Audit your dual position: Assess both your human brand equity (emotional associations, awareness, preference) AND your machine representation quality (entity authority, structured data, training data presence). Most brands have invested heavily in one side while neglecting the other.
Close the gaps: Identify which side of the flywheel is weaker and invest accordingly. Strong human equity + weak machine representation = declining recommendations. Strong machine representation + weak human equity = users reject AI recommendations.
Build for compound effects: Every brand initiative should create assets for both audiences. PR campaign = human awareness + training data presence. Product launch = emotional resonance + structured data.
Enter companion mode: Think about how your brand shows up in trusted conversations, not just in advertising. Be genuinely helpful in AI companion contexts.
For Marketers
Unify around recommendation: The old silos (brand vs. performance, SEO vs. paid, awareness vs. conversion) don’t map to the AI companion era. The question is simpler: Does the AI recommend us, and do users convert when it does?
New metrics matter:
AI recommendation rate (how often in top options?)
Agentic conversion rate (when recommended, how often buy?)
Memory persistence (how do positive experiences compound?)
Entity authority scores
Content serves two audiences: Every piece of content now serves both human readers AND AI training/retrieval. Make it clear, structured, and rich with verifiable information while remaining emotionally resonant.
For Technologists
Structured Data = Infrastructure: Schema markup, JSON-LD, standardized product feeds, and API accessibility aren’t nice-to-haves. They’re the foundation that enables AI recommendation.
Memory Integration Matters: As AI systems develop sophisticated memory, brands that integrate well gain competitive advantage. Clean data, consistent IDs, real-time accuracy.
Protocol Readiness: The emergence of commerce protocols (ACP, UCP, MCP) means technical integration becomes competitive advantage. Brands that can transact within AI conversations convert better.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
