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Most brands think Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is just SEO with a new name. They’re wrong!

After analyzing how Fortune 500 brands show up in AI, our resident expert, Zubin Mowlavi (EVP, Commerce) identified three critical things most teams still don’t understand about winning the AEO game:

1️⃣ You’re playing two games at once.

AEO has two distinct layers:

• 🧱 Layer 1: Foundational Training Data. This is the compounding asset built from millions of reviews, mentions, and editorial content. It determines if the model knows you at all. 
• 🧱 Layer 2: Live Retrieval. Models like ChatGPT and Perplexity actively search the web in real-time. Well-structured content can be cited here in as little as 7 to 14 days.

That means if you aren’t optimizing for both layers…you’re missing half the surface area. The brands winning right now are the ones who recognize the value in both of these layers, and work to implement the combo in their AEO strategies. 

2️⃣ Your product catalog is the bare minimum.

A catalog might get you considered, but organic signals earn the recommendation. Here’s what most brands miss: the AEO analysis that tells you where you’re invisible (or not showing up in LLM search and retrievals) is exactly what you need to reverse that. 

Once you can identify the gaps from your AEO data, brands can start identifying prompts that work for products. From there, your data can be used to brief future social content and help strengthen your visibility even more. 

3️⃣ You can’t buy your way in (yet).

Right now, every brand is on equal footing on the organic side. Brands building real equity today are creating a moat for when paid ads eventually arrive. Meanwhile, the brands waiting for their “perfect moment” are only falling behind and, transparently, will have to play catch up against other leading brands. 

The winners will be the brands that treat organic content as their AI & content strategy. 💫 And remember, AEO isn’t a sprint or a one-time thing. It’s a gradual process, and a compounding asset that brands can slowly build now for major results ASAP. Your next steps are simple and it all begins with getting your brand in the answers. 

Ready to Rethink Your Strategy? 🤔

If this breakdown has you second-guessing your current approach to AEO 🤝 Connect with us!

About Zubin Mowlabi

Zubin Mowlavi is the EVP of Commerce at VaynerX and our resident expert on AI search behaviors and modern digital strategy. With a 20+ year background founding and scaling digital commerce agencies, Zubin bridges the gap between traditional SEO and cutting-edge digital growth, especially as AEO strategy begins to take precedence. 

His expertise lies in turning market signals and emerging tech into enterprise products that unlock scalable growth. Zubin has helped Fortune 500 brands strengthen their share-of-voice in zero-click results and developed playbooks to accelerate retail-media growth across global platforms like Amazon and Shopify. 

Wrapping up another successful year at POSSIBLE Miami, we saw some of the biggest trends taking over our industry and what it means for brand marketers looking towards the future. 

Live on the ground in Miami, and part of the action all week long, we have the full recap from Peter Chun (Global EVP of Platforms, Algorithms, and Culture, VaynerX). Consider it our PC with PC (POSSIBLE Chat with Peter Chun, of course!) 

Check out the top marketing trends from POSSIBLE, and the steps you can take to make it work for your brand. 🔥👇

📲 How to Work with Creators in 2026

What Was Said ➡️ You know them, you love them, but is your brand using creators to their full potential? Creators have solidified their place as a core part of brand infrastructure and a crucial element to modern marketing. Creators have the ability to not only help your brand become discovered, but also connect with audiences in a way that creates true brand loyalty. 

What We Heard ➡️ Marketers are going about their creator strategies all wrong. Stop briefing creators with the solo intent being to create more reach. Simply relying on creators to amplify your messaging is holding back their creativity, and their ability to perform what they know best. Instead, consider creators uniquely across different elements. Attribute creators to different areas, such as media or retail, and measure that accordingly across different stages of the funnel. See who, and what, is actually making a difference and how they’ve crafted it to their specific area. 

💍 The Marriage of Short Form & Long Form Content

What Was Said ➡️ Inside the walls of POSSIBLE, and within our industry as a whole, there’s a general energy that everything needs to be shorter. We know that our next generation is used to a different viewing experience. Attention spans are shorter, and a lot of information can be crammed into smaller durations because of the new generation’s quick recall ability. 

What We Heard ➡️ Yes, short form content is taking over, and it’s incredibly important for marketers to prioritize. But, the brands that are actually leading the charge aren’t only using short form content. The ones with the most success are the ones who meld the two. When short form and long form content are intertwined, we can see a more thoughtful approach and strategy take place. 

Marketers, consider this. Instead of just focusing on short form content, use it as your “bait.” Allow it to capture attention, and lay up with your long form content, which can work to build relationships with your more committed viewers. 

Essentially: short form for relevance, long form for loyalty, and the duo for total brand awareness. 

