One unexpected brand or vertical you think will thrive in AI-generated results over the next year

Summary

---

Voices of Search Podcast:

One Unexpected Brand or Vertical That Will Thrive in AI-Generated Results Over the Next Year
Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Jordan Cooney
Guest: Josh Bliskell (Profound)

---

Episode Overview

This episode dives into predictions about which brands and industry verticals are best positioned to capitalize on the rapidly changing landscape of AI-generated results, particularly in the context of conversational search. Host Jordan Cooney poses a "crystal ball" question to guest Josh Bliskell: Which unexpected brands or verticals will thrive in this new AI-driven era? The discussion focuses on the power of brand storytelling, becoming information hubs, and the differentiation this brings in conversational AI environments.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Rise of Brand Storytelling in AI-Generated Results

• Timestamps: 00:54 – 01:52, 03:20 – 04:17
• Brands that do more than just sell products—those that build strong narratives and foster interactive engagement—will excel in AI-powered conversational spaces.
• Companies should evolve from mere retail outlets to publishers and content creators.

Quote:

"Brands that have a lot more to do with their brand than just being a place to sell or buy products are going to have a lot of fun in the conversational space."
— Josh Bliskell [00:54]

2. Being an Information Hub Unlocks AI Opportunities

• Brands that position themselves as resources and authorities—offering educational and engaging content—can shape how they are represented in generative platforms.
• Citing HubSpot as an example, Josh explains the advantage of having so much brand "ephemera" (content, stories, expertise) that AI agents can draw from it in response to conversational queries.

Quote:

"It provides tremendous opportunities to influence conversations across the board. Like a HubSpot…there's just so much brand ephemera…it's very different than a company that's just out there to say, hey, we sell precision drilling equipment."
— Josh Bliskell [01:11]

3. Contextualizing Brand Presence in Conversational AI

• In AI search, generic product brands struggle to insert themselves contextually into conversations.
• Brands with helpful, entertaining, or unique information can naturally appear in AI responses and content.

Example:

• If someone asks, “How to tie your shoes?” ChatGPT might not recommend a specific purchase, but could surface an article by a brand like Converse about fun shoelace-tying techniques—making the brand an organic part of the conversation.

Quote:

"Converse basically owns a walking billboard on every ChatGPT chat where someone asks that question….you can do that in ChatGPT, where everyone thinks it's all gray and flattened. You can actually have a lot of fun by contextualizing what you're doing."
— Josh Bliskell [03:36]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the advantage of rich branding:

  “I think brands that can make themselves into more of an information hub, like really thinking about yourself as a publisher, if that makes sense.”
  — Josh Bliskell [00:54]

• On the AI conversational challenge for niche brands:

  “It's very difficult for me as a conversational user…to understand the different areas that I might want that precision drilling equipment or how to contextualize. And it serves brands…if you’re able to contextualize.”
  — Josh Bliskell [03:20]

• On leveraging AI for brand creativity:

  “You can do that in ChatGPT, where everyone thinks it's all gray and flattened. You can actually have a lot of fun by contextualizing what you're doing.”
  — Josh Bliskell [04:11]

---

Segment Timestamps

• [00:43] — Crystal ball question: AI-powered winners
• [00:54] — Brands as storytellers and publishers
• [01:11] — Example: HubSpot's advantage in the AI era
• [03:20] — Contextual brand involvement in conversational search
• [03:36] — Converse example: Information integration in AI
• [04:17] — Episode wrap-up and closing thoughts

---

Conclusion: Actionable Takeaways

• Brands that focus on rich storytelling and becoming authoritative information sources will gain greater visibility and influence in AI-generated search and conversational interfaces.
• The future of SEO and content marketing in the AI era is not just about selling but about building content ecosystems that AI can draw upon, making brands a natural and trustworthy part of search results.

---

For more from Josh Bliskell or to reach out, check the episode show notes for his LinkedIn profile and company information.

Transcript

[Jordan Cooney]

The Voices of Search Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com welcome to the Voices of Search Podcast. A member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network, ready to expedite your company's organic growth efforts. Sit back, relax, and get ready for your daily dose of search engine optimization wisdom. Here's today's host of the Voices of Search Podcast, Jordan Cooney.

[Podcast Host]

Okay, next question. Crystal ball. What unexpected brand or vertical do you think will thrive in the new AI generative world?

[Josh Bliskell]

Oh my goodness. Such a funny thing. I think brands that have a lot more to do with their brand than just being a place to sell or buy products are going to have a lot of fun in the conversational space. Maybe that's not the question, but I think brands that have a lot of ephemera built up around them, a lot of brand storytelling, they're easy to interact with, they're interactive. I think brands that can make themselves into more of an information hub, like really thinking about yourself as a publisher, if that makes sense. It provides tremendous opportunities to influence conversations across the board. Like a HubSpot. I could converse with HubSpot about how to do marketing and how to think about this and how to think about CRMs and things like that. Because there's just so much brand ephemera. There's so much of what HubSpot is with inbound and all those different things where it's very different than a company that's just out there to say, hey, we sell precision drilling equipment.

[Sponsor Voice]

Time for a one minute break to hear from our sponsor, Pre Visible. So you're looking for SEO help and you got a couple of options. You could start replying to spam from agencies that claim they can get you to rank number one on Google. You can pay an hourly rate for a consultant who will inevitably nickel and dime you with hourly charges. Or you can work with a cookie cutter agency to quickly launch a strategy less project with low success rate. None of those sound very good now do they? Well, that's where Pre Visible's integrated consulting model comes in. Pre Visible draws From a collective 40 years of SEO and digital marketing experience to unlock your organic growth opportunities. They build custom solutions that combine strategy, technical expertise, content and reporting to effectively operationalize SEO for your business. Pre Visible's four stage approach ensures that your SEO programs thrive by starting off with a strategy first approach. Then they support you in your efforts to create quality content, help you identify technical issues, and most importantly, they'll work with your cross functional teams to integrate your SEO strategies to make sure that your SEO budget actually drives results, not just your agency's bottom line. So join brands like Yelp, eBay, Canva, Atlassian Square, all who rely on the SEO consultants at Pre Visible. For more information go to Previsible IO that's previsible P R E V I S I B L E I O.

[Josh Bliskell]

It's very difficult for me as a conversational user if we're talking about conversational search to understand the different areas that I might want that precision drilling equipment or how to contextualize. And it serves brands and interest as well. If you're able to contextualize people's you know, I worked great example. Someone says how to tie Your shoes in ChatGPT ChatGPT is never going to say to tie your shoes. Buy a pair of Converse All Star shoes and then go and tie your shoes. What ChatGPT is going to say is here's how to tie your shoes. Also there's like here's cited an article by Converse that says eight crazy new ways to tie your shoes. Crazy knots to try. Converse basically owns a walking Billboard on every ChatGPT chat where someone asks that question. So in that like that's what I mean. I think it's hard to grok what I mean. But those examples, it's like you're building inroads to you. This is who I am as a brand. And you can do that in ChatGPT, where everyone thinks it's all gray and flattened. You can actually have a lot of fun by contextualizing what you're doing.

[Podcast Host]

Love that. Love that. Okay, that wraps up this episode of the Voice to Search podcast. A huge thank you to Josh Bliskell from Profound for joining us today. If you'd like to get in contact with Josh, you can find a link to his LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on the voicesofsearch.com if you'd like to visit his company website, you can visit try profound. Com. If you haven't subscribed yet and would like a daily stream of SEO and content marketing knowledge in your podcast feed, please hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed every week. That's all for today, but until next time, remember the answers are always in the data.

[Sam]

Sam.