I'll be first to admit that I've been banging on about brand reputation and GenAI for a while now – how Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and earned media can shape reputation in the age of chatbots, particularly for B2B organisations. But ChatGPT launching its own web browser Atlas this week got me thinking: what about the consumer play?

My timing couldn't be better. Adobe recently dropped their 2025 US Holiday Shopping Forecast, and the numbers - whilst U.S.-centric - are illuminating. Adobe surveyed 5,000 American consumers and found that not only are online sales expected to crack $250 billion for the first time, but GenAI-powered referrals to retail sites are projected to surge over 500% year-over-year during the holiday season, peaking around Thanksgiving.

And there's more chunky numbers to dwell on.

Back in August, traffic from GenAI sources to retail sites was already up 1,500% YoY. What's more, three-quarters of consumers say they're already familiar with AI assistants, over a third are actively using them, and 95% report satisfaction with their AI-influenced purchases.

Let that sink in for a moment.

The commercial stakes are real.

If you're not showing up in GenAI, you're essentially invisible to a rapidly growing segment of consumers who are using ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude the same way they used to use Google. Except these tools don't just serve up links – they make recommendations, build trust, and increasingly, drive purchasing decisions.

This shifts the brand-building game entirely.

Traditional SEO focused on keywords and backlinks. But Large Language Models (LLMs) prefer information structured differently – think detailed product FAQs, step-by-step guides, and clear, bulleted formats that can answer the thousands of specific questions people fire at AI chatbots.

Sure, we'll likely see more commercial partnerships between brands and big tech (hello, OpenAI and Walmart), but right now, arguably the most effective way to build brand awareness and trust in GenAI environments is through communications – both owned and earned.

Why? Hard Numbers' landmark Reputation in the Age of AI research, while focused on corporate reputation queries, reveals a principle that's fundamental to how LLMs operate: they overwhelmingly rely on earned and owned media to form their 'opinions' about brands. In their study of the world's 100 largest brands, 61% of brand-related content came from earned sources, rising to 65% for trust assessments and 72% for value perceptions.

There's every reason to believe this pattern extends to B2C purchase recommendations. After all, when consumers ask "What's the best running shoe?" or "Which TV should I buy?", LLMs are drawing from the same credible sources: product reviews, expert comparisons, media features, and third-party recommendations.

All earned media.

So, what's a communicator to do?

I've been following Sarah Evans' work closely – she's one of the sharpest minds on this topic and writes regularly in her PR@ctical newsletter. Some of her practical GenAI gold dust includes:

• Build a "prompt universe": Map out the purchase-intent queries showing up in LLMs for your category, then reverse-engineer earned storylines that answer these questions. Think like your customer, not your brand team.
• Optimise for citability, not just coverage: A targeted earned media program that delivers third-party validation and credible citations beats spray-and-pray pitching every time. Quality trumps quantity when it comes to training the machines.
• Write like an analyst: AI platforms view analysts as credible expert voices. Pair every claim with solid citations, publish content (FAQs, how-tos, guides) in machine-readable formats, and refresh it regularly. Make it easy for LLMs to trust and cite you.
• Measure your GenAI visibility: If your brand shows up in less than 40% of relevant AI responses, you're essentially invisible where buying decisions now start. You can't improve what you don't measure – and in this new landscape, measurement isn't optional.

For traditional PR folks (like me), the question is no longer "Did we get coverage?" It's "Are we being remembered – and trusted – by AI?"

Because as Adobe's Christmas spending projections make crystal clear, that trust increasingly translates to measurable commercial impact. The brands that master this shift will own the attention economy. The ones that don't might as well be invisible.

So, here's to a GEO little Christmas – may your brand be cited, trusted, and top of mind when consumers ask AI where to spend their money.