Index’25 Decodes: The New AI-Search Playbook for Enterprise Growth – Structuring People, Processes,Partners, and Products

AI search is not just an incremental change but a fundamental reset of how enterprises must organize their marketing strategies. It affects everything from team structures and workflows to the products companies offer and the partners they collaborate with. This article captures insights from a pivotal panel discussion at Index’25, the world’s first conference dedicated to decoding AI Search, hosted by Pepper. Experts, CMOs, founders, and AI pioneers gathered to explore how this shift is redefining the rules of search, discovery, and brand engagement at a global scale.

The discussion featured:

Mahesh Kumar – CMO at Acceldata, a leader in data observability for enterprises. With deep expertise in demand generation, product marketing, and go-to-market strategy, Mahesh brings a practitioner’s view of how AI search will reshape pipeline creation and marketing operating models

Gallant Chen – Gallant is a seasoned advisor to high-growth enterprises, specializing in digital transformation, organizational design, and scaling marketing systems. With years of experience guiding CMOs and executives, he brings a strategic perspective on how leaders can prioritize GEO against other enterprise transformation agendas

Joyce Hwang – Joyce leads global growth at Dropbox, overseeing strategies at the intersection of product, content, and customer acquisition. With a background in SaaS and category-leading tech, she brings sharp insights into how product strategy, workflows, and
differentiation will evolve in the GEO era

Moderated by Rishabh Shekhar – Rishabh is one of Pepper’s co-founders, where he helps enterprises scale growth through AI-led content and creative operations. He brings a unique founder’s perspective on how GEO is redefining the future of enterprise marketing playbooks

Key Takeaways

Prioritizing the “Fifth P” – Priorities
Mahesh emphasized that while people, processes, partners, and products are core pillars, the foremost reset is around priorities. AI search demands enterprises reprioritize their efforts to align with this rapidly evolving landscape. Addressing priority shifts upfront enables
better adaptation across all dimensions.

People: Reskilling and Realignment
Marketers and product teams must become more AI-fluent, gaining both technical and analytical skills beyond experimentations with AI tools. AI introduces complexity requiring teams to distill intricate insights into consumable, personalized content. Cross-functional
collaboration is essential to unify brand, demand, paid, and organic search efforts.

Processes: Clear Metrics and Collaboration
Gallant highlighted that many enterprises lack well-defined, aligned metrics and internal collaboration, particularly between SEO and paid search teams. The absence of clarity risks AI-driven efforts optimizing for the wrong goals. Establishing clear processes and measurement frameworks is critical for maximizing AI search impact.

Partners: Hybrid Models and Specialized Expertise
Organizations often need a hybrid model combining in-house strategy-building with external agency partnerships to stay ahead in the fast-changing AI search space. Agencies provide specialized capabilities and insights, while internal teams maintain strategic oversight and coordination. Such partnerships accelerate learning and scale.

Products: Evolving Positioning and Content Strategy
Joyce pointed out that product and content teams must adapt to new buyer behaviors where much discovery happens via AI-driven summaries and ecosystems, compressing traditional
sales funnels. Enterprises need to craft content that addresses informed buyers who arrive having consumed pre-packaged AI insights.

Reimagining Marketing Organization Structure
The future marketing organization will look very different from today. Roles will blend product marketing, content, brand, paid, and organic search specialists into seamless teams agile enough for dynamic AI search challenges. Job definitions and metrics will evolve,
emphasizing revenue contribution, AI fluency, and experimentation mindset.

Closing Thoughts

The AI search revolution demands a comprehensive playbook refresh starting with resetting priorities and evolving people, processes, partners, and product strategies. Success lies in embracing hybrid team structures, investing in clear measurement, and aligning marketing efforts holistically for AI-driven discovery. Marketers who adapt early will unlock new growth avenues and redefine enterprise marketing for the AI era.

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