Worldcom Partner The Pollack Group launched of its new monthly Brand Visibility Index, a research series examining how brands are represented, ranked and cited by generative AI platforms. Powered by Sited, the agency’s Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and online visibility solution, the Index is designed to provide a snapshot of which brands are winning in AI search and what is driving their visibility.
The inaugural Brand Visibility Index report analyzed 335 AI-generated answers to 20 shopper prompts collected between July 27 – August 3, 2026. The finding focus on the competitive Back-to-School retail season, analyzing how AI engines respond to questions from customers shopping for college dorm essentials. TPG focused on six national retailers: Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, IKEA, Target, The Container Store, and Walmart.
Who Leads AI Visibility for Back-To-School Season
The findings reveal a substantial gap between the category leaders and their competitors: Target and IKEA were each mentioned in approximately 30% of analyzed AI answers, while Amazon, the next-highest performer, appeared in just 8.7%. The findings also illustrate how a brand’s broader digital footprint can influence its presence in AI-generated answers. IKEA’s dedicated dorm essentials webpage, for example, was cited in 27% of prompt responses.
Other key findings include:
- Target and IKEA collectively capture 23% Share of Voice
- IKEA ranked highest in mention position with a 2.4 average ranking
- Social platforms cited Reddit, YouTube and Instagram in 16%
- Earned media including NBC, Forbes and Teen Vogue
What Drives Brand Visibility in AI Search
The findings also suggest that scale alone does not guarantee AI visibility. Despite the breadth of products available from major retailers, brands with highly relevant, purpose-built content for specific consumer needs can gain an advantage in generative search. The analysis also demonstrates the growing connection between GEO and communications disciplines including PR, social media, content strategy and website optimization.
“The way consumers discover brands is changing quickly, and simply ranking well in traditional search is no longer the whole picture,” said Jackie Liu, Senior Vice President of The Pollack Group. “AI engines are synthesizing information from brand websites, media coverage, social platforms and online conversations to determine which brands they recommend and how they describe them. Our Sited solution provides a way to measure that new landscape and identify what brands can do to compete within it.”
