17/09/26

Is your brand ready for the AI search revolution?

The AI search revolution. What does this mean for brands and their marketing communications?

Why your marketing communications strategy needs to evolve

AI is changing the way people discover brands, research products and make buying decisions.

From asking ChatGPT for recommendations to using Google's AI-powered search, customers are increasingly looking for answers rather than simply searching for keywords.

So, what does this mean for brands and their marketing communications?

The question is no longer simply “Are we appearing in Google?” but “Is our brand visible and relevant when customers use AI to search, research and make decisions?”

From share of voice to AI visibility

For years, brands have measured their presence through media coverage, social engagement, website traffic, search rankings and share of voice.

These measures remain important. But as AI becomes an increasingly influential part of the customer journey, there is another consideration: AI visibility.

Are AI-powered search tools finding your content?
Do they understand what your brand stands for?
Is your expertise being recognised?
Are your products or services being found when customers ask questions relevant to your sector?

There is no magic formula for guaranteeing a place in an AI-generated answer. However, many of the fundamentals that have always underpinned effective marketing communications, strong positioning, authoritative content, relevant PR and a well-structured website, are becoming increasingly important.

How can Brookes & Co help?

At Brookes, we see AI as another reason to take a joined-up approach to marketing communications. Rather than treating AI, SEO, PR, social media, content and paid media as separate activities, we can help clients consider how they work together to build visibility and influence across the customer journey.

a) Build a strong and distinctive brand

Clear positioning and consistent messaging give customers, and increasingly AI tools, a better understanding of what a brand offers and why it is relevant. Through strategic communications, PR and content, we help brands establish their expertise, tell compelling stories and build credibility within their sectors.

b) Create useful, authoritative content

The questions customers ask are an increasingly valuable starting point for content. We can help identify the subjects and questions that matter to your audiences, then develop website content, thought leadership, social content and PR that provides useful answers and demonstrates genuine expertise.

This isn't about creating content for AI. It's about creating better content for people, content that is also easier for search engines and AI-powered tools to discover and understand.

c) Make paid media part of the bigger picture

Google Ads and Meta remain important components of the marketing mix, helping brands reach audiences, capture demand and drive conversions.

But paid activity works harder when it is supported by strong brand awareness, relevant content, effective landing pages and a consistent customer journey. As Google's advertising products increasingly incorporate AI, we also expect the way paid search is managed and measured to evolve.

d) Connect the channels

The customer journey doesn't happen in one channel. Someone might discover a brand through PR, see it on social media, search for it on Google, ask an AI tool for further information and eventually convert through a paid campaign.

That makes it increasingly important to look at marketing communications as a connected ecosystem rather than a series of individual channels.

Some Key Takeaways - Build Authority, Experience and Trust

Authority - Earning backlinks and even brand mentions from trusted websites (especially in your niche) remains one of the most important ranking signals. Why? Because it involves human vetting. When a credible site links to you, it’s validating your content’s value.

Experience - Be a true subject matter expert. That means investing in:

Video tutorials
Whitepapers
Case studies
Proprietary research

Trust - Authority and links are part of trust, but it goes deeper. To build trust, businesses need to demonstrate consistency, credibility, and reputation across the web.

Strong branded profiles on platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn and industry-specific forums help show that real people stand behind the business.
Online reviews on Google, Trustpilot and niche directories are major trust signals.
Consistent branding across directories and citations also contribute to perceived trust.

Looking ahead

AI is not replacing traditional marketing communications. It is changing the environment in which they operate.

For brands, this means continuing to invest in the fundamentals: a strong proposition, relevant content, credible communications and consistent visibility, while considering how those assets are being discovered and used within new AI-powered search experiences.

At Brookes & Co, we can help you develop a marketing communications strategy that brings these elements together, from PR and content to digital, social and paid media, and evolves as the way people search and discover brands continues to change.

Want to understand what AI could mean for your brand?

Talk to Brookes & Co about how your marketing communications strategy can evolve to build greater visibility, relevance and influence in an increasingly AI-powered search landscape.

Get in touch if you'd like to find out more.

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