Smriti Sharma says AI is surfacing brands before search
Comscore's Custom IQ head, Smriti Sharma, stated at Goafest 2026 that consumer brand discovery is shifting from direct searches to surfacing through AI, creators, communities, and Connected TV (CTV) interactions. This indicates an evolving landscape for brand engagement before potential customers visit company websites.
Key Takeaways
- Smriti Sharma, head of Comscore’s Custom IQ, delivered the remarks at Goafest 2026.
- Consumers are asking AI, creators and communities before they visit brand websites.
- Connected TV, or CTV, is part of the discovery path Sharma highlighted.
- The shift described is from direct brand search to being surfaced across multiple touchpoints.
Why It Matters
The immediate implication is that brand discovery is happening earlier, before users land on a company website, and it now includes AI, creators, communities and CTV. For streaming and ad-tech teams, that widens the measurement problem beyond site search into the surfaces where attention first appears. The competitive angle is clear in Sharma’s framing: discovery is no longer owned by search alone, but distributed across media and social touchpoints. The next concrete signal to watch is whether more executives at Goafest 2026 start naming CTV and AI as first-contact discovery channels in their own brand planning.
Read full article at bestmediainfo.com
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