Appearing in an AI answer means a brand is in the conversation, not necessarily in the decision. The study separates how often a brand is named from how often the assistant actually chooses it, and the ratio between the two becomes the recommendation rate.
EDP overtakes Salsa when it’s time to choose
Asked for the best Portuguese brands, a median answer lists 17 names: a catalogue, not a pick. Salsa is named most, but EDP is chosen most.
At the far end, 13 Portuguese brands are mentioned and never chosen: Compal is named in 18 answers without a single pick. That is the limit of share of voice, and why the study adds share of recommendation.
Who builds a brand’s reputation with AI
328 of the 616 answers showed sources, 2,993 citations in total. The most cited are not the channels brands usually watch.
Recommended is not the same as approved
A brand counts as chosen even when the answer lists its weak points. TAP is chosen in all 39 answers about the best airline from Portugal, yet 16 of them also raise criticism on price, punctuality or service.
The question decides the ranking
Three phrasings of the same banking question, asked to the same assistants, produce very different winners.