Burke, Inc. and BrandRank.AI Announce Strategic Partnership to Help Brands Win in the Age of AI-Driven Decisions

CINCINNATI, May 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Burke, Inc., a global data-driven insights consultancy, and BrandRank.AI, an AI-driven brand analytics platform, today announced a strategic partnership to help brands compete in a marketplace increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

As AI transforms how consumers discover, evaluate, and choose brands, the partnership combines Burke's deep understanding of consumer behavior with BrandRank.AI's ability to track how brands are represented in AI-generated answers - helping brands drive relevance in the moments that matter most.

New proprietary research from Burke underscores the urgency of this shift: nearly half of consumers (48%) used AI to inform a purchase decision in March 2026, up from just 28% in June 2024. Among those users, 58% say AI is changing how they discover and evaluate brands, with nearly one in four already relying less on traditional online search. Trust remains a critical gap to adoption as 47% cite accuracy and objectivity as their top concern, making it essential for brands to show up clearly and credibly in AI-generated responses. ¹ However, as users become more familiar with AI-driven search, trust is expected to become less of a barrier, especially among younger generations.

BrandRank.AI has conducted thousands of audits across the world's leading brands to measure this exact challenge. Its Brand Health and Trust framework provides brands with a clear, actionable view of their position within the AI answer ecosystem. Together, Burke and BrandRank.AI can illuminate for brands how AI search is influencing purchase decisions and advise them on how to ensure the answers consumers get are aligned to their strategies.

"AI is not just a tech revolution, but a consumer expectations revolution," said Pete Blackshaw, Co-Founder and CEO of BrandRank.AI. "Brands must understand not only what they say, but how they are interpreted and trusted in AI-driven decisions."

"Burke has expertise helping organizations understand the 'why' behind consumer behavior and what influences choice," said Tara Marotti, Burke President & CEO. "This partnership brings greater clarity to the decisions brand teams must make to compete in today's environment by aligning human and AI perspectives with brand strategy."

As an initial offering, the partnership will introduce BRAND ANSWER—a diagnostic that reveals how AI answers portray a brand, where it is missing from key consumer questions, and how it compares to competitors in AI-driven responses. The goal is to create immediate clarity around the gap between brand intent and AI reality, fueling more focused, insight-driven action.

By integrating consumer insight with AI analytics, the partnership addresses a growing gap between brand positioning and AI-driven outcomes - enabling companies to compete in the new answer economy.

Burke will leverage BrandRank.AI's analytics platform to deliver visibility into AI performance, while BrandRank.AI will incorporate Burke's data expertise and Relevance + Momentum™ brand strategy framework to ground its analytics in real human behavior.

About Burke
Burke, Inc. is a global data-driven insights consultancy that helps organizations turn human understanding into growth through a combination of expert-led AI, consumer intelligence systems, and marketing strategy to power smarter decisions.

About BrandRank.AI
BrandRank partners with global brands to strengthen trust and purchase intent by uncovering insights and opportunities across AI answer engines, helping improve visibility and ensure content is AI-ready.

1. Burke, Inc. Burke Omnibus Research Survey. June 2024 – March 2026. Dataset.

For more information, please contact:
[email protected] | 800.688.2674

SOURCE Burke, Inc.