Brand discovery is being rewritten, demanding that marketers and agencies change course. As AI-generated answers reshape search behaviour and generative engines begin recommending rather than ranking, the rules of visibility are shifting.
In this fast-moving landscape, relevance requires insight, experimentation and a partnership model that allows both client and agency to respond to change.
As part of our marketing and advertising awards series in collaboration with Bizcommunity, I co-hosted this episode with Danette Breitenbach, Managing Editor of Bizcommunity. We were joined by Nomfundo Ndlangisa, Head of Marketing at Stellenbosch Business School, and Pareen Shah, Head of Analytics at Rogerwilco.
In 2025, Rogerwilco and Stellenbosch Business School (SBS) won close 12 local and international awards for GEOFF, a generative engine optimisation tool designed to monitor how brands appear in AI-driven search environments.
But the real story is not the tool. It is the relationship.
“We operate on a level where we’re in a partnership, not a supplier relationship,” says Nomfundo. That trust creates room for structured experimentation. “Eighty percent is delivery; twenty percent is responsible experimentation.”
From the analytics side, Pareen explains: “Foresight doesn’t just sit with predictions. It starts when familiar data and patterns no longer make sense.”
This episode explores:
- How generative search changes brand visibility
- Why experimentation must be grounded in measurable learning
- How shared objectives strengthen innovation
- The difference between performance metrics and learning signals
- Why awards validate strategic direction, not ego
This conversation looks beyond the trophies to examine how partnerships adapt in an AI-driven discovery economy.
Listen to the episode below:
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