The landscape of digital discovery is undergoing a massive transformatin as AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT and Google Gemini begin to dominate e-commerce. As these tools become primary shopping assistants, fashion brands are scrambling to understand how they appear in AI-generated responses.
Why 2025 is being called the year online search changes forever
The shift from traditional search engines to Large Language Models (LLMs) is driving a new era of brand management. For years, fashion houses focused on appearing at the top of Google search results, but the rise of conversational AI means that being "searchable" is no longer the only goal .
This evolution is forcing a pivot in how brands approach digital presence.. As platforms like Apple and Google race to monopolize the e-commerce space through AI, the industry is moving away from keyword optimization and toward a model of being "discoverable" within an AI's narrative.
Launchmetrics introduces the AI Visibility (AIV) metric at NYFW
Launchmetrics is responding to this demand by launching a new metric called AI Visibility (AIV), which will be debuted alongside New York Fashion Week. This metric is designed to help brands track and understand how they are represented within the responses of platforms such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
The new AI Visibility (AIV) score will work alongside the existing Media Impact Value (MIV) to provide a holistic view of a brand's digital footprint. According to the report, the Launchmetrics dashboard will allow brands to see which editorial voices are being cited by AI, compare their results across different cities, and see the specific share of value they earn from AI versus traditional media impact.
How 80% of LLM citations are driven by earned media
A significant driver of this change is the realization that PR is becoming the new SEO. As Launchmetrics CMO Alison Bringé noted, over 80% of what LLMs currently cite about a brand can be traced back to earned media, such as press coverage, podcasts, and Substack articles .
This reliance on earned media means that traditional paid advertising is being supplemented by the need for deep, authoritative storytelling. Arnaud Roy,Chief Strategy Officer at Launchmetrics, notes that because LLMs require fresh media content to answer real-time questions,they cannot rely solely on their training data, making authoritative press outlets essential for shaping AI-generated responses.
Will brands actually double their PR budgets as Gartner predicts?
The transition from traditional search to AI-driven discovery raises questions about how marketing budgets will be reallocated. While Gartner predicts that PR budgets will double in the coming year as brands prioritize their presence in AI narratives, it remains to be seen if this shift will lead to a permanent decline in SEO and search engine marketing spend.
There are still several unknowns regarding this transition. It is currently unclear how brands will effectively measure the ROI of a podcast mention versus a traditional press feature in the context of AI visibility. Additionally, while Rachna Shah, CEO of KCD, encourages brands to diversify their storytelling across surfaces like Substacks and longer features, the industry is still learning which specific media types carry the most weight in an LLM's decision-making process.
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