Freeman Study Reveals 'Belief Gap' in AI-Era Marketing, Highlights Live Events as Key Differentiator
Event summary
- Freeman released 'Belief Gap' study showing 72% of marketers perceive a disconnect between brand awareness and genuine belief.
- 74% of marketers are extremely or very concerned about this gap, with 45% citing lack of in-person/experiential touchpoints as primary cause.
- 97% of marketers say events and event-generated content are critical for AI visibility, higher than any other finding in the study.
- 73% of marketers plan to increase event spending in next 12 months, more than any other channel.
- 85% of marketers lack formal KPIs to measure event impact on AI visibility.
The big picture
Freeman's research highlights a fundamental challenge in the AI marketing era: awareness without belief creates vulnerable brands. As AI reshapes discovery, live events emerge as the most trusted channel for building credible, defensible brand positions. This study positions Freeman to lead the conversation about measurable experiential marketing in an algorithm-driven landscape.
What we're watching
- Measurement Evolution
- How Freeman's framework will drive development of KPIs for event impact on AI visibility.
- Budget Shifts
- Whether marketing organizations will reallocate budgets toward live experiences as primary belief-building channel.
- AI Discovery Dynamics
- The pace at which event-generated content becomes dominant signal for AI-mediated brand discovery.
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