Guangzhou, January 15, 2026 – The 9th DMAA International Digital Marketing Summit returned this week, centering on the core theme of "Value Growth." The event drew industry leaders and marketing elites from global giants including Meta, Google, Intel, and LinkedIn.

A central theme dominated the conversations: In an era where consumers no longer just browse search results but ask AI directly, the fundamental logic of brand competition has shifted.

During the roundtable forum titled "Global Growth Engines: How Digital Marketing Reconstructs Global Brand Competitiveness," Dr. Huina Mao, founder of Trendee, shared her deep insights into the trending concept of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).

While the industry often views GEO through a lens of hype and buzzwords, Dr. Mao offered a perspective that was notably sober and pragmatic.

1. GEO is Not "AI + SEO"—It’s a Fundamental Shift in Logic

"GEO is incredibly hot right now—so hot it actually concerns me," Dr. Mao stated at the opening. Reflecting on the shift from June last year—when GEO was virtually unknown in the domestic market—to today’s investor frenzy, she argued that there are serious misconceptions about what GEO actually is.

Many assume GEO is simply an upgraded version of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). However, Dr. Mao pointed out that the underlying algorithms are worlds apart.

"SEO targets traditional engines like Google and Bing. Its core algorithm is PageRank, and the game is played with keyword stuffing and backlink building," she explained. "But GEO targets Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Gemini. Their logic isn’t keyword matching; it’s intent recognition."

Dr. Mao further clarified that when a user asks AI a question, the model acts like a polymath. It seeks to understand the user’s intent—sometimes expanding a single query into twenty sub-questions—before retrieving knowledge and browsing the live web (RAG - Retrieval-Augmented Generation) to filter for the most credible answers.

If brands continue to use the old SEO playbook—such as churning out 200,000 low-quality articles a week—they will find their efforts not just crude, but entirely futile in the eyes of AI.

2. From "Selling Products" to "Solving Problems": The User is the Only Center

During the discussion, Dr. Mao shared a compelling case study regarding a company selling cooling blankets.

Under traditional marketing logic, a brand would focus on product-centric keywords like "cooling blanket," "fabric technology," or "temperature regulation." In the AI era, the GEO logic changes the focus.

"We have a client who sells cooling blankets, but her true target audience is menopausal women in the U.S. who struggle with night sweats. What she is actually selling is a solution for 'hard sleepers,'" Dr. Mao noted. "GEO should not revolve around the product; it must revolve around the user."

This shift in perspective means that GEO provides more than just a new traffic source—it provides high-precision traffic. It forces companies to return to the essence of business: moving away from blind exposure and toward solving specific problems for niche audiences.

3. Our Mission: Ensuring Global Brands are "Seen" by AI

Concluding her session, Dr. Mao spoke about her vision for Trendee.

Addressing the marketing experts in the audience, she noted that her background is not in traditional marketing, but in scientific research, having previously worked at the U.S. Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Microsoft Research. Her deep understanding of how LLMs function fuels her mission to help brands navigate this global AI wave correctly.

"I am committed to this mission for the next five to ten years. GEO will push every entrepreneur to focus on creating products that provide genuine value to customers. Our mission is to ensure that every globalizing enterprise is visible to AI."

Dr. Mao emphasized that GEO is not an isolated tool but part of a broader ecosystem. It must be deeply integrated with social platforms like TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube to form a cohesive, intelligent content strategy.

Coming Soon: A Deep Dive Technical Masterclass on GEO

To help brands cut through the noise, Dr. Mao announced at the summit that she will soon launch a series of Complimentary GEO Technical Masterclasses.

This series is designed to be more than just a knowledge-sharing session; it is an exploration of brand sovereignty in the AI era.

"If your understanding of GEO remains at the level of 'tactics,' it’s easy to take the wrong path," Dr. Mao said. "Through these five deep-dive sessions, we will start from the first principles to help you build true AI marketing competitiveness."

Stay tuned to our official channels for the registration opening.

About the DMAA International Digital Marketing Summit: As a premier event in the digital marketing space, DMAA brings together industry wisdom to explore marketing transformations driven by technology. This year’s summit highlighted once again how AI is reshaping the connection between brands and consumers.

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