• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer, 6 hours ago

Being visible for a brand does not always mean consumers will remember the name after seeing it in AI-based search query results, according to research released this week.

Reading an AI-assisted product comparison can leave consumers confused, making it difficult to differentiate or recall specific brands' details, according to a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults.

The new data from Skyword, an enterprise content marketing agency, found a recall challenge with only 42% remembering specific details about the company or product.

Only 32% remembered general information without recalling which company it came from, and 26% remembered the company or product name.

Sixty-one percent said they have relied on AI tools or AI-generated summaries at least sometimes when deciding whether to buy from one company or another, and 70% said they have used AI tools such as ChatGPT or encountered AI-generated summaries when researching a company or product.

The problem with failed recall disrupts the fundamental model of how marketing has worked for years. One challenge of marketing has been reach and visibility. Marketers believed that if the brand won the top spot in the search results, customers would follow.

Skyword's data shows that AI visibility doesn’t work that way.

Brands spend on generative engine optimization (GEO) to ensure that AI tools from OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google recommend them. But when nearly three-quarters of consumers walk away from AI-based search results not remembering the brand’s name, the marketing campaign aimed at educating consumers has failed.

During the survey, when Skyword’s survey asked participants what made an AI chat assistant on a company’s website feel like that specific company rather than a generic chatbot, 36% of respondents pointed to company-specific knowledge. This was the most-cited response.

Twenty-five percent cited the company’s logo, colors, and design and 13% pointed to distinctive voice and tone, while 26% said that nothing about the interaction felt company-specific.

Attempting to differentiate a problem outside of AI search has become a real challenge, with 49% of consumers saying different companies’ websites, social posts or emails frequently sound too similar.

The challenge became more pronounced among Gen Z consumers, with 70% saying AI-generated similarity has made it difficult to choose between companies, compared with 17% of Baby Boomers.

Fifty-eight percent of Gen Z respondents also were more likely to say a distinct voice or personality helps a company stand out, compared with 21% of Boomers.