More and more, consumers are turning to AI instead of search engines to get answers about products and services. This shift is forcing marketers to rethink their strategies—not just to sell to potential customers, but also to AI systems.
Over the past twelve months, consumers have massively migrated from traditional search engines to AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Perplexity. A survey of 12,000 consumers revealed that 58% (compared to only 25% in 2023) had used AI tools for product/service recommendations. Another study found a 1,300% increase in AI-driven referrals to U.S. retail websites during the 2024 holiday season.
Consumers who use AI to discover, plan, and purchase tend to be younger, wealthier, and more educated. Their customer journey no longer starts with a search query or a visit to your website—it begins with a conversation. They ask AI assistants questions like “What’s the best coffee machine under 2000 MAD?” or “Plan me a budget weekend getaway in Assinie.”
For brand leaders, the implications are undeniable. Your digital strategy must now account for optimization not just for search engine algorithms, but for AI recommendation engines as well. In short, you need to build brand awareness with AI.
How can you increase brand awareness through LLMs?
Compared to SEO and SEA, the rise of AI-driven search impacts not only the type of content to produce (text, image, and video), but also where it’s published (website, media outlets, expert platforms, or communities). AIs go beyond keywords—they focus on concepts and relationships that introduce new ways to build brand visibility.
Brands need to create content that not only explains the product itself but also how it fits into broader contexts, user needs, and real-world use cases. Instead of saying “we sell great running shoes,” say “our carbon midsole improves performance for long-distance runners.”
Brands must also showcase their expertise. A skincare brand specialized in darker skin tones that cites dermatologist-approved studies or links to PubMed research is much more likely to outperform competitors who don’t. Brands that address pain points (needs, questions, and tasks) are more likely to be featured.
A food brand that offers well-structured product pages with ingredient explanations and transparent, science-backed content (clarifying the “how” and “why” of the product) will stand out. A sportswear brand like Nike thrives in AI-driven environments thanks to its user-generated content (runner blogs, Reddit, Strava), detailed product pages with clear use cases (e.g., “best shoes for marathon training”), and integrated app ecosystems (Nike Run Club, Nike Training Club).
Therefore, brands must take back control of their content strategies—shifting toward more content, and more detailed, technical, and explanatory content. The broader the brand’s ecosystem, the more likely it is to appear in AI recommendations. Brands that only broadcast content will lose market share in the years to come.