The Man Who Laughed at Bill Gates and the New Age of Marketing
Today, billions of people live on the “personal pages” Gates talked about: Instagram profiles, LinkedIn accounts, personal blogs… all part of that vision. Now, in 2025, we’re at a similar turning point. This time, the idea people are laughing at is “AI-powered personalized marketing.” But history has taught us this: being on the laughing side usually means missing the future.
The Keyword Era Is Over
The past 20 years were shaped by playing a game according to Google’s rules. People searched for things like “cheap shoes” or “best phone”, and we tried to rank high on those keywords. But there was a problem: it was shallow. If someone typed “running shoes”, we knew what they wanted, but not why they wanted it, in what context, what their budget was, or what their needs were.
Worse still, after luring users in with the perfect ad, they often landed on a soulless, generic website. It was as if we were saying, “We brought you this far, now you’re on your own.” That disconnect was one of marketing’s biggest blind spots.
What Do the Numbers Say?
Google Trends (2025): Keyword-based searches are still popular, but natural language queries (e.g., “recommend shoes for knee pain”) have increased by 40% in the past two years.
McKinsey (2024): Personalized marketing campaigns deliver 10–30% higher conversion rates compared to generic ones.
People Aren’t “Searching” Anymore—They’re Talking
In 2025, search bars are giving way to conversations. Instead of typing “running shoes”, people tell their AI assistants something like:
“I run three times a week in the park, and my knees hurt. My budget is 2000 TL. Can you recommend comfortable shoes that protect my joints?”
This isn’t a search—it’s a story. It contains context, needs, budget, and emotion. And this is the very “one-to-one communication” marketers have dreamed of for years, now becoming reality.
Why Does It Matter?
Statista (2025): 62% of users expect brands to deliver personalized experiences.
Traditional marketing sees conversion rates of 1–3%. Personalized approaches push that to 15–25%. With AI-powered one-to-one targeting, conversion rates could theoretically approach 50%.
Websites Aren’t Dying—They’re Evolving
So, are traditional websites becoming obsolete? Not at all. But they are evolving into something very different. The websites of the future won’t be static showcases; they’ll be dynamic, personalized experience hubs.
Example: While chatting with an AI assistant, a user asks, “How do I know if these shoes will help with knee pain?” The assistant directs them to a page created specifically for that moment. The page includes an interactive video answering their questions, technical details about joint support, and recommendations tailored to their running habits. Not the same for everyone—personalized for that individual.
Winners: Those Who Learn from Data
The future of marketing doesn’t belong to those who design the prettiest pages, but to those who learn what really works. AI delivers different experiences to different users—and analyzes the outcomes.
Example: A shoe brand uses AI to show 100 different users 100 different pages. For some, “lightweight” is emphasized; for others, “cushioning technology.” Which drove more sales? Which made customers happier? Brands that collect and analyze this data will leave competitors behind.
Real-World Example
Nike (2024): Nike’s AI-powered “Nike By You” platform boosted sales by 25% by offering personalized shoe designs tailored to each user’s style and needs (Forbes, 2024).
What Did We Learn from the Laughter of 1995?
In 1995, the audience who laughed at Bill Gates probably opened Facebook accounts years later, started blogs, and shopped on e-commerce sites. Their skepticism turned into undeniable reality.
Today, the idea of “a unique experience for every conversation” might sound exaggerated to some. But the tracks for this train are already laid. Soon, marketing will mean talking to each person in their own language, tailored to their needs, at exactly the right time. These conversations will be crowned with personalized digital experiences.
Back in 1995, being on the laughing side of the studio meant missing out. Today, it makes far more sense to be on the side shaping this new reality—because this shift is inevitable, and it’s already underway.
