Leadership lacks credibility in GEO era, Burson study finds
Research shows that corporate brands and leaders can be highly visible in AI-generated answers yet completely fail to win audience trust for lack of proof.
The emergence of 'zero-click' search presents a new conundrum for corporations: how to be credible as well as visible. New research from Burson into generative engine optimisation (GEO) presents some stark findings for PR practitioners, most notably that corporate leadership is largely ineffective in building reputation in this context.
Across 10 industries including aerospace, automotive, consumer, energy, finance, health, media, technology, telecommunications, industrial and infrastructure, leadership was found to be the least compelling contributor to reputation. AI-generated narratives about management teams, vision and posture consistently fell to the bottom of believability rankings. The study found that where leadership claims were credible, it was because they were rooted in an "evidence ecosystem" of third-party validation, strategic consistency and clearly visible outcomes.
