How I Bought a Laptop Without Googling Anything

I recently upgraded from a 5-year-old laptop to a new one. The upgrade itself is not the story. The way I bought it is.

This time, I never ran a single Google search.

Me working on my newly purchased laptop

How I Used to Shop for Laptops in 2020

When I bought my previous laptop during COVID, the process was entirely self-directed:

• Googled "best laptops under MYR 4,000" and clicked through multiple review sites
• Opened multiple tabs across different websites to cross-compare specs
• Searched YouTube manually for reviews and benchmark videos of shortlisted models
• Manually mapped my needs against each model: battery life, processing power, weight, price
• Made the final call myself, after weeks of piecing information together

Every source handed me raw data. I did all the connecting work. The decision was entirely mine to wrestle with.

How I Shopped in 2026 (based on my actual purchase journey)

This time, I used Grok and had a single, evolving conversation. I had set a budget of around MYR 3,000 to MYR 3,500 with roughly MYR 100 to 200 flexibility either way, and I told it how I planned to use the machine: general productivity, light multitasking, portability.

Here is how the actual conversation went, in sequence:

• Processor comparison first. I took a picture of some laptop specs from a store of the laptops I was eyeing on. Fed it to Grok and it gave me a structured breakdown on performance, power efficiency, and which was better value for my use case, not just raw benchmarks.
• Adding more options. I then introduced additional models into the same conversation one by one. Rather than me building a spreadsheet, Grok folded each new option into an evolving comparison, ranking them by real-world performance for tasks like browsing, Office work, and light multitasking.
• Benchmarking against what I already had. I told Grok the specs of my current (older) laptop. It immediately placed my old machine in the context of all the options I was comparing, showing me exactly how large the performance gap would be and where I would actually feel it day to day.
• Evaluating a second-hand alternative. I also asked whether a second-hand business laptop with good RAM and storage was worth considering. Grok weighed it against the new options within my MYR budget range, factoring in resale value, battery age risk, and the generational performance gap. It was a real trade-off analysis, not a generic pros and cons list.
• Raising compatibility concerns. I had read that the laptop I was leaning towards had potential printing issues. Rather than searching Reddit or tech forums myself, I asked Grok directly. It confirmed the concern existed for some older drivers, explained what was resolved, and flagged what I needed to do after purchase to avoid issues.
• Confirming the final pick. I shared the exact listing for the laptop I was considering and asked Grok to confirm this was the model it had been recommending throughout. It was. So, I bought it.

The whole process was one focused session. No tabs. No separate YouTube search. When I wanted to see the laptop in action, Grok pointed me to relevant review videos directly, so I watched them without ever opening YouTube on my own.

What This Means for Brands

Here is what did not happen during my entire purchase journey:

• I did not visit any brand's website
• I did not click a single sponsored search ad
• I did not see a retargeting banner
• I did not land on a brand-owned blog post about "best laptops for productivity"
• I did not find a YouTube review through YouTube search

The brand's digital marketing presence, paid and organic, was invisible to me. And I still bought the product.

This is the problem for brands. Most marketing budgets are built around a search-and-browse journey. A growing segment of buyers is now skipping that journey entirely.

What AEO and GEO Mean (And Why They Matter Now)

Two disciplines are becoming critical:

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is about structuring your content so that AI tools like Grok, ChatGPT, and Perplexity surface your brand when someone asks a direct question. Not "laptops" as a keyword, but "what is the best laptop under MYR 3,500 for productivity and portability." AEO is about being the answer, not just a ranked result.

Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) goes further. It ensures your product information appears accurately and favourably in what AI systems generate when comparing brands or making recommendations. If the AI has strong, consistent, structured data about your product, you show up. If it does not, no SEM budget rescues you.

SEM and SEO were built for a world where buyers open a search engine. AEO and GEO are built for a world where they skip it.

Should Brands Still Invest in SEM?

Yes, but with a clear-eyed view of where it still earns its keep:

• Bottom-of-funnel, high-intent searches where buyers have already decided and are comparing prices or looking for a specific retailer. These searches still happen on Google.
• Remarketing to audiences who encountered your brand through another channel.
• Niche or technical products where AI tools have thinner or less reliable coverage.
• Audiences not yet on AI research tools, which varies by age group, market, and product category.

What SEM is losing is the discovery and consideration phase. If someone starts their laptop research by asking AIinstead of Googling, your paid search budget has zero chance of intercepting them at that stage.

