How Perplexity is redefining brand-building in the AI era
š§ Intro Most AI products today are loud.Buzzwords. Banners. Speed. Power. Noise. But Perplexity is doing something completely different ā and itās working. With a $14B valuation and over 780 million queries per month, theyāre quietly building a brand around one key thing: Trust. Letās break down their strategy and what we can learn from it as marketers building in the AI space. š 1. They sell trust, not tech - They donāt promote āhow powerfulā they are ā they show what you can actually do with it. - Every answer includes citations to real sources. - It feels like a research tool, not a hype machine. Takeaway: AI tools that feel credible will win long-term. Focus on usefulness, not just features. š” 2. Ads are invisible, but effective - Instead of banners, they place sponsored follow-up questions after answers. - The AI itself generates these questions ā not the advertiser. - Example: Ask about healthy eating ā it might suggest a follow-up about organic groceries (sponsored by Whole Foods). Takeaway: When ads fit the flow, they donāt feel like ads ā and people engage more. šÆ 3. They work with real people, not just creators - Over 490 influencer ads live on Meta - Collaborations with people who use it for real things: school, research, work - They use Captiv8ās AI tool (Sonar) to find the right voices Takeaway: Authenticity matters. The right messenger is more powerful than a flashy campaign. šļø 4. Their Super Bowl campaign was a tweet - Instead of buying a TV slot, they ran a real-time contest on X (Twitter) - The result? +45,000 new users in 24 hours - It was simple, relevant, and tapped into the moment Takeaway: Smart timing can outperform big budgets. š¤ 5. Theyāre partnering with media, not fighting them - Launched a revenue-sharing program for publishers - If Perplexity uses your content in an answer, you get paid - It helps them stay on good terms with the media world and avoids legal drama Takeaway: Work with publishers, not against them. Long-term trust > short-term traffic.