[E-Daily Reporter SHIN MIN JOON ] "Going forward, the key will be ensuring that when consumers ask questions of generative artificial intelligence (AI), brands are featured alongside accurate and positive information."
Kim Hee-eun, Head of the New Tech Business Strategy Center at Cheil Worldwide ( CheilWorldwide(030000) ), stated this in a recent interview with E-Daily, saying, “Whereas in the past consumers searched for products on social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram, more and more are now asking generative AI directly to find the products they want.”
CheilWorldwide, a leader in the domestic advertising industry, established the New Tech Business Strategy Center last December to oversee new business strategies based on AI technology and appointed Kim as its head. The New Tech Business Strategy Center consists of approximately 200 employees, including AI developers, data scientists, creatives, and UX designers. This represents about 15% of the company’s total workforce, demonstrating CheilWorldwide’s commitment to AI transformation.
Center Director Kim said, “As we rapidly transition into the AI era, the role of advertising agencies is also changing,” adding, “We must go beyond traditional advertising planning and content production to combine diverse capabilities such as data development, AI, and user experience (UX).”
The New Tech Business Strategy Center has independently developed “CheilWorldwide GEO Orchestrator,” a Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) solution. GEO is an optimization strategy designed to ensure that generative AI engines—such as ChatGPT and Gemini—cite and recommend specific brands or content as trustworthy sources when generating responses to user queries. According to Center Director Kim, the CheilWorldwide GEO Orchestrator provides a comprehensive, all-in-one GEO service that encompasses △diagnosis △strategy △planning △execution △and analysis, ensuring that brands are consistently mentioned and cited by AI—rather than relying on fragmented, keyword-driven responses.
Center Director Kim stated, “The starting point for GEO is first identifying what consumers are asking about brands and products through generative AI,” adding, “This must be followed by the process of structuring the information needed to respond to those questions and building it into a database (DB).”
The key to this process is the “target prompt.” A target prompt is a framework for the AI search era in which we first predict the “questions consumers will ask AI” and preemptively build up content consisting of answers (information, data, and evidence) that AI can cite in response to those questions. For example, suppose a smartphone manufacturer is launching a new product. Rather than simply managing the keyword “new product launch,” the first step is to analyze how consumers might ask about the product’s △camera performance, △battery life, △design, △foldable features, and △differences from competing products.
Center Director Kim said, “There are cases where companies manage hundreds to thousands of target prompts depending on the brand and product,” adding, “Currently, demand for GEO solutions is highest among tech and automotive brands, such as mobile phones and home appliances.”
CheilWorldwide emphasizes that it offers an “end-to-end” service, where every step—from start to finish—is seamlessly connected. Center Director Kim explained, “An end-to-end service goes beyond simply having a GEO specialist analyze AI exposure data and present findings on ‘what kind of content is needed.’ Based on those findings, we can actually create the content, publish it on the brand’s website (dot-com), and even distribute it through necessary channels such as influencers and YouTube.” In other words, the entire process—from analyzing consumer queries using data to define the necessary information, selecting appropriate channels, producing content, and verifying AI exposure performance—must be seamlessly integrated.
He emphasized, “GEO’s core competitive advantage lies not in content production alone, but in the ability to connect channels, platforms, content, and analytics—and to oversee and direct the entire process.”
Finally, Center Director Kim said, “GEO can be likened to a diet that involves continuous effort—encompassing diet and exercise—without relying on obesity medications,” adding, “To achieve sustained results, it is most important to build a system that structures all the information and assets a brand possesses and makes them readable by AI.”
