AI and Brand Strategy: Are You Ready for Next-Gen Search?
Reputation Staff Writer
What every brand needs to know about preparing for the AI-powered future
In Reputation’s recent webinar, three senior leaders–CMO Liz Carter, VP of AI & ML Carter Rees, and Principal Data Scientist Carlos Kemeny–came together to tackle one of the most pressing questions in modern brand strategy: how to prepare for a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
Their conversation explored the intersection of AI and brand strategy, touching on infrastructure, ethics, data, and readiness. The message was clear: AI isn’t just changing technology, it’s redefining how brands are discovered, evaluated, and experienced.
Why AI and Brand Strategy Now Go Hand-in-Hand
Search is no longer just about keywords and rankings. Generative AI is becoming the front door to brand discovery, with tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity already influencing consumer perception.
Many companies still don’t know how their brand is showing up in AI-generated responses–if at all. That visibility gap can undermine even the best brand strategy. Building a future-ready business now means aligning your AI and brand strategy so that generative tools reinforce, rather than distort, your brand’s reputation.
If your brand can’t be found (or is misrepresented) in AI tools, you’re losing visibility, credibility, and revenue. Managing this emerging channel will require new monitoring tools, new feedback loops, and an understanding of how LLMs generate and prioritize content.
Your data is your new moat
Most companies have plenty of data, but that doesn’t mean they’re ready for AI. What matters most is whether the data is structured, centralized, and context-rich enough to train or inform AI models. Brands with fragmented data across teams, platforms, and formats will struggle to implement AI that actually works.
The panelists underscored that your internal data maturity will directly impact your ability to deploy AI tools effectively–whether that means smarter automation, better insights, or more accurate generative outputs.
Ethical use and explainability will be a brand differentiator
AI isn’t just a tech decision–it’s a brand decision. Customers will increasingly demand to know how AI is being used, whether they can trust it, and whether there’s a human fallback.
The panel explored the balance between automation and human oversight, highlighting that AI without transparency can backfire–especially in high-stakes customer experience contexts.
Building trust means brands will need to communicate not just what AI is doing, but why. And they’ll need to design systems that are accountable, fair, and auditable.
Operational readiness matters more than marketing hype
Another recurring theme was that flashy AI demos aren’t enough. Real AI impact requires changes to process, culture, and operations. The brands that will lead in the AI era are the ones making foundational investments in things like:
- Cross-functional collaboration between marketing, data science, and product
- AI education and literacy across teams
- Clear criteria for vendor selection and integration
The future of brand strategy in the AI era depends on more than just tools. It depends on trust, transparency, and transformation. The brands that thrive will be those that make AI and brand strategy a shared priority across the organization.
Watch the full conversation on-demand to explore how AI is changing the rules, and what your brand can do to stay ahead.
