Generative AI is changing how consumers research considered purchases, and marketers are turning that anxiety into an internal argument for stronger brand budgets.
A Digiday report published September 15, 2026, shows a clear signal: 61% of U.S. consumers used an AI assistant for shopping research or decisions in the past three months, according to a Dept survey of 2,600 shoppers. For brands with long consideration cycles—think running shoes, home insurance and luxury cars—the shift is especially visible.
Why AI search is reshaping budget conversations
Instead of relying only on generative engine optimization, CMOs are using AI-search concerns to push for more upper-funnel activity and brand investment. The IAB has revised its 2026 U.S. ad spend growth estimate from 9.5% to 12.3%, and 44% of buyers say adapting to changing search habits is their top investment challenge.
“There is a sense that AI is making brands more vulnerable, and so brand investment can shore up some of the cognitive angles there,” said Gartner analyst Andrew Frank.
State Farm is one example. Head of marketing Alyson Griffin told Digiday the insurer’s sports-adjacent campaign starring Patrick Mahomes is more important in the AI search era, not less. “We value it. We’re not pulling it back,” she said. “We have to be there and capture more of the open audience.”
Griffin added that if an AI assistant offers State Farm as an option, the brand wants the shopper to pause—and familiar assets such as Jake from State Farm help create that connection.
What brands and agencies are doing now
- State Farm: leaning into sports-led brand campaigns and mascot equity to stay in the consideration set.
- Mercedes-Benz: running a Coco Gauff campaign across linear TV, paid social, digital display and digital out-of-home while monitoring AI search’s effect on web traffic.
- Hoka: building a brand-forward New York City Marathon push through the fall to lift awareness and consideration.
- Mediaplus: combining generative engine optimization with upper-funnel favorability work and adding share-of-model and sentiment metrics.
Mercedes-Benz senior manager Ryanne Webber said car buying has a much longer journey, so the automaker plans for both brand awareness and consideration. Hoka’s Allie Tsavdarides described the link between AI search share and campaign impact as “a combination of art and science.”
Oliver Williams, head of digital performance at Mediaplus, said the agency is now tracking AI search performance alongside traditional upper-funnel metrics. “Your numbers do the talking… that can unlock investment from the people that hold the purse strings,” he said.
Jeff Eisenfeld, director of activation at Media by Mother, noted that the old playbook of winning customers through paid search is no longer enough. Now brands need to fill the top of the funnel so consumers can recognize and consider them when AI tools respond.
What this means for marketing teams
For marketing leaders, the practical shift is to treat brand salience as a performance metric. Start benchmarking your brand’s appearance in AI answers, share of model and sentiment, then connect those numbers to upper-funnel investment.
Paid and owned tactics may also need to change. Williams expects CTV spending to rise, and TikTok’s Consideration Ads and Reddit placements are increasingly relevant for building consideration where consumers do research.
AI search may decide whether your brand is mentioned at all. Brands that make themselves easy to recall—through consistent assets, emotional connection and visible upper-funnel campaigns—are better positioned to make the cut.
Source: Digiday