Where to Shift the Investment

• Structured, factual product content. AI systems surface what they can retrieve and verify. Detailed spec pages, clear product descriptions, and accurate third-party coverage feed AI recommendations directly. Keyword-stuffed landing pages built for search rankings do not.
• Earned media and PR. When multiple credible sources describe your product consistently, AI systems reflect that back. The PR function, long underinvested relative to paid search, becomes a core input into AI recommendation quality.
• Comparison-ready content. Content that directly answers "how does Product A compare to Product B for use case X" is exactly what AI systems draw from when generating comparisons. Write for that question format, not just for keyword ranking.
• FAQ and pre-purchase concern content. During my research, I asked Grok directly whether the laptop I was considering had printer compatibility issues. Grok could answer because structured content addressing exactly that concern existed somewhere online. Brands that publish clear FAQ pages covering common objections, compatibility questions, and "will this work with X" scenarios are giving AI systems the precise, retrieval-ready answers buyers ask before committing. This content does not need to rank on page one of Google to matter anymore. It needs to exist in a format AI can find and cite.
• Community and review ecosystems. AI pulls from forums, Reddit threads, and user-generated content. Brands that encourage genuine, specific user feedback are indirectly feeding AI recommendation systems.
• YouTube content. My research included video reviews, but I got there because Grok linked me directly to relevant videos. Being present in video review content still matters; the path to it has just changed. Brands that invest in seeding credible third-party video reviews are feeding both the AI recommendation layer and the viewing that follows it.

The Shift in Plain Terms

The research is still happening. The buyers are still doing their homework. What has changed is where that homework gets done, and who shows up in it.

The laptop I bought showed up in my Grok conversation because it had strong, consistent coverage across sources an AI system can draw from. The brand's SEM presence had nothing to do with it.

For brands still allocating most of their digital spend to paid search, the question is not whether this shift is coming. It is how much of the funnel it has already moved.

Key Takeaways

• AI-assisted research is already changing where discovery happens. Buyers are skipping the Google search entirely and going straight to AI tools for comparison, recommendation, and shortlisting. SEM cannot intercept a journey that never touches a search engine.
• AEO and GEO are not optional additions to SEO strategy. They determine whether your brand surfaces in AI-generated answers. If your product is not in what AI systems retrieve and recommend, you are invisible to a growing segment of buyers.
• SEM still earns its place at the bottom of the funnel. High-intent, price-comparison searches and remarketing remain valid use cases. Pull back on reliance on SEM for discovery and consideration among audiences who now start their research with AI.
• Structured, third-party-validated content is the new priority. Clear product specs, credible external reviews, and community-generated specificity are what AI systems draw from. Content built purely for keyword ranking does not translate into AI retrieval.
• Invest upstream in earned media, PR, and video. Consistent, accurate coverage across credible sources, including YouTube, is how your brand enters the AI recommendation layer. The channel that influences what AI says about you when a buyer asks is where the budget needs to go.

What about you? Have your purchase journey changed with the emergence of AI? Leave a comment to let me know.

I Automated My SEO Content. My Team Finally Stopped Complaining

Working in an AI company, using AI isn’t optional. It’s expected. It's a way of life!

So naturally, I started looking beyond just using AI for outputs. I wanted to see how it could improve the way we work. Not just faster outcomes, but smarter workflows.

I'm in a way blessed that I have a coding background, so I decided to experiment with something simple but powerful, using Google Apps Script. It’s free, flexible, and surprisingly capable if you know your way around it. I also used a combination of Claude and Minimax-M2.7 to troubleshoot and fix my code.

Me and my team now when AI and automation did all the work for us

The Problem: Content Creation Fatigue

If you’ve ever worked in marketing, you know this pain.

Coming up with SEO content ideas consistently is exhausting. Not because tools don’t exist, but because the process is fragmented:

• You brainstorm topics
• You validate keywords
• You refine prompts
• You generate content
• You edit and structure everything

Yes, AI can write. But good content still needs:

• Relevance to your brand
• Alignment with your domain expertise
• Proper structure for SEO and readability

Even with tools like Semrush helping identify keyword trends and competitor gaps, the team still had to “figure things out” every single time.

So I asked a simple question:

What if we could automate the entire workflow?

The Solution: A Lightweight Content Automation Engine

I built a simple system that connects Google Sheets, Semrush, and Gemini into one streamlined pipeline.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Input the Idea

The team just fills in a “Topic” column in Google Sheets.
Think of it as the marketing angle or content idea.

