When AI tools started taking off, Google faced a serious problem: the risk of its search results being flooded with AI-generated spam. If left unchecked, the world's most-used search engine would lose trust - and with it, revenue. Search drives almost 57% of Alphabet's income, totaling over $198bn annually. And that revenue was at risk. AI spam isn't like old-school SEO spam. It's better written, harder to detect, and convincing enough to fool algorithms.
A big marker of brand success is recognition. When customers can pick out any of your products or services and easily identify them as part of your brand, you know you've made a lasting impression. A great example is Google, whose products and services are distinguishable from a mile off, from Gmail and Google Ads to Google Maps and Google Pay.
One of those most beloved and memorable (albeit sometimes annoying) animal mascots is the Aflac duck, whose story stemmed from an unlikely place. "Our advertising agency was in Central Park sitting on a bench. And they heard ducks and they noticed it sounded like Aflac," the insurance giant's CEO Dan Amos told Fortune. "And so the quack, quack, Aflac became the idea. And that's how we got in.
Remember the last time you saw a bright red can in a vending machine and immediately knew it was Coca-Cola without even looking at the logo? Or when you heard that "tudum" sound from a friend's laptop and realized in a split second that they were watching Netflix? Instant familiarity. While every brand aims for this level of brand recognition, it's elusive, built over years of hard work. But what if we told you there are strategies that can help accelerate the process? Curious how?