her mix of ASMR walkthroughs, crowd-sourced product demos and tongue-in-cheek commentary is reframing Staples as a creative playground rather than a tired office supply chain.

Instead of leading with corporate messaging, the content leans into authenticity and niche culture. Junk journaling supplies, custom print hacks and even honest breakdowns of services like iPostal1 are presented in a way that feels native to Gen Z.

The result is organic reach that traditional campaigns rarely achieve. A struggling legacy retailer suddenly looks relevant because someone inside the store understands how to translate operations into culture.

What this means for real estate professionals

Attention no longer hinges on polished brand campaigns. It can come from one credible voice who knows the product and the platform. Brokerages should look beyond scripted marketing and consider how agents, staff or even clients might showcase behind-the-scenes services, local knowledge or unexpected value in a way that feels platform-native. In a fragmented media environment, cultural fluency often outperforms budget.

Meta pulls Messenger back into Facebook

Meta is shutting down messenger.com in April 2026, folding web-based messaging back into Facebook itself. Users will be redirected to facebook.com/messages, while the standalone Messenger desktop app for Windows and Mac, retired last year, will not return. The mobile Messenger app will remain, including for users without a Facebook account, but the separate web destination is going away.

On the surface, the move reduces the number of platforms Meta has to maintain. Strategically, it signals a shift in the company’s long-running messaging roadmap. For years, Meta outlined plans to integrate Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram Direct into a unified back-end infrastructure, enabling a cross-platform inbox.

Yet in recent years, messaging has been reintegrated into the main Facebook app, and Threads launched with its own DM system, raising questions about how committed Meta remains to full integration.

The timing also follows Meta’s legal win against the Federal Trade Commission, which had sought to force divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp. Some analysts previously speculated that deeper technical integration could complicate any forced breakup. With that pressure eased, Meta may no longer see the same need for a tightly fused messaging back end.

What this means for real estate professionals

Platform strategy can shift quickly, even for the largest tech companies. Agents and brokerages that rely on Messenger for client communication should ensure their workflows are aligned with Facebook’s main interface and mobile app, and stay alert to further changes in how Meta structures messaging across its ecosystem. Control over audience access increasingly sits with the platform, not the publisher.

Meta’s digital afterlife patent raises new questions

Meta has secured a patent describing how a large language model could simulate a user’s social media activity, effectively creating a digital stand-in when someone is inactive or deceased. The filing, titled “Simulation of a user of a social networking system using a language model,” outlines how AI could be trained on a person’s historical posts, comments and interactions to generate responses that mirror their voice and behavior.

The idea builds on Meta’s long-running efforts around digital legacy management. Facebook introduced memorialized accounts in 2009 and later added “legacy contact” controls. During its metaverse push, executives openly discussed avatar-based representations of deceased users, an initiative reportedly known internally as Project Lazarus.

While Meta says it has no plans to launch the patent’s example, the filing signals how seriously the company is exploring AI-driven continuity.

The rationale extends beyond sentiment. The patent references maintaining community engagement and addressing platform mechanics, including how ad systems treat accounts that remain technically active. A simulated presence could keep conversations going, even as it raises complex ethical, emotional and regulatory concerns about consent and authenticity.

What this means for real estate professionals

Digital presence does not end when someone stops posting. As platforms experiment with AI-driven continuity, questions around data ownership, consent and brand voice will only intensify. Agents and brokers should think carefully about who controls their content archives, how their likeness and voice could be used by platforms, and what digital legacy planning means in an era where AI can replicate identity as easily as it curates it.

ChatGPT begins testing ads in the feed

OpenAI is beginning to test ads inside ChatGPT for logged-in adult users on its Free and Go tiers in the U.S., while Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education subscriptions will remain ad-free. The company says ads will be clearly labeled, visually separated from responses and will not influence answers. Conversations will remain private, with advertisers receiving only aggregated performance data such as views and clicks.

The test reflects a broader monetization shift. As generative AI becomes infrastructure for learning, shopping and decision-making, maintaining free access requires significant investment. OpenAI says ads are intended to support wider access to more advanced features, while offering users the option to upgrade or opt out of ads in exchange for reduced free usage.

During the trial, ad relevance will be determined by conversation topics and prior interactions, though ads will not appear near sensitive areas such as health, mental health or politics, and will not be shown to users under 18.

The company is positioning conversational advertising as a new format altogether, where sponsored listings surface during moments of active research or comparison. OpenAI says answer independence, privacy protections and user controls, including the ability to delete ad data and manage personalization, will remain central as the program evolves.

What this means for real estate professionals

If conversational AI becomes an ad-supported discovery layer, it could reshape how consumers encounter products and services during high-intent moments. Agents and brokerages should monitor how sponsored placements appear in AI interfaces and consider how their brands might participate responsibly, while also paying close attention to how paid visibility and organic answers coexist in a tool many clients increasingly trust for advice.

TL;DR (Too Long, Didn’t Read)

Chatbots are sending higher-intent traffic, and AI citations are becoming as important as Google rankings — optimize for structure, repetition and extractable answers.
A single employee turned Staples into a Gen Z obsession — authentic, platform-native voices can outperform polished campaigns.
Meta is folding Messenger back into Facebook — platform infrastructure can shift quickly, so align your communication workflows accordingly.
Meta’s digital afterlife patent signals AI-generated identity may extend beyond life — start thinking about content ownership and legacy control now.
ChatGPT is testing clearly labeled ads in free tiers — conversational AI could become a new paid discovery layer alongside organic answers.

Control over discovery as AI answers replace blue links. Control over brand narrative as creators outperform corporate campaigns. Control over messaging infrastructure as platforms consolidate. And even control over identity as AI blurs the line between presence and permanence.

Audit where you show up, how you’re cited, who speaks for your brand and which channels you truly own. The professionals who adapt early won’t just keep up — they’ll shape what visibility looks like next.

Each week on Trending, digital marketer Jessi Healey dives into what’s buzzing in social media and why it matters for real estate professionals. From viral trends to platform changes, she’ll break it all down so you know what’s worth your time — and what’s not.

Jessi Healey is a freelance writer and social media manager specializing in real estate. Find her on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, or Bluesky.

Topics: social media Show Comments Hide Comments Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments Sign me up By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman. Success! Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines. Read Next