Brands Fund Content Over Ads in Race for AI Search Visibility

Brands prioritize organic AI visibility over paid advertising

As AI-powered search engines transform how consumers find information, brands are taking an unexpected approach to securing visibility: they're investing in content and creators rather than rushing to buy ads.

While WPP projects AI search advertising will become the industry's fastest-growing channel, marketers remain cautious about paid placements in platforms like Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT. Instead, they're reallocating budgets previously earmarked for website optimization toward content designed to influence how large language models cite their brands.

Why it matters

This strategic shift reveals a critical gap in the AI advertising ecosystem: brands need visibility in AI-generated answers, but the paid advertising infrastructure isn't mature enough to justify major budget reallocations. The hesitation stems from unanswered questions about attribution, performance measurement, and return on investment — fundamental metrics that have long guided digital marketing decisions.

The organic-to-organic migration

David Dweck, president at Go Fish Digital, characterizes the trend as an evolution within organic search rather than a migration from paid channels. Brands are repurposing funds that previously supported website improvements to create content that performs well with LLMs.

"It's more of a shift from organic to organic than from paid," Dweck explained. "Some clients are spending a bit more on it, but marginally so. I wouldn't say they're carving out a massive percentage of their paid media budgets to support this."

The approach treats AI visibility as a content challenge rather than a media buying opportunity, at least for now.

Testing multiple pathways

Brands are experimenting with varied strategies to secure AI search presence. Butterball hired Carmichael Lynch as its agency of record partly for AI visibility capabilities, while testing Google AI Max for summer recipe searches. Kyle Lock, Butterball's VP of marketing, cited the brand's small team size as a factor in seeking specialized agency support.

Priceline has increased social media spending across TikTok, Meta, and Pinterest, betting that influencer content will enhance AI discoverability through authentic storytelling. The company has also allocated budget for ChatGPT ad pilots as part of broader LLM research, according to Toby Korner, SVP of digital marketing and pricing.

Attribution challenges slow adoption

Agency executives point to fundamental measurement problems that distinguish AI search from traditional channels. Joseph Levi, CEO of Noise Media Group, noted that AI delivers answers rather than clicks, complicating standard attribution models.

"At the moment, it's very much focused on the organic side," Levi said. "Across all agencies, across all software, attribution is difficult because AI is an answer, whereas search is a click."

OpenAI has expanded its advertising program, but questions persist around inventory availability and performance tracking.

The wait-and-see approach

Agency leaders recommend brands focus on organic strategies while monitoring paid opportunities. Dweck advises clients to invest in content optimization now and "be ready to turn on the spigot once the ads are widely adopted and available and functioning the right way."

This measured approach reflects broader uncertainty about how AI search will monetize and whether current advertising models will translate effectively to conversational interfaces.

These details were first reported by Digiday.