Closing the Franchise Gap

Local Marketing in the Age of AI

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Strategy is centralized. Execution is distributed. And nobody knows what's working.

As AI becomes the gatekeeper of search, many brands are already suffering from lost visibility, misinformation, and weak representation in AI-generated results.

of both brands and franchisees say uncertainty over “what's working” is the top obstacle to local marketing success

of franchisees say AI search visibility is “very important” or “critical” — compared to 69% of brands

of brands and franchisees report using AI in some form — but adoption is broad and shallow, not operationalized

The Strategy to Win in AI-Led Local Search

Source of Truth

Ensure every location is accurate, consistent, and structured across the ecosystem AI reads.

Context & Relevance

Keep AI signals fresh with always-on reviews, FAQs, hyperlocal content, social posts, and offers.

Orchestration at Scale

Leverage AI agents to align truth and context into real-time decisions and execution at scale.

About
the research

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Based on research with 2,000+ consumers and 200 senior marketers across the US, UK, France, and Germany, this report shows how AI is reshaping discovery and what systems now rely on to recommend brands. It also outlines the new discovery architecture and operating models marketers need to adapt fast as AI-mediated discovery becomes the default.

“We’re rewriting key content to be more LLM-friendly — adding richer context, clearer intent, and structured detail. We’re improving over 400 location pages to make sure AI assistants can understand exactly what each location offers.”

Flo Guerouanni, Global SEO Lead,
Cushman & Wakefield

**What Marketing Teams Must Do Differently in 2026**

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Teams that win in AI search are shifting from campaign tactics to an operating model built for how AI-driven discovery actually works—stronger governance, always-on execution, and investment reallocated toward GEO and optimization.

40%

invest 50%+ of their marketing budget in geo-centric strategies.

60%

of marketing leaders have created new roles dedicated to AI optimization

Stop Being Erased. Start Being Discovered.

Take control of your AI visibility at a brand and location level. Use GEO Studio to identify mention gaps, optimize prompts, and deploy AI-ready content in minutes.