That’s it. No prompting gymnastics required.

Step 2: Automate Keyword Intelligence

Using Google Apps Script:

• The script runs twice a week
• It reads new topics from the sheet
• Connects to Semrush via API
• Pulls relevant and trending keywords

No manual keyword research. No switching tabs like a caffeinated octopus.

Step 3: Generate Structured SEO Content

This is where Gemini comes in. By combining those keywords from Semrush together with the given topic, I designed a structured prompt that ensures every output follows SEO best practices:

• Strong, keyword-led title
• Meta description
• Clear introduction
• 5 to 6 structured sections
• Natural keyword integration
• FAQ section
• Conclusion with CTA
• Clean markdown output
• 1200 to 1800 words

The key here isn’t just AI generation.
It’s forcing consistency in quality and structure.

Step 4: Review and Approval Loop

Once the content is generated:

• The task is marked “Completed” on Google Sheets
• An email is triggered to me and the team
• Content is reviewed, edited, and approved before publishing

Human oversight stays in place. Just without the heavy lifting.

The Outcome: Less Friction, More Output

What used to be a messy, multi-step process is now streamlined into:

1. Input topic
2. Let automation handle the heavy work
3. Review and publish

Simple. Scalable. Repeatable.

And most importantly, the team no longer dreads content creation.

Why This Matters (Especially Now)

Search behavior is changing fast.

People are:

• Starting with AI tools
• Cross-checking via reviews, Reddit, and YouTube
• Only then visiting brand websites

Which means your content needs to be:

• Structured
• Relevant
• Easy for both humans and AI to understand

This kind of workflow doesn’t just save time.
It positions your brand to show up where decisions actually happen.

Key Takeaways You Can Apply Today

1. Don’t Just Use AI. Systemise It.

Most teams use AI as a tool.
The real advantage comes when you turn it into a process.

If your team is still manually prompting every task, you’re leaving efficiency on the table.

2. Structure Beats Creativity (At Scale)

Good content isn’t just about ideas. It’s about consistency.

A strong framework ensures:

• Better SEO performance
• Easier readability
• Higher chances of being surfaced by AI

Think of structure as your unfair advantage.

3. Reduce Friction, Not Control

Automation doesn’t mean removing humans.

It means:

• Removing repetitive work
• Keeping strategic control
• Letting your team focus on refinement, not creation

The goal isn’t to replace marketers.
It’s to make them dangerously efficient.

If you’re still treating content as a manual craft, it might be time to rethink the system.

Because in an AI-first world, speed matters.
But structured speed wins.

What about you? What's stopping you from automating your workflows?

How a $0 Sushi Meal Gained 7k+ Instagram Followers in a Few Days

A sushi restaurant in Hong Kong just pulled off what many brands dream of and most never achieve.

They went from zero to 7,610 Instagram followers in less than a week.

No giveaways spam. No “follow to win” mechanics.

Just a very clever idea and one very uncomfortable meal.

Image via ChatGPT

The Instagram account is called Sushirororo, and their growth hack was simple on paper but brilliant in execution. The account only contain 2 Reels made by Jordan Leung, better known as @69ranch, a popular Hong Kong stand-up comedian and content creator with a loyal following and sharp comedic timing.

On 6 January 2026, Sushirororo launched their Instagram page with the first Reel featuring Jordan. The premise was straightforward. Jordan challenged himself to spend HKD$1 for every follower the restaurant had.

Since the account was brand new, that meant zero followers and a total food budget of exactly zero dollars.

Video posted on 6 January had zero followers on their Instagram page

So Jordan sat down for a “meal” consisting entirely of complimentary items. Pickled ginger. Chilli powder. Soy sauce. Plain water. A wet tissue for dessert. Michelin would be rather confused.

When he asked for the bill, the waitress looked equally confused and told him he didn’t need to pay anything since he didn’t order food. Challenge completed. Pride and ego slightly bruised.

The internet loved it.

At the time of writing (7 February 2026), the post had already racked up 75,000 likes and nearly 400 comments. More importantly, people actually followed the account.

On 10 January, Sushirororo posted a second Reel.

This time, the joke escalated. At the start of the video, the account already had 7,610 followers. That meant Jordan now had to spend HKD$7,610 on sushi.

One person. One stomach. Many poor life choices.

Post on 10 January already had 7,610 followers on their Instagram account

To make it even remotely possible, Jordan stayed for both lunch and dinner and brought two friends along. Even then, the group only managed to spend slightly over HKD$4,000.

