The following is a summarized breakdown of our recent webinar presented by Marina Petrova, CEO and Co-Founder of Intentful, on February 25, 2026. A full video recording of the session is included below.
How AI Reads Your Destination Brand
There is a lot of noise surrounding AI right now, but for Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), the most critical shift is understanding how AI interprets your brand. It goes far beyond traditional search.
- AI reads code, not visuals: AI systems do not see your beautiful photography or your ad campaigns. They read the underlying HTML.
- Modular websites are a blind spot: Most DMO websites are built with modular, widget-based content blocks. Unfortunately, these structures often cause the page to appear entirely blank to AI systems because the contextual hierarchy is lost.
- Structure precedes content: Before overhauling your copy, ensure your web development team is optimizing your page structure for AI readability.
- Long-form content wins: As a practical workaround for current website limitations, prioritize long-form content like blogs. AI systems can easily digest and extract information from this format.
- Your brand is distributed: AI stochastically (randomly) pulls from thousands of external sources to define your brand. You must ensure accurate, consistent representation across partner sites, publishers, and earned media, not just your owned website.
The Rise of Interactive Destinations
The advertising landscape is evolving rapidly as AI platforms begin to monetize their massive user bases.
- The new ad landscape: ChatGPT has introduced ads. While currently impression-based, they are targeted based on conversational context (without sharing user data with the advertiser).
- Moving beyond one-way broadcast: Traditional advertising speaks at customers. AI is forcing a transition from capturing ad impressions to facilitating real-time, two-way customer interactions.
- Intentful's Generative Response Ads: We are the ones who initiated the shift from speaking at customers to speaking with them. We have now launched Generative Response Ads (also known as interactive ads) with multiple DMOs. While it is still early, this is definitely a game changer for shortening the path to engagement and action. Intentful has a global patent pending for this invention.
Demystifying Agentic AI
Agentic AI is currently dominating headlines, but it is important to separate the reality from the hype.
- Assistants vs. Agents: An AI assistant (like a standard website chatbot) responds to direct prompts. An AI agent is autonomous and executes multi-step actions on your behalf.
- The three pillars of agents: To function effectively, an agent requires Knowledge (access to context and data), Skills (the ability to format, rewrite, or code), and a specific Assignment.
- Start small and prioritize security: We are in the very early days of agentic AI. Start by giving agents simple, two-to-three-step tasks to improve your daily workflow. Always be cautious about the internal data and permissions you grant them.
Your 2026 Action Plan
- Prioritize structure and readability: AI doesn't see your website's visuals; it reads the underlying code. Talk to your web development team or agency to ensure your site's structure is actually readable by AI systems.
- Prepare for interactivity: Begin transitioning your digital strategy to support interactive, conversational engagements across all channels.
- Experiment safely: Don't ignore AI agents, but adopt them thoughtfully with a strict focus on privacy and data security.