Navigating the AI-Powered Future of Fashion Marketing
The Evolving Landscape of Brand Perception in the Age of AI
Measuring brand perception has always been a complex endeavor, a challenge amplified by the rapid integration of artificial intelligence. Rachna Shah, CEO of KCD, a prominent agency, notes a significant trend over the past year: an increasing number of major fashion houses are seeking generative engine optimization (GEO) strategies. These strategies are specifically designed to ensure brands appear prominently in AI-driven search results, becoming an integral part of their public relations plans.
Integrating AI Insights into PR Strategies
The concept of GEO began to surface over a year ago, particularly during discussions for new business opportunities. Major global brands are actively inquiring about the methodologies KCD employs to leverage AI insights, focusing on GEO analysis. This growing interest underscores a clear demand from brands to understand and adapt to the AI landscape. KCD has a long-standing partnership with Launchmetrics, a technology and social data analytics provider, utilizing its Media Impact Value (MIV) rankings to track metrics such as search reach and social engagement. Brands that traditionally prioritized these rankings were among the first to seek KCD's expertise in AI visibility metrics.
The Quest for Measurable AI Data and the Launch of AIV
Initially, the challenge was the nascent nature of AI measurement. Shah explains that they often had to inform brands that this was a learning process for everyone, and discussions would often revolve around how brands themselves were exploring these new frontiers internally. The data necessary for precise measurement simply didn't exist in a mature form. In response to this need, Launchmetrics has been developing a framework to incorporate AI search conversations into its comprehensive MIV dashboard. Coinciding with New York Fashion Week, Launchmetrics is introducing a new metric called AI Visibility (AIV). This innovative tool is designed to help brands monitor and comprehend their representation within large language model (LLM) responses from platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
Quantifying AI Discoverability: MIV and AIV Combined
Moving forward, Launchmetrics' brand rankings for significant fashion events, such as NYFW, will integrate both MIV and AIV scores. This combined approach will also illustrate the proportion of value derived from MIV versus AIV. The dashboard will additionally highlight brands that achieve exceptional visibility in AI search, identify editorial voices that feature these brands in AI results, and allow for comparisons of AI search outcomes across different cities. Alison Bringé, CMO of Launchmetrics, states that this system empowers brands to quantify their AI discoverability, understand how LLMs portray their brand to consumers, and benchmark this against their overall MIV.
The Ascendance of PR as the New SEO in the AI Era
Simultaneously, Launchmetrics has engaged in broader industry dialogues with brands and agencies who have observed a significant shift: public relations and earned media are increasingly becoming the primary determinants of how brands appear in AI-generated search results. Bringé also highlights that a growing segment of fashion consumers are now initiating their product searches on AI-powered platforms. Bringé humorously remarks that it may sound clichéd, but PR is indeed the new SEO, citing numerous industry studies that indicate over 80% of content cited by LLMs about a brand originates from earned media. Launchmetrics defines earned media as any content about a brand that is not generated through paid channels, encompassing press, podcasts, independent writers (Substackers), celebrities, influencers, and general consumer discussions.
Connecting the Dots: Editorial Influence and LLMs
Bringé emphasizes their mission to assist brands in evaluating their performance, noting that for the past decade, MIV has been the benchmark for visibility and virality. Now, the emphasis is shifting to how the relationship between editorial voices and in-depth storytelling significantly impacts LLM search outcomes. They are introducing a new intelligence layer to bridge MIV and the influence of earned media on LLMs. Arnaud Roy, the platform's chief strategy officer, discovered during the development of the AIV metric that LLMs, needing fresh media content for real-time queries, cannot rely solely on training data. Consequently, editorial coverage from authoritative press outlets holds substantial sway in shaping AI-generated responses. Launchmetrics asserts that this dynamic reinforces the intrinsic value of PR strategies, with Bringé referencing Gartner's forecast that PR budgets are projected to double in the coming year as brands prioritize their presence in AI-generated narratives.
Rethinking Budget Allocation for Multi-Platform Storytelling
Roy and Bringé anticipate that budget reallocations will primarily stem from SEO and search engine marketing expenditures. Conversely, Shah is advising brands to diversify their media budgets across a wider array of platforms. Shah expresses curiosity about how brands will identify which media channels are most effective for this new landscape and if it aligns with their objectives. She underscores the importance of recognizing the diverse avenues for storytelling, advocating for deeper narratives across multiple surfaces, including podcasts, Substack publications, and longer-form features. While not always privy to specific budget allocations, KCD is actively providing guidance on the financial implications of navigating this expanded media ecosystem.