Still short.

Instead of ending the challenge there, Jordan spent the remaining balance by giving away sushi to followers, neatly closing the loop between content, community, and reward.

That second Reel pulled in another 52,000 likes and over 300 comments at time of writing.

Also at the time of writing, Sushirororo’s Instagram account crossed 17,000+ followers.

5 key takeaways:

1. The idea matters more than the budget
   This worked because the concept was simple, funny, and easy to understand in the first three seconds. No amount of media spend can save a boring idea. Creativity is still undefeated.

2. Influencer fit beats influencer size
   Jordan wasn’t just a billboard. His humor, personality, and audience aligns perfectly. Relevance always outperforms raw follower count.

3. Escalation keeps people coming back
   The second video worked because it raised the stakes. Same idea, higher tension, bigger payoff. Great social content thinks in episodes, not one-offs.

4. The brand stayed in the background on purpose
   Notice how the restaurant never hard-sold the food. The brand let the creator lead, and the audience did the rest. Sometimes the smartest move is not talking too much.

5. Community participation closes the loop
   Giving away sushi to followers wasn’t just generous. It turned passive viewers into participants. When audiences feel involved, growth stops being rented and starts becoming owned.

If this feels obvious in hindsight, that’s the point. The best social ideas usually are. They just look ridiculously hard to copy after someone else nails them first.

Also, respect to anyone who can turn pickled ginger into a growth strategy. Marketing school did not prepare us for that.

Disclaimer: At the time of writing, it wasn't clear if Jordan was collaborating with directly with sushi restaurant Sushiro.hk for the 2 viral videos.

The Sneaker Rebalance: Why My Rack (and the Market) is Shifting

For all who know me personally, know I have a passion for collecting sneakers. I have a modest collection of about 45 pairs, ranging from brands such as Nike, Adidas, New Balance, ASICS, and Puma. Most of the sneakers I have purchased are what I would consider "art pieces" as I tend to gravitate toward designs that are rare or feature unique, or unconventional colorways.

While about 74% of my collection currently consists of Nike and Adidas, I have noticed a telling trend lately. My last few purchases have all been from either New Balance or ASICS. This is no coincidence. So, I decided to dig into the data, and it turns out the sneaker world is mirroring my personal shift. We are witnessing a massive rebalancing of power in the footwear industry.

The Data Behind the Shift

If we look at the numbers from 2020 to 2024, the incumbents like Nike and Adidas are facing a momentum crisis, while the challengers are experiencing a golden age.

• Nike’s Stalling Engine: Nike remains the undisputed king in volume, but their growth has hit a plateau. In 2024, they hit a wall with near-flat revenue growth. Their stock price faced significant pressure as brand heat cooled.

• The Rise of the Underdogs: New Balance has seen staggering 20% annual growth for four consecutive years, reaching $7.8 billion in 2024. Meanwhile, ASICS has recorded record profits. Their "SportStyle" lifestyle category surged by over 50% in recent quarterly reports.

Global sneaker market revenue 2020-2024

Global Sneaker Growth Momentum

The graphs above tell two different stories: Scale vs. Momentum.

1. Scale: Nike and Adidas are still massive, earning 5–10x more than their rivals.

2. Momentum: New Balance and ASICS are growing 2–5x faster, effectively stealing market share and "cool factor" from the giants.

Global Revenue Growth by Brand (USD)

The Innovation Gap: Why Nike is Stagnating

I see three main reasons why the giant is stumbling:

1. Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Overreach: Nike cut ties with many local boutiques to force sales through their own apps. This left a physical void on store shelves. New Balance and ASICS were happy to fill that space.

2. Franchise Fatigue: Nike relied too heavily on the "Big Three", which are the Dunk, Jordan 1, and Air Force 1. By flooding the market with endless colorways, they accidentally killed the scarcity that made these shoes art pieces.

3. The Performance Exodus: Serious athletes are moving to niche brands. When the pro runner switches to ASICS for better tech, the lifestyle consumer follows the cool factor of that performance authenticity.

The New Balance Playbook: How to Build Heat

New Balance’s rise is a masterclass in strategic brand repositioning. Their momentum is a calculated mix of these 4 factors:

1. Collaborations (The Catalyst: 40%)

New Balance didn't just slap a logo on a shoe; they gave creative control to tastemakers who deeply understood street culture.

