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VML's Heather Physioc: AI search requires brands to tell a consistent story. 6 Oct 2026 / David Kaplan NEW YORK - Search engine optimization built its playbook around keywords and links. AI-powered discovery requires something different. Brands need a coherent, corroborated story that holds up across every surface where their content appears, because AI systems are cross-validating sources in ways that traditional search never did. "To be discoverable today means that brands are able not only to be found in a list of links, but they are chosen, recommended, hopefully eventually transacted upon," Heather Physioc, chief discoverability officer at VML, told Beet.TV contributor David Kaplan at EMARKETER's Future of Digital event in New York. "It's all about having this consistent story that shows up about your brand no matter when, where, why, or how people search." The fragmentation problem is where most brands are falling short. A brand's website, social media, earned media, and retail experiences often tell slightly different versions of the same story. In traditional search, that inconsistency was largely invisible. In AI search, corroboration is everything. The questions consumers now ask AI platforms are more specific, more nuanced, and more numerous than anything SEO was built to handle. A brand optimized for a handful of high-volume keywords may be completely invisible when a user asks a layered, follow-up-driven question. "The breadth and depth of their content is not sufficient in this new era to answer all the personalized, nuanced, specific questions that people are suddenly able to ask," Physioc said. "We need to have a deeper, richer understanding of what it is our customers need and want and how they're going to use these tools so that we can create more content and experiences that serve those needs better." Trust signals are a competitive advantage. One in 10 Google AI overviews contains an error. At Google's scale, that represents hundreds of thousands of mistakes every minute. As AI platforms push toward paid media and compete for loyal users, accuracy and trust become existential priorities. "People know that they can't fully trust these LLMs. As these platforms want to move toward paid media and be the platform that wins all the users, people need to trust the results," Physioc said. "As that trust gap starts to get closed and these platforms get more sophisticated, that enables the next steps that push us toward that autonomous, agentic shopping era." For brands, that dynamic translates into a clear imperative. Credentials, expertise signals, and third-party validation will increasingly determine which brands surface in AI-generated short lists. AI visibility requires a center of excellence. Owning AI discoverability inside an organization means breaking down the walls between search, social, and PR. The strategic and organizational challenge is as significant as the technical one. "The AI discoverability landscape is requiring different channels to collaborate together like never before," Physioc said. "It should live in a center of excellence where you bring the best of different expertises like social, search, and PR to the table to figure out how a story or message can come to life regardless of what channel it's in." Executive sponsorship is not optional. The level of coordination required across teams and channels demands organizational commitment from the top down. "Structuring your information in a retrievable way while giving humans a reason to believe and algorithms evidence to validate - that's the trifecta that I think is going to win," Physioc said. You're watching Beet.TV's coverage of EMARKETER's 2026 The Future of Digital summit. For more videos from this summit, please visit this page.

VML's global CEO Jon Cook to depart after 30 years. October 6, 2026 10:01 WPP has announced that Jon Cook will leave his role as global CEO of VML after over three decades, with Eric Campbell set to succeed him in March 2027. The announcement: WPP today announced that Jon Cook, Global CEO of VML and CEO of WPP Creative, has decided to leave WPP to pursue the next chapter of his career. Cook will remain in his leadership roles through March 2027 to ensure a seamless, collaborative transition. Enjoying Mumbrella? Sign up for our free daily newsletter. Cook has spent three decades helping guide and shape VML from an emerging digital agency in Kansas City into one of the world's most admired creative networks. In 2024, he led the creation of VML through the combination of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, bringing together brand experience, customer experience, commerce, data and enterprise technology across more than 55 markets. In February 2026, Cook took on the additional responsibility of CEO of WPP Creative, leading a portfolio that includes VML, Ogilvy, Grey, Burson, AKQA, Landor and Design Bridge & Partners. WPP launched WPP Creative as part of the company's Elevate28 strategy in February. Under Cook's leadership, VML has consistently earned the industry's highest honours across creative and effectiveness benchmarks, including Cannes Lions - where VML was recently ranked the #2 Creative Network of the Year and took home the most Gold Lions of any network - as well as the Effies, Ad Age A-List, WARC Creative 100, Campaign US and New York Festivals. VML has also earned sustained recognition as a leader in commerce and customer experience from Forrester and Gartner. And most recently, VML was named Campaign's 2026 Global Agency of the Year. Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP, said: "Jon's contribution to VML, WPP and our entire industry has been extraordinary. He is an exceptional builder - of enduring client partnerships, world-class agencies and a culture built on generosity, optimism and genuine care for people. I am deeply grateful for everything he has done for WPP, and I appreciate his commitment to partner with us through March 2027 to ensure our teams, clients, and new leaders maintain their incredible momentum". Jon Cook said: "This has been one of the hardest decisions I have ever made in my life. But after three decades of pouring everything I have into this agency and all of WPP, it is time to build something new. VML and WPP Creative are operating from positions of tremendous strength and this is the right moment for other voices to lead. I am immensely proud of our teams, the iconic work we produce with our clients and the one-of-a-kind culture we have built. I look forward to working closely with Cindy and the WPP and VML leadership teams over the coming months to execute a thoughtful transition". Succeeding Cook, Eric Campbell, currently CEO of VML and WPP Creative in North America, will become Global CEO of VML in March 2027, while continuing as CEO of WPP Creative North America. Campbell has been with VML for more than 25 years and has held central leadership roles, including President of VML, Global President of VMLY&R, Global Chief Client Officer and CEO of VML North America. Campbell will partner immediately with Cook to begin transitioning global responsibilities. Cindy Rose said: "Eric has been central to VML's success for more than 25 years and has helped shape the client relationships, operational strength and culture that make the agency so distinctive. He knows this business deeply, he understands what makes VML special, and he has the trust of teams and clients around the world. I am delighted that he will lead VML into its next era, working closely with Jon and the leadership team to ensure a seamless transition and continued momentum for our clients and people." Further details regarding the ongoing leadership structure across WPP Creative will be shared soon. Cook has not announced his new plans at this time. Have your say. Or comment anonymously Your comment will be marked as unverified

VML South Africa ranks second in social media at The One Show. Vaseline's Mntana ka Gogo campaign earns international recognition for a distinctly South African story VML South Africa has been ranked second among South African agencies in the Social Media discipline of The One Show's 2026 rankings, following a Silver Pencil win for its Vaseline campaign, Mntana ka Gogo. The ranking places VML South Africa among the country's leading agencies for social creativity at one of the world's most respected advertising and design awards. Produced by The One Club for Creativity, The One Show has recognised creative excellence for more than 50 years. Its Pencil awards are among the industry's most sought-after honours, making the recognition a significant achievement for the local team and its client. Created for Heritage Day in September 2025, Mntana ka Gogo drew on a familiar childhood ritual: a grandmother lovingly, and vigorously, rubbing Vaseline into a child's skin before sending them out into the world. It recalled an everyday act of care shared across generations, giving Vaseline a meaningful place in the Heritage Day conversation. The response extended well beyond the original post. People shared childhood memories, tagged family members and described carrying the same tradition into their own children's lives. The work travelled across social platforms and into radio, television and digital news coverage. According to the campaign's One Show entry, the post initially attracted 2.2 million views, followed by a further 5.2 million over the next 24 hours, largely through sharing and reposting. Jarred Cinman, CEO of VML South Africa, says: "ONE Show is the one of the pre-eminent global advertising awards and to rank second in South Africa is a huge honour. It demonstrates the focus we at VML have put on creativity. We are grateful to our amazing clients who gave us the chance to do this work and I'm super proud of Nhlanhla and his creative team for this brilliant result." The One Show recognition forms part of a wider international awards run for Mntana ka Gogo, including Silver and Bronze at the Clio Awards, a D&AD Shortlist/Merit and Silver in the Social & Creator Lions at Cannes Lions 2026. "For brands, there is real value in understanding the everyday experiences that shape people's lives. We're proud of our team and grateful to our partners at Vaseline for trusting the idea. This is the kind of work we want to keep making: culturally relevant, carefully crafted and meaningful to the people it reaches," Cinman concludes.