McKenna Townsend launches AI search optimisation tool for marine brands

AI-driven large language model (LLM) search is rapidly changing how brands are discovered, evaluated and trusted. Just like Google and Bing, it is essential that marine brands are visible across generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Claude to target audiences using AI to make decisions, and to help them become category leaders.

Generative AI platforms have become an extension of the purchasing process, providing multi-source, deep comparison research tools. 

PR and communications agency, McKenna Townsend, has launched a new AI strategic generative engine optimisation (GEO) system. The new programme, named McKenna Townsend: Insight Marine, is designed to help companies in the sector unlock brand visibility across AI platforms.

According to McKenna, marine brands have untapped AI opportunities and room for growth, and with clearer positioning, proper structured data and stronger brand mentions, companies can rapidly close the gap and put themselves ahead of competitors.

Unlocking AI opportunities for marine brands

In the larger superyacht sector, for example, McKenna says the citation landscape is still highly open, “creating a strong opportunity for a brand to rapidly scale and position itself as the leader in this space with a focused citation-building strategy”.

By positioning itself, not only as a bespoke larger superyacht manufacturer, but also as the industry leader in yacht lifecycle excellence, a brand could dominate AI search results. This includes strengthening visibility around yacht refit services, yacht maintenance services and tech, and crew training. 

Edmund Beckett, naval architect and senior partner at Burgess, recently told MIN how AI is reshaping the superyacht sector and his strategy.

McKenna adds: “There are already some clear brand winners in the AI search race in the leisure marine sector, with reputations that have been carefully developed and nurtured over many years. However, there are significant opportunities for all brands and companies to improve their AI search visibility and to impact how people understand their brand and products online. This is where our new service comes into play.”

How to build brand presence

McKenna Townsend: Insight Marine is a strategic GEO programme that actively builds marine brands’ presence across the sources that LLMs (including ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI) rely on to generate answers, recommendations and insights. 

McKenna explains: “We help these platforms understand who you are, what your offering and products are, and why you matter to the right audience. If you want your marine brand and products to be accurately represented, trusted and discoverable in an increasingly AI-driven world, McKenna Townsend: Insight Marine provides companies with the intelligence, strategy and execution to do so.”

Over the coming months, McKenna Townsend is planning to undertake a review of AI search and visibility across the leisure marine sector, focusing on brands, products, geographical segments, sectors and the most trusted citation sources that AI search draws from. 

The company will use multiple data streams to identify the significant opportunities, the reputational risks, who is winning and who is not, and what companies need to be doing to manage their brands and products in an increasingly AI-driven online environment. 

This article was originally published in Marine Industry News magazine. Read more issues here.

Companies and brands interested in being considered for this review can email McKenna Townsend: matt@mckennatownsend.com