☀️The Future is Bright w/ the next generation of marketing leaders from Miami Ad School

What Was Said ➡️ Aboard the SS Vayner, we hosted a panel with a few of our brilliant marketing minds, in partnership with Miami Ad School. Bringing along the future of marketing to hear more about what we do at VaynerX, we answered the questions they have about entering the workforce, what an average day and workflow looks like, and how we’re innovating to keep up with new tech and trends. 

What We Heard  ➡️ The next generation of marketers is up for the challenge. There’s a lot that our new grads need to prepare for, from AI noise to changing industry trends and signals. But having the MAS class on site showed us that the next generation of marketing leaders are ready to go, with questions (and answers) raring to go. Our advice to marketers is to stop underestimating the next gen, and go beyond your marketing lens. Today’s market is built on relevance, which the upcoming class knows better than anybody. They know how to be creative, and create things that actually perform well, regardless of a marketing background.

⌚️Analog Experiences in a Digital World

What Was Said ➡️ People crave human interaction. Chalk it up to the pandemic, or an increasingly AI-driven and online world. Whatever it may be, we’re seeing consumers crave the exact opposite. All of POSSIBLE was filled with one-on-one networking and IRL panels, and it doesn’t just stop here. People are actively embracing counter-cultural, real-life analog experiences. Just think of today’s biggest trends, from running to book to mahjong clubs! 

What We Heard ➡️ To win, brands must adopt a “Barbell Strategy.” You need to focus on producing relevance IRL, in addition to dominating the digital space. It’s all about organizing experiential marketing with amazing content production. You need both, and when you can execute them together, expect to see big results. 

Looking for more conversations around today’s biggest marketing topics? We’ll be back at Cannes Lions this upcoming summer, and we’re ready to dive into even more. Check out what we’re doing and register to join us. 🦁🇫🇷

For brands today: Reach is easy. Trust is hard.

In a B2B landscape flooded with AI-generated content, getting eyeballs on your brand isn’t enough anymore. The biggest hurdle marketers face today isn’t just getting noticed, it’s getting believed.

According to a recent LinkedIn study, 94% of marketers believe that trust is the ultimate key to success. Aboard the SS VaynerX at Miami POSSIBLE week, Pedr Howard, Ryan Barthelmes, Vita Molis, and Kaylen McNamara sat down for a panel that explores this stat, and what it takes to turn passive awareness into real, authentic connection with your audiences.

If you’re anywhere in the world of B2B marketing, check out the full recap here. 👇

Bridging The Gap: Awareness vs Actual Belief

Today’s B2B marketers are tasked with bridging the gap between awareness and actual belief in the brand, and that starts with: 

• Relevance ➡️ For brands stuck in today’s mid funnel, organic social creative can help brands break through the noise. The algorithms in place make sure that your content is finding the people who it will actually resonate with, making it a huge unlock for consideration and validation. 
• Confidence ➡️ With various stakeholders at play, it can take up to 9 months for a campaign decision to be made. The best way forward through a lengthy process? Building trust throughout it. It starts with consistency in your messaging, and can combat any of the hesitations that might build along the way. 

The Three C’s of B2B

Elevating and evolving your B2B marketing for today starts with the three C’s: credibility, creators, and creativity.

1. Credibility

Credibility is rooted in your messaging. A brand has to have a thorough understanding of their own vision and mission, but it doesn’t stop there. If its employees and executives can also weigh in on this opportunity, offering more reach and connection, it helps build what Vita Molis calls the “credibility stack.” From there, it can only grow, reaching customer advocates and peers until you have a network built out. 

2. Creators

Creators have completely changed the way we market. In a world where followers matter less and less, and organic content can amass hundreds of thousands of impressions, brands need to prioritize creator-led content. Culture fits are important, and you have to find the right person for your brand, but it’s certainly important for those looking to take things to the next level. 

3. Creativity

Creators bring a fresh POV and sense of creativity that can bring in new audiences, and they’re doing it with organic content. The quality needs to be there, but when it is, your messaging can scale across channels and across demographics. 

The Age of Authenticity

Today, authenticity is the true cheat sheet, and ultimate shortcut for gaining relevance, connection, and community. Opportunities to connect with your audience, and show them how you’re maintaining brand identity and vision, offers a glimpse into your own authenticity. 

Something that’s becoming more and more important, is hearing from the people behind the brand. Executives who can offer their insights, and are honest about what they’re seeing and hearing from their industries, are growing online. That inside POV, of someone on the ground at their company, can really break through to an audience. 

TLDR? Here’s the Closing Thoughts from Our Panelists

For those wondering what tangible steps they can take next, or what the best way forward is, we closed our panel out with the following question: 

“What is the most important shift that brands should be making in their creator and content strategies going forward?”

