Ahead of the OMR, German publication Werben & Verkaufen asked Eva McKinnon her thoughts on what trends have real strategic implications for CMOs, and which are more short-term hype.

Her response was powerful: 

"Amid panels, case studies, and buzzwords, a picture of how marketing is currently realigning itself is emerging around the OMR. Industry insiders are contextualizing these shifts and highlighting where priorities are changing—from visibility to experiences to decision-making structures.

"Brands must be machine-readable.

"Throughout the OMR Festival, one thing is becoming clear: AI search isn’t just changing search—it’s completely shifting how brands are being viewed.

"ForCMOs, the bottleneck is no longer just reach, but relevance in AI-generated responses. Those who don’t show up here lose visibility before the competition even begins. This has consequences: Good campaigns alone are no longer enough. Brands must be machine-readable, relatable, and consistent. Because AI systems draw on published, semantically actionable content—not on brands’ self-perceptions.

"The impact on brand value is significant: AI search shapes perception. And this depends more than ever on clarity of content, consistent communication, and digital reputation. What matters now is no longer the sheer volume of content, but rather conciseness and cultural relevance."

Strong words, Eva. And words the rest of us at WongDoody stand by.

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Read more in W&V