• by Scott Walldren , 2 hours ago

When we launch or reposition a company or product, we generally focus on lining up the outbound messages, so all the channels reinforce what’s promotable. Then we believe we have a coherent, consistent marketing effort. 

As big as that job is, we need to add another dimension: Clean up when we dress up.

Everything that’s come before needs to be evaluated so we’re not sending conflicting signals to the AI agents whose algos incorporate complete historical footprints. That means content consumers can see, plus all the coding they can’t. Even the most creative rebrand can’t erase legacy, and that’s coming forward silently in agentic search every minute. 

This is all part of us learning the dual language  -- human and machine -- that now determines marketing effectiveness. Our role is not simply to promote the new brand. It's to help reconcile its public identity with the promise and business it has become. If all the old information is still out there, agents find conflicting information. And the old often supersedes the new direction because more recognizable information seems more credible. 

That online press kit published on a conference web page from three years ago? That podcast last year where the founder narrated the “old” values of the brand? These things may be out of our minds, but they’re on an agent’s radar. Worse, if the founder is still listed as CEO on Wikipedia, agents may override the successor who’s leading the new growth initiative. 

It’s not enough to attack preconceptions; we need to erase their footprints. We can get forensic in cleanup without making everyone get a doctorate in corporate archaeology. 

Websites and Wikipedia are the place to start. With Wiki accounts, edits with factual citations (e.g., press releases and other sources) are best to update outdated company information. If there’s no Wiki page, we can start one to establish entity associations.

For websites, we need to drill beneath “About “language to update metadata embedded in the page code itself with key organizational facts and links. Think of it as linking the subtext that humans can’t see. 

Then we need to think about social media indexing in a deeper way. Social content now counts as updated, authoritative content for LLMs. Using the new Google Search Console social profile functions, we can track YouTube, Instagram, and other platforms visibility across Google alongside our websites. Knowing where and when our social media appears for queries and clicks increases our ability to counteract outdated information. 

One of the most famous album covers of all time illustrates the new rule. “Dark Side of the Moon”(Pink Floyd, 1972) depicts a light refracting through a prism to yield multiple streams. In this way, agents refracts our messaging into searchlights for all surfaces. 

In other words, wherever you go, there you are.