🤳 Just try it. Take that step, produce content, and let the process take hold, without aiming for perfection. 

🤑 Dollars follow attention. Brands need to understand the investment behind true production and realize that producing relevance at scale is the most important thing they can do.

📈 Relevance is key, but so is a measurement framework that understands what is driving the brand. Knowing where engagement comes from is the only way to feed the areas that are having the most success. 

Navigating a career is about so much more than just hitting your numbers. It’s about the connections you build, the mindset you bring to the table every day, and the consistency you maintain.

We sat down with Katie Sagan (Executive Vice President, People & Experience Team at VaynerMedia) to hear what ACTUALLY makes a difference when starting a new job, and the traits that will take you furthest in your career journey. Let’s get into it. 

1. What’s your #1 tip for incoming employees to help them get situated?

Maximize your “New Hire Hall Pass” to build a massive internal network.

In your first few weeks, your primary job is all about learning along with the people around you. Even with all the tech advancements, connection and relationships are still going to get you further in your career. I always recommend scheduling quick intro meetings with as many people as possible: up, down, and sideways across every department.

Come prepared to explain your role and how you hope to help, and focus on asking questions about their team and the company’s bigger goals. At the end of every chat, ask: “Who are two other people I should meet to understand this place better, and why?” You have a unique window at the start where you can ask “obvious” questions without judgment. Use it to gain clarity on everything from high-level strategy to the unwritten rules of the office. PEOPLE and connections are everything.

2. What can someone do in their first 90 days to help them stand out?

Be an active listener, not the self-appointed problem solver.

Too often, people come into a new role trying to prove their value by immediately pointing out everything they think is “broken.” The reality is that every process and strategy usually has a history of data, constraints, and emotions tied up in it. Coming in to critique right away puts people on the defensive and makes it harder to build trust.

Instead, spend those first 90 days listening and asking “why” before you suggest the “how.” When you respect the historical context, you earn the right to recommend improvements later. 

Parallel to that, do your homework. Read every document, manual, and report you can find. Show up more prepared than anyone else so that when you finally do contribute, your input is grounded in reality, not just first impressions.

3. What traits or habits are you seeing from those who move up the corporate ladder the fastest?

The “Power of the Basics”: Reliability, Attitude, and Accountability.

People often think it’s the “smartest” person in the room, the one with the most degrees, who gets the promotion. In my experience, it’s usually the person who masters the 85% of the job that can’t be taught. So much of any role can be trained, but being an awesome teammate is entirely on you.

The fast-trackers usually share three non-negotiable habits:

• Total Reliability: They show up, they hit deadlines, and they don’t let details slip through the cracks. Being the person your manager never has to “check in on” is a massive competitive advantage.
• A “Teammate First” Attitude: Skills can be trained, but a toxic or indifferent attitude won’t get you far. Those who move up are the ones who make the people around them better and approach challenges with a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Radical Accountability: They don’t hide from mistakes; they own them, learn from them, and move on. Owning your misses is exactly how you build the trust required for leadership roles.

4. What’s a piece of career advice you’ve heard (or given) that’s actually made a difference?

Treat “dress for the job you want” as a metaphor for how you show up.

When I had my first internship at 17, my dad told me to dress for the job I wanted. At the time, that meant a formal suit. Today, in many offices, the most senior and well-respected folks are likely to be dressed in jeans and a T-shirt (hi Gary!), but the core wisdom remains the same: Don’t wait for permission to lead. If you want to move to the next level, start thinking and contributing like you’re already there. Don’t wait for a formal title to volunteer for a stretch project or to come forward with new ideas. This isn’t about overstepping, it’s about showing up and behaving like the leader you want to become right now. When you start adding that greater value immediately, the organization begins to treat you “as if” you’re already in the role. Eventually, the title and the compensation are just trailing indicators that catch up to the reality you’ve already created.

5. What’s that thing you won’t see on a resume, but you notice all the greatest leaders have in common?

Relentless Resourcefulness.

You can list skills, beating KPIs, and certifications on a resume, but you can’t easily quantify the “Possibility Mindset.” The greatest leaders I’ve ever seen are relentless in their pursuit of a path forward. While others get bogged down listing all the reasons why a project will fail or dwelling on past mistakes, great leaders acknowledge the hurdle and immediately start looking for a way over, under, or around it.

They understand that the road to a solution is often a “windy path” rather than a straight line. There is something incredibly freeing about realizing you are in control of the next move. Great leaders don’t just find solutions; they create an environment where everyone believes a solution is possible. That mindset is the difference between a manager who maintains the status quo and a leader who changes the game.

Feeling inspired? Or ready to put some of Katie’s advice to the test? We’re hiring across the globe, looking for our newest team members. Check out open positions here and let’s build what’s next together. 💫