Marketing Agencies Unify Media Efforts for AI Search
As consumers pivot to AI for product research, agencies are merging media silos to maintain brand visibility in new search models.
Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Advertising
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Jellyfish appointed Seun Odeneye as its new chief media officer for EMEA in September 2026 to lead the integration of paid, owned, and earned media. The agency aims to better align creative and media services as advertisers face increasing consumer reliance on AI-driven search.
Why it matters
Marketing agencies are increasingly tasked with breaking down silos to better capture consumer attention within large language models and AI assistants. This strategy shift addresses the need for brands to maintain visibility in automated search environments where trust and product discovery are currently evolving.
Kantar reports that 32% of consumers use AI to research brands, though only 23% trust those specific AI recommendations. As a result, 75% of marketers plan to increase their AI investment next year to improve visibility.
The players
Seun Odeneye
The new chief media officer for EMEA at Jellyfish with previous experience at IPG Mediabrands and Kinesso.
Jellyfish
A global digital marketing agency founded in 2005, now owned by The Brandtech Group and majority-backed by Fimalac.
The details
Jellyfish utilizes its Pencil platform to bridge creative and media execution, while its Share of Model tool monitors brand visibility within generative AI outputs. By tasking Odeneye with unifying paid, owned, and earned media, the agency seeks to standardize brand presence across both traditional web search and LLM-based interfaces. This operational convergence is intended to help clients navigate a landscape where automated discovery platforms are shifting how products reach consumers.
Timeline
2005: Jellyfish is founded.
2019: Fimalac acquires a majority stake in Jellyfish.
2023: The Brandtech Group acquires Jellyfish.
September 2026: Seun Odeneye joins Jellyfish as chief media officer for EMEA.
Next year: 75% of marketers plan to increase AI investment.
Market Landscape
This move follows the documented trend of consumers using AI assistants for product research identified by Kantar. The agency’s strategic hiring marks a deliberate response to the shift where AI acts as the primary gateway for discovery.
Operators should evaluate how their own marketing mix accounts for AI-driven search results and product visibility within LLMs. Consider auditing your brand presence using tools that track model-based visibility to ensure your products appear accurately in automated recommendations.
The takeaway
The move underscores that media silos are becoming a liability in an era where AI assistants mediate the majority of consumer-product interactions. Review your agency contracts to ensure they include specific metrics for visibility in AI-generated search results.
Further reading
Read more about industry shifts in Advertising.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Media Leader.
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