• Teddy Santis (Aimé Leon Dore): He single-handedly made the "550" the "it" shoe of 2021–2023, replacing the Nike Dunk in fashion circles.

• Joe Freshgoods: He brought storytelling and color that resonated with a younger, diverse audience that previously viewed NB as "boring."

• Action Bronson/Salehe Bembury: They proved the brand could be weird, loud, and hype-worthy.

One of the pairs in my collection, Salehe Bembury x New Balance 2002R "Water Be The Guide"

2. Trend / Aesthetics (The Fuel: 30%)

• The "Dad Shoe" Wave: The market shifted toward "Normcore" and "Gorpcore" (functional, slightly chunky, comfortable gear). New Balance didn't have to invent a fake trend; they owned this heritage.

• Right Place, Right Time: When skinny jeans died and baggy pants returned, chunky New Balance silhouettes (like the 9060, 2002R, and 990) naturally looked better with the new fashion silhouette than sleek Nikes.

3. Innovation / Product Quality (The Foundation: 20%)

• Retention: Hype gets you a customer once; comfort keeps them. The "Fresh Foam" and "FuelCell" technologies are genuinely respected by runners.

• Made in USA/UK: In an era of cheap manufacturing, their "Made in USA" line (marketed as premium quality at a higher price point) creates a "luxury" halo that justifies the hype.

4. Marketing (The Amplifier: 10%)

• "We Got Now": Their marketing didn't try to make New Balance look "cool" in a forced way. Instead, they leaned into their identity ("worn by supermodels in London and dads in Ohio").

• Athlete Selection: Signing Shohei Ohtani, Coco Gauff, and Kawhi Leonard signaled they were still a serious sports brand, not just a fashion house.

My latest pick up: New Balance 740

Final Thoughts

As a collector, I am drawn to the newness and superior comfort of my ASICS Gel-Kayano and my New Balance 740. As a researcher, I see a market that is no longer satisfied with brand heritage alone. It wants innovation, quality, and a sense of discovery.

The sneaker industry is no longer a two-horse race. It is a diverse ecosystem where the niche brands are becoming the new mainstream. My next purchase probably will not have a Swoosh or Three Stripes on it. Based on the data, yours might not either.

This video summarizes this perfectly

Interested to see my sneaker collection? 

Search for #dem0nickkicks on Instagram

Article sources:

1. NIKE, Inc. Reports Fiscal 2024 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results

2. Why Nike Stock Is Down 28% This Year (Nasdaq)

3. New Balance’s Sales Expand 20% in 2024 (SGB Media)

4. New Balance Declares Record Sales in 2024 (SATRA)

5. ASICS Integrated Report 2024

6. Asics Sees 2024 Lifestyle Footwear Sales Surge 50+ Percent (SGB Media)

7. Adidas AG Revenue 2012-2025 (Macrotrends)

8. Adidas Hails ‘Successful Year’ as Revenue Rises (SportsPro)

9. Adidas 2024 Annual Report

10. Google Gemini Deep Market Research

Shopping Without Searching? Should Retailers Be Excited or Nervous?

Google’s message in the recent NRF 2026 (National Retail Federation's "Retail's Big Show," held January 11–13, 2026, in New York City) makes one thing clear. Shopping is no longer about clicking links and hopping between tabs. It is becoming a conversation.

Future of shopping is powered by AI recommendations

With AI built directly into how people search, ask, and decide, Google wants retail to move from “find a product” to “finish the purchase” without ever leaving the chat. That is exciting. Also slightly terrifying if you are not ready.

1. Shopping Starts With a Question, Not a Website

Instead of typing “best carry-on luggage,” shoppers may ask Google’s AI something like, “I’m flying for five days, what should I pack?”

That flips the funnel upside down.

The upside:
Brands can show up earlier, when people are still figuring things out. Helpful answers build trust fast.

The downside:
If your product info is unclear or outdated, you may not show up at all. No clicks. No second chances.

2. Personalization Gets Smarter, and Creepier

Google talks about retailers offering deals or suggestions based on past purchases. Packing cubes at checkout is helpful, but recommending something you already bought last week is less impressive.

The upside:
When done well, it feels like a good store assistant. Thoughtful, relevant, and convenient.

The downside:
Do it badly and it feels like someone read your diary. Nobody wants that.

3. The Checkout Disappears Into the Conversation

With Google Pay built in, discovery, decision, and payment happen in one flow. No app switching. No forms. No friction.

