What Google and Microsoft Are Telling Marketers About Holiday 2026
I listened to the big guys make their case for holiday advertising dollars…and what I heard is a terrific case for AI visibility.
You may not spend several hours of your work week tuned into Google and Microsoft webinars as they plea for ad dollars. Lucky for you, your friend Abby does.
Last week, my geeky heart grew two sizes when listening to the Google Rethink Retail event, I heard a beautiful articulation for AI visibility: “The best ads are answers.”
While explaining how AI Max products are designed to interpret more complex queries, the search giant made the case for a unified brand presence across content, video, reviews, public relations, search and social. They pulled no punches when sharing how their ads increasingly sit inside conversations…and how those conversations are informed by everything the platform already knows about the consumer and the brand.
“Automation is only as powerful as your data.”
Presenters from both tech giants repeatedly reinforced the need for richer product information, customer Q&As, variant details, use cases, reviews, community feedback, video (and more).
Together, they painted a cohesive picture about AI visibility.
If your website says one thing, your reviews say another and your third-party coverage leaves out important context, the system has less to work with.
TL;DR - the case is clear for being buttoned-up on AI visibility
Google says shoppers who use AI interact with 2.8 times more touchpoints on average.
Microsoft made a similar point; its holiday research found that 65% of November conversions and 44% of December conversions originated from clicks in October.
Buying decisions can begin well before the final search, so it’s time to get your rear in gear on AI visibility. Here’s four things to move on ASAP:1. Look at what AI says about your brand.
Ask the questions your customers actually ask. See which brands appear, what gets cited and what information shapes the answer.
2. Check the underlying evidence. Review your website, reviews, media coverage, social presence, product information and other public sources. Look for gaps and contradictions.
3. Plan for discovery before intent. Content, creators, public relations and video can influence which brands make the shortlist before someone is ready to buy.
4. Reputation is part of the media environment. Your advertising strategy, brand story and AI visibility increasingly depend on the same underlying signals. The quality (and corroboration) of the information underneath all of it is crucial.When AI helps shape the shortlist, your reputation becomes part of the media environment.
Let us not forget the Retail floor employees (or really any other human in the workforce these days)The Glassdoor–Indeed merger makes employer reputation more consequential in the age of AI because employee reviews are becoming raw material for AI-generated answers, not just pages candidates read. A good read on this from my friend Nancy at Clew Strategies.
#AIVisibility#PRIndustry#GEO#AnswerEngineOptimization
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Abby Lovett, Founder, CTP Visibility Advisors. Author of "Super Human: 8 'SMALL' Ways to Be Super at What You Do…and Human While You Do It." Human Being
