The Places Change. The Lesson Doesn't.

One of my favorite parts about traveling isn't necessarily the destination.

It's seeing how people do things differently.

Spend enough time traveling and you start noticing little things. What works in Los Angeles doesn't always work in New York. What catches people's attention in a major city might be completely ignored somewhere else. Some restaurants stay packed without much advertising. Others have incredible locations and somehow remain empty.

I've walked through cities where everybody seems to be moving 100 miles an hour, and I've spent time in places where business still happens over a handshake and a long conversation.

After more than a decade in marketing, I can't help but pay attention to it.

And there is one lesson I keep bringing home:

People change. Markets change. The way people discover businesses changes. The companies paying attention usually have more time to adapt.

That's why I'm paying attention to ChatGPT Ads.

Advertising Has Always Followed Behavior

Think about the last 25 years.

Google became incredibly valuable because people started searching for what they wanted.

Facebook and Instagram became advertising giants because people started spending enormous amounts of time scrolling and discovering.

YouTube and TikTok showed us the power of watching and storytelling.

Now people are doing something slightly different.

They're asking.

And that's a bigger shift than I think some business owners realize.

Someone might search Google for:

“Best real estate agent Los Angeles.”

But that same person could ask ChatGPT:

“I'm thinking about selling my house in Los Angeles. It needs some work, I don't want it sitting for six months, and I'm trying to decide whether I should renovate before listing it. What should I do?”

That's not just a keyword.

That's a situation.

There is intent behind it.

For a marketer, that's incredibly interesting.

Traveling Taught Me to Watch What Locals Do

Whenever I visit somewhere new, I've learned not to spend all my time looking at the tourist attractions.

Watch the locals.

Where are they eating?

Where are they shopping?

What neighborhoods are growing?

What businesses stay busy?

Where are people actually spending their time?

You learn much more about a place by observing behavior than by reading a brochure about it.

Marketing works the same way.

Businesses sometimes become so focused on where customers used to be that they don't notice where customer behavior is moving.

I'm not suggesting abandoning Google.

I'm certainly not suggesting turning off a profitable Facebook campaign because AI is the newest thing.

I'm saying:

Watch the customer.

If your customers change how they research, compare and make decisions, your marketing eventually has to change with them.

Being Early Isn't About Bragging Rights

I've also learned something else traveling.

Some of the best places I've visited were places I discovered before everybody started talking about them.

A few years later, you go back.

Now there's a line.

Reservations are difficult.

Prices have changed.

Everybody discovered it.

Advertising platforms can develop similarly.

Being early doesn't guarantee cheaper leads, better results or some secret advantage. I wouldn't promise a client any of those things.

The real advantage of being early is much simpler:

You get time to learn.

You can test your messaging.

Learn which questions matter.

Improve your landing pages.

Understand lead quality.

Figure out what works before the platform becomes something your competitors are all discussing.

That's valuable.

Here's Something You Can Do Today

Forget ChatGPT Ads for a minute.

Take out your phone or a piece of paper and answer one question:

What would somebody ask right before they needed my company?

Not what would they search.

What would they ask?

If you're a realtor:

"Should I sell my house before buying another one?"

If you're a contractor:

"Should I repair my roof or replace it?"

If you're a business owner:

"How do I generate more qualified leads without wasting money?"

Those questions tell you what your customers are actually trying to solve.

Build your marketing around those problems, regardless of which platform you're advertising on.

That's valuable today on Google.

It's valuable on social media.

And I believe it becomes even more important as conversational advertising develops.

Don't Chase AI. Chase Relevance.

This is probably the biggest lesson.

I don't care about running ChatGPT Ads simply so Flores Marketing Firm can say we're running ChatGPT Ads.

That's not strategy.

I care about understanding whether we can put the right business in front of the right person during a meaningful moment, and measure whether it actually produces a business result.

Sometimes a new marketing channel deserves investment.

Sometimes the old one still wins.

Our responsibility as marketers is figuring out which is which.

Don't chase technology because it's new. Pay attention to technology because your customers are using it.

That's a very different mindset.

The Road Keeps Changing

Travel has taught me not to assume the next place will operate exactly like the last one.

Business has taught me the same thing.

Google changed advertising.

Social media changed it again.

Video changed it again.

And now conversational AI may represent another meaningful shift.

I don't know exactly where this road ends.

Nobody does.

But after more than a decade in marketing, I've learned that you don't have to know the destination to recognize when the road is changing.

You just have to pay attention early enough to decide whether it's worth taking.

The places change. The platforms change. The lesson doesn't.

Pay attention to where people are going.

— Corey Flores
Founder, Flores Marketing Firm

Is Your Business Ready to Test ChatGPT Ads?

Flores Marketing Firm is helping businesses evaluate how conversational advertising may fit alongside their existing Google, social and digital marketing strategies.

We'll look at the questions your customers are asking, your offer, landing experience and measurement strategy—and determine whether this is a channel worth testing for your business.

Don't advertise somewhere simply because it's new. Be there because your customer has a reason to be there.

ChatGPT advertising products, eligibility and features continue to evolve. Advertising results are not guaranteed. Flores Marketing Firm is an independent marketing firm and is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI.