Search is no longer just about rankings. With generative AI now recommending, describing and shaping brand discovery, marketing teams are operating in an entirely new environment.
The question isn’t whether AI will change marketing. It already has. The real question is how brands and agencies build strong partnerships that can evolve with it.
In our collaborative awards series with Bizcommunity, co-hosted with Managing Editor Danette Breitenbach, we spoke to Nomfundo Ndlangisa, Head of Marketing at Stellenbosch Business School (SBS), and Pareen Shah, Head of Analytics at Rogerwilco.
Together, SBS and Rogerwilco secured 12 industry awards in 2025 for GEOFF, their generative engine optimisation tool.
But behind the innovation was alignment.
“We operate in partnership,” says Nomfundo. “There’s always room for responsible experimentation.”
Pareen adds, “We don’t only look at what the data shows, but what it’s not telling us.”
Key insights include:
- Why generative search demands new measurement thinking
- How to distinguish hype from meaningful behavioural shifts
- The importance of trust in testing emerging technologies
- Why guardrails matter in experimentation
- How awards signal relevance in competitive markets
This episode explores how client–agency collaboration evolves while brand discovery changes.
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