Where CMOs Are Reallocating Budget in 2026 (And Why You Should Too)
Here's what's changed: Your customers are asking AI for product recommendations - and may never make it to Google.
Over half of consumers now use ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity to research purchases. AI educates them on what features matter, which questions to ask, and what to search for—all before they see your brand.
The problem? AI isn't learning about your brand and products from your website. It's learning from sources most marketing budgets completely ignore.
In this session, we'll show you where AI actually gets its information, and the three specific budget shifts CMOs are making in response.
What We'll Cover:
Understanding the AI-Mediated Customer Journey
How customers now move from initial question to purchase decision, and why this changes where you should allocate budget.
Where AI Actually Learns About Your Category
Real data on citation patterns—which sources AI uses to educate customers, and where your competitors are building presence.
Three Specific Budget Reallocations for 2026
Concrete shifts CMOs are making, including the difference between building content and building citations, and why journey analysis is becoming a core marketing function.
Making It Actionable
How to pilot these changes in your organization with clear measurement frameworks.
Who Should Attend:
CMOs and marketing VPs planning 2026 budgets
Brand leaders responsible for content and demand generation strategy
Anyone noticing changes in how customers research and buy, but unsure how to respond
Why This Matters Now:
The companies that understand citation infrastructure and reallocate early will have an advantage before this becomes standard practice and more competitive.
Your Speakers:
Julio Casado is the co-founder and CEO of Full Funnel Growth, a strategic marketing agency that helps brands adapt to fundamental shifts in how customers discover and evaluate products. With a background in paid and organic search, Julio observed a critical transformation: consumer search behavior was changing—not just how people search, but where they search and the depth of their searches.
Julio developed the "From Keywords to Citations" framework that reveals why getting your brand in front of intent-based audiences now requires a fundamental reallocation of marketing investment—towards the third-party ecosystem where AI is actually citing.
Jason Patel is an exited founder and SEO expert who led growth at his first business to industry-leading SEO performance before its acquisition in 2023.
Today, Jason is the co-founder and CEO of Open Forge AI, a platform that helps businesses get seen by AI search engines. Open Forge reveals citation patterns, query progressions, and competitive intelligence that most brands don't have access to.
Jason also advises companies from fast-growing startups to Fortune 500 organizations on SEO, GEO, and AEO strategy.