SPM COMMUNICATIONS LAUNCHES ENGINEERED BRAND DISCOVERY TO HELP BRANDS WIN IN THE AGE OF AI SEARCH

National PR agency introduces GEO capability designed to make brands visible where consumers are asking questions

DALLAS, May 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SPM Communications, a nationally ranked public relations, influencer, franchise development and crisis management agency, is expanding its capabilities with the introduction of Engineered Brand Discovery™, a full-service generative engine optimization (GEO) offering to help consumers discover, engage with and choose brands through AI-powered search.

The launch comes as consumer behavior undergoes a fundamental shift. According to McKinsey & Company, 50% of consumers now use AI-powered search as their No. 1 source for buying decisions, and an estimated $750 billion in U.S. revenue will flow through AI-powered search by 2028.

Despite the scale of this change, only 16% of brands today systematically track their AI search performance, leaving 84% without insight into how they appear, or whether they appear at all, when consumers ask AI a question. And unlike traditional search, AI doesn't return a list of links. It tells a story, which means the brands best positioned to win are those with strategic storytellers already in their corner.

SPM's proprietary Engineered Brand Discovery process uses qualitative and quantitative insights to build and execute a cross-channel content strategy, spanning owned, earned and social, structured so AI engines can easily reference and cite the brand. To measure impact, SPM tracks prompt responses from five different large language models daily, measuring a brand's visibility score, mention rate, rank, source citations and competitive position across AI answer engines.

"PR in 2026 looks very different as people increasingly discover and engage with brands through AI search and AI summaries," said Suzanne Miller, SPM founder and president. "The PR tools we rely on every day, such as earned media, authoritative storytelling and strategic placements in high-trust publications, are now among the most powerful signals driving AI visibility and a key reason PR should be leading GEO strategy. Engineered Brand Discovery will give our clients a measurable edge and meaningful business outcomes."

SPM's ongoing strategic practice includes a GEO audit and benchmark report, consumer roadmapping and messaging framework, GEO-optimized content development and deployment and monthly AI visibility reporting. SPM also includes LLM-driven crisis response in its tested approach to crisis communications.

With more than 26 years of experience building brand authority through earned media, SPM is uniquely positioned to lead brands into the AI search era. The agency's approach is rooted in a foundational belief: large language models are looking for trustworthy narrative frameworks, and strategic storytellers are best suited to shape them. Engineered Brand Discovery puts that expertise to work by turning PR's most powerful outputs into the citations, sources and stories AI engines trust.

About SPM Communications Inc.
Founded in 1999, Dallas-based SPM Communications is a strategy-led PR and social agency that helps brands engineer cultural relevance and convert it into measurable business growth. The firm's services span media relations, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), influencer, social, franchise development and crisis/issues management, combining cultural intelligence and AI-powered strategy to drive brand discovery and deliver outcomes that move businesses forward. SPM works with national and regional brands across restaurant, food and beverage, retail and pet care. Recognized for its WSJ-featured "No Jerks" policy, a high-performance partnership philosophy built on mutual respect, the agency was named a 2026 PR News Agency Elite Top 120 for the third year in a row. More information is available on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.

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SOURCE SPM Communications, Inc.