The upside:
Fewer drop-offs. Faster decisions. Great news for conversion rates.

The downside:
Retailers lose some control over the brand experience. Google owns more of the journey, and that is a big trade-off.

4. Retailers Become Data Partners, Not Just Sellers

To make this work, retailers need to feed Google clean, accurate, and structured product data.

The upside:
Brands that invest early will benefit from better visibility and smarter recommendations.

The downside:
If your tech stack is messy, this future will be painful. AI is honest. Brutally honest.

5. Convenience Wins, But Differentiation Gets Harder

When everything feels seamless, brands start to look similar.

The upside:
Smaller brands can compete if their products solve real problems and are well explained.

The downside:
If your only edge is price or promotions, that edge disappears quickly.

So, Is This the Future of Retail?

Yes. But not just because Google says so.

People want less effort, fewer clicks, and better answers. AI-driven shopping delivers that. The winners will be brands that focus on clarity, usefulness, and trust, not just visibility.

In the future, the best marketing may not feel like marketing at all. It feels more like help.

And honestly, that is not a bad place for retail to land.

What do you think? Would having AI as part of your shopping journey excite you?

Why AEO Matters and Why Brands Need To Stop Relying Only on Paid Media

Most brands still pump money into ads and hope traffic magically appears. It’s like paying for express shipping when the item is still sitting in your cart. AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) fixes that problem by helping your brand show up where people actually start looking today: answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini.

Here are the five big reasons brands should take AEO seriously instead of throwing more budget into paid traffic.

1. Your customers aren’t starting on Google anymore

People now begin their journey inside AI tools, not search engines. They ask AI for answers, then cross check with human reviews, then only later do they land on a brand site. If your brand doesn’t show up in that first AI-generated answer, you basically didn’t get invited to the party.

Visitors who do discover a brand through answer engines convert 4.4 times better and faster. Yes, four point four. Paid media wishes it could do that. AI search visitors tend to convert better because LLMs can equip users with all the information they need to make a decision.

Source: semrush.com

2. AEO is SEO’s cool, more socially aware cousin

The fundamentals remain the same. If AI can’t interpret your content, it won’t cite you. AEO builds on SEO but demands better structure, better clarity and more human relevance.

That means:
• Clean HTML
• Clear headings
• Minimal JS
• Fast, stable pages
• Content sections that make sense even if AI lifts them out of context

Think of it as cleaning your house because guests might show up anytime.

3. Answer engines need answers, not fluff

AEO is powered by the questions buyers ask at every funnel stage. You’re no longer writing to please an algorithm. You’re writing to answer real people.

You need to research:
• Keyword data
• Social and forum conversations
• Chat transcripts
• Sales calls

Then build content that leads with the answer, adds depth, includes FAQs and connects back to your product naturally.

Your future customer isn’t going to scroll five paragraphs to get to the point. Neither will AI.

4. AI trusts the internet’s gossip channels

AI heavily references sources like Reddit, YouTube, Quora, review sites and editorial listicles - What I like to call "human-first channels". If your brand isn’t present, mentioned or endorsed in these places, there are lesser chances for you to make it into AI answers.

AEO requires feeding the right signals:
• Earned mentions on sites AI cites
• Social proof in human-first channels
• Strong editorial reviews
• Presence in best-of lists
• YouTube explainers or tutorials

If you’ve ever wished you could control the internet conversation about your brand, AEO gives you a legitimate excuse to try.

5. You can finally measure visibility inside AI ecosystems

AEO isn’t guesswork. Modern AEO scorecards track visibility, share of voice, citation volume and even AI-referred demand.

Brands applying AEO have seen massive jumps in citations and leads. It’s the kind of data that makes CMOs smile and finance teams suspiciously cooperative.

Final thought

Paid media will always have its place, but using ads alone is like trying to win a race with one shoe. AEO helps brands show up early in the buyer journey, stay visible in AI-generated conversations and capture higher intent traffic without endlessly inflating CPMs.

If AI is the new front door of the internet, AEO is how you get your brand on the welcome mat.

What about you? Are you already optimizing your website for AI?

Why Learning AI Isn’t Free, But Worth It

I've spent the last few weeks playing around and creating AI agents on Relay.app, and honestly? It's been eye-opening. I'm no expert yet, but even fumbling through the basics has taught me something important: learning this stuff costs money. And yet, the possibilities for marketing are huge.

Image credit: BotSpace

Nobody Tells You About the Price Tag

AI tutorials make everything look so simple and free. Spoiler alert! It's not!

