AI Search – The New Brand Imperative
Part One of Seven: The Impact AI is Having on Brand Marketing.
Why Strategic Brand Investment Is Now a C-Suite Priority
AI-powered search is well on its way to reshaping how brands reach their customers. With the introduction of Google’s Al Mode, there are significant implications for brands that will undoubtedly upend the status quo. The days of relying too heavily on listings and paid search are coming to a grinding halt, setting in motion a major shakeup in the prevailing approach to brand market and lower funnel purchase dynamics. To stay ahead of the curve, we’ve launched a seven-part series that aims to identify this transformation’s real-world marketing and branding implications and carve out the right strategy to thrive during the transition.
Shift in Discovery Dynamics
Al search engines like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, Claude, and Perplexity have become so effective at answering queries that Google Search began to feel the immediate impact and was forced to introduce Al Mode to keep pace. Al Mode offers distilled observations instead of listing links, which means that paid search no longer captures the same level of attention. Instead of a series of paid ads, users receive a summarized answer. While they can still probe deeper and scroll further to find those sources, the process is no longer seamless, and brand discovery has been disrupted. Now, with fewer websites listed prominently, it’s much harder for brands to achieve differentiation. This weakens the effect of traditional SEO on brand recognition and has led to a decline in brand attribution. With fewer clicks to websites, the visibility and differentiation that came from strong SEO optimized websites are diminished. This erodes the organic awareness brands previously gained.
Reduced Reliance on Lower-Funnel Tactics
As a consequence, brands can no longer rely so heavily on mid and lower-funnel tactics. Instead, they must seek to establish brand awareness beyond simply hoping people will find them through search. This places greater importance on garnering broader awareness and building a stronger, more differentiated brand promoted in diverse ways. This shift requires a focus on optimizing for Al search, which effectively means generating content that provides expert authority and structured data that lends itself naturally to Al consumption. It also means making a sustained investment in upper- and mid-funnel activities, ranging from thought leadership and PR partnerships to editorial SEO and influencer content that falls within the range Al pulls from.
New Pressures on Brand Differentiation
The flattening of product and service comparisons also prompts brands to double down on clear differentiation. This boils down to a return to basics, with an emphasis on creating distinctive brand strategies and messaging and carving out a robust brand voice that articulates clear benefits. Furthermore, as Al models train on broad web data, it’s even more critical now to control owned and earned content. Brands must wrest control of their narrative as much as possible, whether through review sites or social channels.
Rise of “Searchless” Discovery
As Al agents evolve, they may bypass search entirely, which means that verified reviews, product specs, and third-party validation come into renewed focus. Building relationships with platforms and APIs that fuel these agents becomes essential in an effort to put their stamp on the ecosystem. Rather than getting bogged down in paid search bidding wars, brands must shift their resources to generating content that feeds LLMs and voice agents.
Conclusion
While traditional lower-funnel tactics won’t completely disappear, Al search will undoubtedly reduce the effectiveness of paid search. In its place, brands must recommit to maintaining unique and differentiated positionings, identities, and messaging. The perennial value of brand storytelling and authoritative content that captures Al’s attention is quickly becoming a new imperative. Brands must broaden their gaze from a focus on clicks to a commitment to differentiation, reliability, and credibility.
This was part one of a seven-part series. Stay tuned, there’s a lot to cover.
Written By: David Kessler
Starfish is a branding and creative communications agency that ignites powerful customer connections through the discipline of brand experience.
David Kessler
Starfish CEO | Global Marketing Executive | Brand Strategist
