Garrett Johnson
Garrett Johnson is the Boston University marketing professor interviewed in The challenges of integrating ads in AI search engines about AI Search Advertising. He argues that AI search and chatbot platforms cannot simply copy classic internet advertising because they still need to win users, attract advertisers away from mature platforms, and build ad infrastructure with enough scale and conversion feedback.
Johnson’s main contribution to the wiki is to connect AI monetization to ad-market design. His frame links user trust, advertiser onboarding, shopping data, personalization flywheels, and Generative Engine Optimization into one commercial problem.
How "surveillance pricing" charges one online customer more than another for the same item adds Johnson to the Surveillance Pricing branch. He says price discrimination can benefit some consumers and disadvantage others, and suggests that shoppers trying to compare prices may need to hide identity signals through incognito browsing, another device, or changed network conditions.
Connections
- Boston University - academic affiliation named in the episode.
- Marketplace Tech and Megan McCarty-Corino - show and host context.
- AI Search Advertising - central topic of the interview.
- Perplexity, OpenAI, Google, Meta, Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify - platform and commerce context discussed in the episode.
- Generative Engine Optimization and Search Advertising Decline - adjacent AI visibility and search monetization themes.
- Surveillance Pricing, AI Consumer Decision Shaping, and Platform Data Regulation - personalized pricing and comparison-opacity branch added by the January 2026 episode.