First, there's the subscriptions. ChatGPT is great for brainstorming campaign ideas and mapping out content, but if you want to do anything more serious, you need the paid version. Then there are the creative tools like Google Veo 3, PixVerse and Kling. Whatever you're using to generate or animate videos. Every time you render something, tweak the resolution, or add an animation, you're burning through credits.

Want to auto-post to your social media accounts like LinkedIn or X/Twiiter? That's another layer. You'll need to mess around with APIs and webhooks, and sometimes that means paying for extra licenses or integration connectors.

And here's the kicker…nothing works perfectly the first time. You test. You break things. You test again. Each attempt eats up more credits. The costs add up fast, and suddenly your "free learning" project has a bill attached.

What I'm Actually Using Relay.app For

Relay.app has made this whole experiment feel more practical. It connects AI to the actual work I do in marketing, which is where things get interesting.

I can set up a workflow that triggers when a blog post goes live, use AI to create different versions of copy for various channels, and add a review step so my team can approve everything before it goes out. I can plug in APIs to connect with a CRM or ad platforms, and build conditions that let me segment audiences or personalize campaigns.

It's not magic. It's just automation that actually makes sense for marketing. Instead of manually reformatting content for five different platforms, the system does the grunt work while I focus on strategy.

What I've Built So Far

Relay.app home console. As you can see, there are errors during my runs.

Here are a few workflows I've put together:

Content amplification: When a new blog post publishes (from a website of your choosing), it automatically creates posts for LinkedIn and X with AI-generated captions tailored to each platform.

Video to post: When a YouTube video goes live, it pulls the transcript, summarizes it, and sends me a draft post to review before publishing.

Campaign variations: I can generate multiple copy versions for different audience segments, ready to drop into A/B tests.

Each one costs credits. Each one takes time to set up. But once they're running, they save me hours every week.

Sample of a workflow step using prompt to summarize a transcript from a YouTube video to social posting content.

Is It Worth the Investment?

Look, not gonna lie. This isn't cheap. But for marketers, the return is real.

You can repurpose content across platforms in minutes instead of hours. You can segment audiences and personalize messaging without drowning in spreadsheets. You can move faster on campaigns because you're not bogged down in repetitive tasks.

I'm not trying to become some AI engineer here. I just want to understand how these tools can help me do better marketing at scale. Every workflow I build clarifies how automation can boost efficiency and results.

Learning AI costs money, sure. But it feels like I'm building something that'll give me an edge down the road. And in marketing, that edge matters.

What about you? Have you try bulding an AI Agent? Let me know!

P/S: This is not a paid article by relay.app

How You Should Use QR Codes Again

Using of QR codes in Malaysia during lockdown

If you currently live in Malaysia, when was the last time you used or scanned a QR code? Chances are that you’ve scanned one as recent as yesterday or in the last week. But if I were to ask you the same question 6 months ago, you’d probably say not in the last month or not in a while. QR codes or Quick Response codes have been around since the 1990s, yet the culture of scanning QR codes never quite took off in Malaysia, until lately.

Various use of QR codes found outside retail outlets

Malaysians never had the need to scan QR codes as it requires an additional step of downloading QR code scanners into their devices as most phones don’t come pre-installed with one. Unlike countries like China, where QR codes are used for almost everything, QR codes in Malaysia are mainly used for e-wallet transactions in the past 2 years, and even that, most Malaysians prefer using cash at point-of-sale especially people of the older demographic.

However, I foresee that trend changing in the next 6 months to 1 year. This is because, post lockdown in Malaysia, most businesses require you to scan one before you can enter their premise as it’s a mandatory requirement by the Malaysian government in order to do contact tracing of everyone who has visited a certain premise. Sure, there are still those who choose to use a traditional pen and paper to record their whereabouts, but over time, I would think those who do will eventually switch to scanning a QR code to leave their contact details as it is not only time saving, but it’s also more hygienic (you don’t know who has touched that pen previously). To sort of validate this theory, I try to look at how many people left their contact details on the book provided at the supermarket entrance where I make my weekly grocery runs. I noticed that the list gets shorter each week I go. I don’t think this is caused by lower traffic volume to the supermarket, because I go to the same supermarket each week at approximately the same time, and the queue is roughly the same each week I go there. ­­This could mean that lesser people are leaving their contact details on the book and more of them are scanning the QR code at the entrance.

