In an age where computers “understand”1 sentiment, the link as a vote for the popularity of content is not as significant as it used to be. Voice is more important than ever, as is brand. In this article, I’ll explore why brand voice and online consumer sentiment have become crucial digital assets.

the profile of a woman's head with eyes closed with whisps of orange behind her and a digital circuitry in the background

If a computer can analyze the overall consumer sentiment of your brand, then mentions, not mere links, become the de facto “votes” for your product or brand. We can consider brand awareness as a ranking factor in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

As a thought experiment, imagine you are part of a small or mid-sized business (SMB), and walked up to a random person on the street and asked them what your company does (if you are not regionally recognized), most likely, they are not going to know. However, ask any sentient human if they know Coca-Cola, well… you get the point. People know Coke because it’s pervasive in the tableau of commerce. It is embedded in global culture through marketing, emotional story telling and consistency in message.

Coke stands out compared to Shasta because of how often it appears in marketing ads, on store shelves and in popular culture. Conceptually, we can think of the entirety of Coca-Cola’s brand as a body of work upon which customer sentiment is derived. Of course chances are your SMB doesn’t need or want brand recognition on par with that of Coca-Cola’s, but your brand’s body of work on the internet influences the machine in a way that is similar to how Coke’s messaging influences humans, ultimately leading to its “choice”2 to return your brand over your competitor’s or vice-versa.

Voice is more important than ever

Your voice in your industry influences the content that is produced about you and is now food for the machine that will ultimately (statistically) choose to recommend your brand over another. In this vein, company reviews are more important than they used to be as they are additional content that is influential to the machine. The more people talk about you, the more they recommend you, the more likely it is that you will appear in the output of an LLM.

  1. For the intents and purposes of this article, the question of whether or not computers understand anything is irrelevant. If the output appears to be an understanding, then the simulacrum is sufficient. ↩

  2. The machine doesn’t actually choose your brand over another, but rather chooses the next token based on statistics, but the result is the same – you (or your competitor) end up in front of the potential customer. ↩