When Crisis Roars in the Answer Economy

Crisis spreads fast in the Answer Economy—but so can integrity, if you respond before the algorithm defines your story.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity controversy over improper use of AI and manipulating case studies is not only a good lesson in ethics—but also a case study in how AI-powered Answer Engines are transforming how we manage, build, and protect brands.

Now, I wade into this with no shortage of dissonance. I’ve twice served as a Cannes Lions juror, and just a few weeks ago I posted our mostly happy-go-lucky BrandRank.AI "Meet the Brands" review of the Cannes Lions brand, applying our AI-based trust and visibility criteria. See link: https://lnkd.in/gbYsijd6

Then came the scandal. Allegations of cheating, AI case study manipulation, and a revoked Grand Prix flipped the narrative—fast. What was once a gold standard became a real-time case study in brand crisis and AI-era reputation recovery.

Here’s a few things you should take away from the BrandRank.AI chart below:

🔹 BAD NEWS HITS HARD AT THE PROMPTED MOMENT OF TRUTH
In testing prompts across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Meta’s LLaMA, nearly every engine had already shaped a response. Gone are the days of “I’m only trained through 2024.” This is where perception now forms.

🔹 OWNED MEDIA STILL MATTERS—AND SPEED IS EVERYTHING
Cannes quickly published (or loudly reiterated) new 2026 integrity standards. That fast, transparent move softened the tone across multiple AI engines. It was a textbook example of agile trust repair in the AI era.

🔹 WELCOME TO THE ERA OF BRAND SMOOTHIES
Answer Engines don’t just echo headlines—they blend sources, tone, and timing into a narrative “smoothie.” Your content, PR, leadership moves—they’re now all ingredients. If you're not proactively in the mix, you're invisible, or defaulting your narrative to others.

This isn’t just about Cannes. It’s about the new rules of trust, visibility, and brand survival an Answer Economy that now sees 7 billion visits per month to LLMs across the globe.

(Also posted on LinkedIn if you want to join the conversation.)