Another data point is when I did a Google Trend search on QR code scanners, and no surprises that you see a huge uptick of searches during and post lockdown periods.

Google Trends showing searches for qr code scanners

So, how and what can use QR codes for? While there are a ton of usage for QR codes, here are some I find relevant to Malaysia.

Digital Payments

Payment options available via QR codes

E-wallets are set to accelerate in the coming years in Malaysia. In its effort to make Malaysia a cashless nation, the government has launched e-Tunai Rakyat (People’s e-Money) initiative back in January 2020, which saw a disbursement of RM450mil to qualified citizens to boost e-wallet usage. This saw the government pre-loading a small sum of digital cash into an e-wallet of choice to citizens for free. Think of it as a free e-wallet starter kit. With the increased number of new users on e-wallets, the usage of QR codes are also set to increase.

Tracking of Product Information

Ever picked up a packaged product and noticed a QR code on the packaging? I bet not many would know that there are QR codes on consumer products as well. It has always been there, but not many of Malaysians know of its existence to begin with. Again, this goes back to the lack of a scanning culture here in Malaysia. Some of these codes will lead you to pages to know more about a certain product, some just directs you to the brand’s website.

Product information after scanning of QR code

At Abbott for example, we use QR codes on our packaging for 2 reasons; the first allows consumers to check and track the authenticity of our products, from batch number, manufacturing date, date of arrival in Malaysia, source of milk and expiry date. The second usage would be to reward our consumers with loyalty points through Abbott’s loyalty program. We’ve been having these QR codes since late last year and now we see scan rates being up due to the QR code scanning trend being on the rise as well.

e-Brochures / e-Catalogues

e-catalogues in the form of PDFs can now be obtain by simply scanning a QR code

Again, with more and more people opting for lesser face-to-face interactions, it would be hard for brands to or businesses to promote their products in stores. Brochures and catalogues are mainly used as a sales tool by promoters to aid selling. As many businesses are cutting back on cost as well as staff in light of Covid-19, paying for promoters to be in the store as well as paying for printed brochures and catalogues are becoming somewhat a luxury. However, brochures and catalogues can still play a part in stores, just that it has become digital. I recently went to a pharmacy that used to hand out single page promotional catalogues of their on-sale items. Instead, they now recommend you to scan a QR code to get the promotion catalogue of the month. I see this becoming more apparent in coming months as brands and businesses cut back on printing cost. It could be that the next time you visit places like Ikea or a car showroom, you can no longer get a printed catalogue.

Tracking Media Effectiveness and Traffic

It has always been a pain to justify the effectiveness when it comes to out-of-home and point-of-sale media. But if you have unique QR codes that are tagged to locations and medium, you can measure scan rates or number of scans to see how effective your advertising is in those locations. Of course, for your ads to be effective in this, there needs to be a call-to-action on your ad itself to get viewers to scan. You can then analyze which ads and locations are more effective in driving actions for your brand, which then enables you to make decisions to optimize on which location you would put your next advertising dollar on.

App to Web Authentication

Mobile apps are now using QR codes for 2 step authentications

If your brand has a mobile app, and also has a website that requires a login, one of the ways to skip the login process (without you needing to remember and re-keying in the username and password) is to have QR code authentications. Online banking providers such as Citi now encourages you to download their app to use it as an authentication to login to their website. This somewhat offers the customer the convenience of not forgetting their username and password. Apps like Whatsapp also require you to also scan a QR code as a form of authentication in order to use the web version.

Virtual Retail

Virtual store in the subway in South Korea. Scan a QR code to purchase items while waiting for your ride home

This was a smart store in a South Korean subway station that featured a large digital screen of products by Tesco. Using an app, people would scan what they would like to purchase and add to their shopping cart on their app. Just like how you would if you go to an actual supermarket. Once they have completed selecting the products, they can then checkout those items and get them delivered to their homes. It’s a time saver especially for people on the go who do not have time to purchase essential items or groceries. Imagine the same execution being applied to fashion and the F&B industries. Believe it or not, this was done in 2011. But in a time where social distancing is highly encouraged, and face-to-face contact is to be limited, having such an execution isn’t too farfetched. 

In summary, if you’re a brand or business, start to consider integrating QR codes as part of your products and services. If you’re still skeptical on whether or not enough people will scan QR codes, the above examples clearly shows that there is an increase in trend and application in Malaysia. And with more people aware of how to scan QR codes and how they work, you will definitely see a scanning culture becoming a norm in the coming future.