Why AI Recommends Some Brands & Ignores Others

When someone asks ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overview about your industry, does your brand appear in the answer?

For many organizations, the answer is no—and traditional SEO alone may not solve it.

Join PRSA OKC for a forward-looking session with Jarred Smith, author of Explainable: Why AI Recommends Some Brands & Ignores Others, as he breaks down how Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is changing the way brands are discovered online.

Jarred will explore why AI-driven search requires a fundamentally different approach than traditional search optimization, what communications and marketing leaders should prioritize now, and how organizations of all sizes are gaining visibility by getting the fundamentals right.

Through practical insights and real-world case studies, attendees will leave with actionable ideas they can begin applying immediately.

Attendees Will Learn:

• Why AI tools recommend some brands and overlook others
• How AEO differs from traditional SEO
• What communicators can do now to improve brand visibility in AI search
• Common mistakes brands make in AI discoverability
• Real examples of smaller teams outperforming larger competitors

Whether you're new to AI search or already experimenting, this session will help you better understand one of the fastest-changing areas in communications.

our speaker:

Jarred Smith has spent nearly 20 years in marketing across industries including environmental services, healthcare, public media, and retail. He currently serves as Director of Marketing at Alliance Technical Group, a large environmental services company with over 2,200 employees and 60+ offices across the United States and Canada.

Previously, he served as VP of Marketing and Communications at OETA (Oklahoma's PBS affiliate), as CMO for a healthcare provider, and led digital marketing for Love's Travel Stops, where he built a digital experience department from scratch and rolled out omni-channel marketing programs across more than 1,800 retail locations.

He didn't set out to write a book about AI and search. He set out to solve a problem. In early 2024, he noticed that AI assistants were answering questions about his industry but never mentioning the company he worked for. The research that followed became Explainable.

Jarred lives in Oklahoma City with his wife Erin and their three kids.

schedule:

11:45 AM - Registration Begins / Networking 

12 PM - Opening Remarks 

12:15 PM - Speaker Presentation 

1 PM - Event Concludes