Evan White

expert panel

If you’ve recently used Google to track down a quick answer, you may have read the summary at the top of the results page and moved on. When time is tight and the information is clear and straightforward, that instant snapshot can be enough to meet your immediate needs. Or perhaps you’ve taken the route increasingly favored by users and leveraged a generative AI tool like ChatGPT or Claude for research or shopping. Both those scenarios reflect a single truth: Competitiveness in the world of online search is becoming more and more about being the source an algorithm trusts enough to summarize, cite or synthesize.  Brands that have spent years tuning keyword strategies and chasing incremental ranking gains need to rethink their strategies. Recent findings underscore the stakes: A Pew Research Center analysis shows that when an AI summary appears at the top of a Google results page, users are less likely to click one of the links below. This means regularly winning a coveted spot on the first page of search results won’t necessarily drive steady traffic to your website. In this moment, the real question isn’t whether SEO is “dead”; it’s whether your brand messaging is accessible and understandable for AI algorithms without being bland and forgettable to humans. The members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank live at the intersection of brand storytelling and AI-driven marketing changes. Here, they discuss practical, future-focused search strategies for brands, including how to make content easier for AI to interpret, the authority signals that make it worth surfacing, and how to balance visibility with authenticity and impact.

expert panel

CMOs accustomed to a focus on crafting polished brand messages for their own websites and traditional search are waking up to a new digital marketplace. Increasingly, buyers aren’t clicking links on search pages—they’re going to AI assistants to do work-related research, get detailed answers to personal questions, find product recommendations and even manage shopping lists. Brands can no longer rely solely on Google rankings—they need to show up in the AI-generated summaries people read, quote and act on. While a November 2025 Semrush report noted that ChatGPT is citing Reddit and Wikipedia less frequently than it has in the past, they’re still among its top three sources—a signal that “useful” content in the GenAI era often looks less like a polished campaign page and more like a living knowledge base. Companies are responding in a shift that’s been framed as a move toward generative engine optimization (GEO), where visibility increasingly depends on whether your expertise is shared in such a way that it answers real questions and can be pulled, summarized and trusted in AI-driven results.  So what new strategies should marketing leaders pursue in the face of these changes? Here, members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank—experts in brand storytelling, digital advertising, customer engagement and the rise of AI in marketing—share what these citation patterns suggest about the content AI models treat as credible and offer practical ways to rethink content and engagement.

expert panel

Authenticity is a recognized cornerstone of effective marketing—especially in a high-information digital marketplace. Savvy consumers understand the ways advertisers seek to influence them and increasingly doubt highly polished messaging, seeking genuine signals that a brand’s actions align with its stated values.  Studies of consumer behavior have shown that emotions influence engagement and purchasing behavior. And when a brand is able to make a genuine connection with its audience, the impact goes beyond just making the sale: Salsify’s 2025 Consumer Research report found that 87% of shoppers are willing to pay more for a product from a brand they genuinely trust.  As experts in brand storytelling and customer engagement, the members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank understand that, in a saturated, noisy market, clarity and consistency are no longer just differentiators—they’re necessities. Consequently, understanding what “authentic” truly means has never been more vital. Here, five of them share their definitions of authenticity, identify the qualities that distinguish trustworthy brands, and share examples of companies that have successfully built lasting connections by staying true to themselves and their target audiences.

expert panel

In the brand marketing world, there’s always been a scramble to catch consumers’ attention. In a digital marketplace, jostling for position takes place moment by moment, and finding a hook that grabs the audience can make a game-changing difference for both new and established brands. In this spirit, unlikely brand pairings are having a moment. Cross-industry collaborations are gaining momentum as brands look for fresh ways to earn new audience attention in an oversaturated market. A quirky matchup can spark curiosity, intrigue or delight—maybe even a viral moment. From beauty lines teaming up with cookie makers to fast food giants joining forces with toothpaste brands, the collision of categories is becoming a bona fide strategy rather than a passing stunt.  But as any CMO will tell you, “novelty” campaigns that catch fire quickly can also burn out fast. The marketing leaders of Senior Executive CMO Think Tank spend their days navigating the intersections of brand storytelling and customer psychology. They know that the real magic happens only when the bold and unexpected is grounded in something meaningful—alignment, authenticity and a reason for customers to care long after the initial surprise wears off. Here, a group of them share what it really takes to turn a head-turning partnership into an enduring marketing advantage.

expert panel

Advertising on streaming platforms is no longer at the margins—it’s squarely in the mainstream. As of March 2025, streaming accounted for 43.8% of overall TV time in the U.S.—an increase of 10 points over two years. Meanwhile, linear TV’s primetime ad sales continue a gradual decline—2025-26 primetime ad sales were down 2.5% from the previous upfront, dropping by $1.2 billion since 2023-24 upfronts. For brands, this shift is driving a full-scale reevaluation of media strategy: where to reallocate budgets, how to measure results and how to avoid wasted spend in new formats. Members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank—a curated group of marketing leaders with deep expertise in brand storytelling, digital advertising and more—discuss how the shift to streaming media should influence advertising investment decisions, where the biggest opportunities lie in connected TV, and how to spot and manage risks.

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With Meta reportedly planning to fully automate ad creation by 2026—from copywriting and creative to targeting and placement—CMOs face a pivotal question: What’s left for human marketers? Members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank share their insights on the risks, rewards and redefinition of creative work in the age of AI.