What Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) means for your drinks brand
If you were to ask ChatGPT for the best gin to gift for Christmas, who do you think it would recommend first?
We recently ran that experiment. The results were eye-opening; Hendrick's performed best, Bombay Sapphire wasn’t too far behind, but plenty of other big names didn’t appear at all.
This is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO), a new frontier in visibility where AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot are quietly deciding which brands to recommend when people ask them questions, instead of Googling.
But is anyone actually using these AI tools to search for brands?
Search behaviour is shifting faster than most marketers realise. Around 8% of US users (and 1% in the UK and rising) now start their product searches directly in AI chat tools, asking open-ended questions like “What’s a good alcohol-free spirit for gifting?” or “Which rum should I try next?".
These tools don’t return a list of links. They give answers. And if your brand isn’t one of the names the AI mentions, you’re effectively invisible in this new kind of discovery journey.
Why this matters for drinks marketers
AI models learn which brands to recommend by trawling and citing what they find online, and they love “high-trust” sources like the same national press and food & drink sites that PR already targets.
Earned editorial coverage is the secret weapon for GEO. Every mention, link, quote and review in a respected media outlet helps “teach” AI that your brand is worth recommending.
It also means evergreen coverage - those Best Gins for Winter or Top Low-ABV Drinks to Try listicles - now carry extra long-term value, as AI reuses them to build its own answers.
How Stir is helping brands get ahead of the category
Stir has partnered with a leading AI search agency to combine their technical expertise with Stir’s tried and tested earned-media know-how.
Together, we offer:
Brand and competitor auditing to show how drinks brands currently perform on ChatGPT, Gemini etc.
Identifying which publications and prompts drive the most visibility
Advising on coverage strategy to “feed” the algorithms that shape AI recommendations
Securing coverage in these top-tier media titles via creative campaigns and emotionally driven storytelling
Live monitoring and monthly reporting to tweak and adapt our approach to the latest developments
What you should do next
Don’t panic, but equally don’t ignore. GEO is in its early adoption phase; brands that move first can shape future AI recommendations.
Think of it like SEO 15 years ago, those who adopted early benefitted significantly to rank first on Google. That's much harder and far more costly to do now in 2025. You can help future-proof your business with some simple tweaks to your comms.
And the good news is setup is cost-effective and simple; this isn’t a revolution but an evolution. Powerful storytelling and emotionally driven campaigns form the basis, but when supplemented with AI optimisation and measurement, you’ll be able to drive maximum impact.