AI retrieves reputation. The first tool to measure it arrives unproven.
In the fifth episode of Assistant to the CMO, Lexie Meskouris speaks with Will Nash and Harjot Singh about whether AI has quietly become the thing that decides which vendors get recommended, and whether anyone can yet measure it.
LinkedIn's three-year study with Bain reports that 94% of B2B buying groups consult an LLM before speaking to sales, and argues AI retrieves whoever is already trusted rather than discovering anyone new. Neither builder finds that surprising. Will notes LinkedIn sells reputation-based advertising and has reason to describe the world this way. Harjot reads the behaviour as comfort, arguing buyers trust AI more than they trust colleagues.
LinkedIn's three-year study with Bain reports that 94% of B2B buying groups consult an LLM before speaking to sales, and argues AI retrieves whoever is already trusted rather than discovering anyone new. Neither builder finds that surprising. Will notes LinkedIn sells reputation-based advertising and has reason to describe the world this way. Harjot reads the behaviour as comfort, arguing buyers trust AI more than they trust colleagues.
The second half is where they part. DISQO claims its AI Search Lift can measure whether advertising moves your brand inside AI search. Will calls it branded search relabelled and wants the panel size before anyone signs. Harjot rates it, arguing it may reveal how buyers actually decide, and wants the methodology published. The takeaway is to find out what AI already says about you, and baseline before trusting any lift number.
Highlights of this Episode Include:
- What the Buyability Study Claims: LinkedIn says AI surfaces vendors who already carry customer proof, peer recommendation, and expert endorsement.
- Consider Who Funded the Research: Will notes LinkedIn sells reputation-based advertising, so it has reason to say reputation now decides everything.
- Buying Is a Comfort Behaviour: Harjot argues buyers trust AI more than colleagues, using it to feel safe in a decision rather than to learn.
- The Retrieval Layer Decides Who Gets Pulled: Challengers should optimise what a model can reach; incumbents should stay clearly described through rebrands.
- The Hosts Split on Measurement: Will calls DISQO's AI Search Lift branded search relabelled and demands the panel size before anyone signs.
- Answer the Questions Buyers Actually Ask: Will's Monday move is to mirror the Q&A format on your own site, since retrieval reads it even if training never does.
- Never Skip the Baseline: Harjot's rule is to trend results over time and correlate them with your other metrics before trusting any lift.
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