AI search transforming how consumers choose brands
The increasing use of AI means that marketers must ensure their brand is retrievable across the wider digital ecosystem that AI systems rely on. Research by World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) shows that 96% believe that AI-generated search will have a transformational or significant impact on the way consumers discover and choose their brands .
The 27 brands that contributed to the survey – representing a cumulative global ad spend of approximately $31bn – also acknowledge they have work to do to meet that challenge, WFA says.
“Just 6% currently have a clear strategy, ownership and measurement framework to ensure AI visibility, with 92% actively developing or closely monitoring developments.”
“Part of the issue for many is the diffuse nature of the corporate responsibility, with 43% sharing ownership across multiple teams, and the rest spread across content/SEO, marketing transformation, brand strategy, media and social/creator.”
The report warns that AI systems increasingly synthesise information from multiple sources, including publishers, creators, communities, retailer platforms and user-generated content, meaning that discoverability is becoming less dependent on traditional rankings and more dependent on consistency, corroboration and structured information across the wider internet.
In a report, called The Future of Discoverability: Why AI visibility is now a strategic marketing priority, WFA argues that traditional SEO and even ‘Generative Engine Optimisation’ (GEO) approaches are now insufficient.
“Instead, brands must think more broadly about AI visibility, ensuring their brand is consistently represented, validated and retrievable across the wider digital ecosystem that AI systems rely on.”
“AI-mediated discovery is fundamentally changing how consumers find and choose brands”, says Stephan Loerke, CEO at WFA. “Many marketers understand that this shift is coming, but most organisations are still in the early stages of determining what it means operationally.
”The report also recommends that brands establish cross-functional governance models, define source-of-truth brand information, monitor AI-generated outputs and develop escalation processes for inaccurate or misleading AI representations.
“Brands now need to answer to two audiences: humans and AI. AI increasingly shapes what consumers see, consider, and choose. This shift requires a broader approach to discoverability; one that aligns content, data, media, and governance around how brands are represented in AI-driven environments”, says Isabel Perry, Global EVP Strategy, DEPT.
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