The Rise of GEO: How to Optimize for AI Engines in 2026

The Rise of GEO: How to Optimize for AI Engines in 2026

Search is no longer just about ranking on Google. AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews are changing how people discover brands, compare products and make decisions. In this episode of The Marketing Guy, I break down the rise of GEO — Generative Engine Optimization — and why marketers now need to think beyond keywords and blue links. We’ll cover: (a) Why SEO is shifting from “ranked” to “cited” (b) What AI engines prefer from brand content (c) Why specificity, structure, proof and authority matter more than ever (d) How brands can make themselves easier for AI systems to understand, trust and recommend

What Really Happened to Allbirds? The $4.1B Brand That Became NewBird AI

Allbirds was once the ultimate Silicon Valley shoe: simple, comfortable, sustainable, and almost the anti-Nike in the most premium way possible. Then the market changed, as it always does. Sustainability became less ownable. Performance brands such as Hoka and On became stronger, and their margins came under pressure. The brand stretched beyond its original magic. And eventually, Allbirds went from a multi-billion dollar brand story to a $39 million fire sale. But the strangest part is what came next: NewBird AI. In this episode, I break down the rise, decline, and unexpected AI pivot of Allbirds, and what marketers, founders, and operators can learn from a brand that didn’t just lose momentum, but may have missed its next identity. A story about hype, margins, positioning, and why every great brand needs a credible second act.

The Third Sense: Why Digital Branding is Failing | Rachit Kapoor

We spend 12 hours a day touching cold, unresponsive glass. In this Digital Desert, visual perfection is a commodity. If every brand has AI-perfect aesthetics, then no brand has an advantage. In Episode 27 of The Marketing Guy, Rachit Kapoor breaks the glass to reveal The Haptic Hook. This is the strategy used by the world's most elite brands, from Rolls-Royce and Mastercard to Teenage Engineering, to anchor their identity in the physical world. If your customers cannot feel your brand, they don't truly own it. We explore the biological reason why weightless marketing is forgettable and how to bring heft back to your brand strategy in 2026. Connect with Rachit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachitkapoor Key Strategic Pillars in this Episode: 1. Digital Satiety: Why visuals alone are no longer a differentiator. 2. The Haptic Hook: The science of touch and brand recall. 3. Case Studies: Deconstructing Rolls-Royce, Mastercard, and The Daily Stoic. 4. The 2026 Action Plan: How to move from "Digital Vapor" to "Physical Artifact." Hosted by Rachit Kapoor, The Marketing Guy. Exploring the intersection of human biology and high-end brand strategy. #TheMarketingGuy #HapticHook #SensoryBranding #Marketing2026 #RachitKapoor #BrandStrategy #TheThirdSense

From Touch to Thought: AI Agents & Agentic Commerce

AI is no longer waiting for your click. We are entering a shift from touch to thought, where AI agents anticipate decisions, filter choices, and increasingly act on our behalf. In this episode of The Marketing Guy, we explore what happens as AI moves from assistant to decision-maker. From agentic AI systems to brain–computer interfaces (BCI) and humanoid robotics, the interface between humans and machines is evolving fast. But the bigger question is this: If AI predicts what you want before you search… (a) What happens to marketing? (b) What happens to brand loyalty?(c) What happens to choice itself? This episode breaks down the psychology, the technology, and the strategic implications of the intention economy, and why the next competitive advantage may be designing not just for humans, but for AI agents that filter reality. Hosted by Rachit Kapoor, global marketing leader and founder of The Marketing Guy, exploring how AI, consumer psychology, and systems thinking shape how brands actually grow.

The AI AD Apocalypse | AI Agents, Moltbook, Creatives

Marketing Dashboards look sturdy today, but they look as healthy as GLP-1s! They leave a feeling that "something is missing." There are more ADS on the internet today than at any time in history. 💵 AD spending is rising every year, with 🥏 creative production becoming almost zero dollars. But this may sound impressive unless it is actually the "AI AD Apocalypse!" Then there are AI agents and the scary Moltbook! 🎧 Full podcast available across your favourite podcast streaming platforms. This podcast explores the apocalypse and brings forward the actual reasons behind it. How brands that are optimising for "resonance" are actually optimising for 🤖 machines, not what "humans" recall. #AIAds #AIIntegration #MarketingStrategy #MetaAI