Cohesion

06/12/2026

AI is interpreting your business. Is it telling the right story?

For years, businesses focused on being found.

Today, a new challenge is emerging.

AI systems like ChatGPT, Google AI, Perplexity and others are increasingly becoming the first interpreter of a company's story.

They summarize.
They compare.
They recommend.

In many cases, they shape perception before a prospect ever visits a website.

The question is:

What story are they telling about your business?

And perhaps more importantly:

Is it the story you want told?

Many organizations assume AI will simply reflect how they describe themselves.

In reality, AI assembles its understanding from whatever information it can find.

Current websites.
Old content.
Articles.
Social posts.
Third-party references.
Inconsistent messaging.
Outdated positioning.
Fragmented descriptions.

The result can be surprisingly different from how leadership intends the brand or business to be understood.

A company that sees itself as innovative may be described as a commodity provider.

A differentiated solution may be grouped into a generic category.
Important strengths may be overlooked entirely.

As AI becomes increasingly involved in discovery, comparison and recommendation, these representation gaps become more consequential.

To help organizations evaluate this emerging challenge, Cohesion has developed the AI Search & Representation Assessment.

The assessment helps identify:

• How AI currently describes your business
• Where representation gaps exist
• How competitors are positioned
• What opportunities may exist to improve future interpretation and recommendation

Our assessment is based on a simple question:

AI is interpreting your business today, but is it telling the right story?

If you'd like to explore the assessment or discuss how this may apply to your organization, we'd welcome the conversation.

Download the full overview here: https://app.box.com/s/3wakxa004niiu4fl6o41ngwm4ldjssr8

05/29/2026

Most people are using AI incorrectly.

They either treat it as a search engine or hand it the entire job and hope for the best.

At Cohesion, we've spent considerable time studying where AI creates the most value and where human judgment remains essential.

The result is what we call the 20-60-20 Model™.

It's a simple framework that can be applied to writing, planning, strategy, research, problem-solving and just about any form of knowledge work.

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20% Frame:
Human judgment determines what should be built.
Define the objective. Establish context. Set parameters. Identify constraints. Determine what success looks like.
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60% Build:
AI accelerates development.
Research, analysis, structuring, drafting, exploration and iteration all happen faster and more efficiently with AI as a collaborator.
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20% Refine:
Human judgment returns.
This is where language is sharpened. Nuance is added. Context is reinforced. Assumptions are challenged. Experience is applied.

It is where generic work becomes distinctive and where information becomes insight.
––––––

The mistake many people make is assuming AI can replace the first and last 20%.

In practice, those are often the most important parts of the process.

The better the framing, the better the result.

The stronger the refinement, the more valuable the outcome.

AI can help build.

But humans still determine what deserves to be built and what the final result should be.

This is the business of Direction.
This is the work of Cohesion.

Learn more: https://cohesioncompany.com

Cohesion.

05/27/2026

For What Does Your Company Stand?

Increasingly, companies feel pressure to stand for things beyond the products they make or the services they provide.

Political. Societal. And more.

Every public position changes how a company is interpreted. Once a stand is taken, customers, employees and stakeholders begin evaluating the organization through that lens.

>>>Read more in this week’s Direction Brief, below:

EDITION 020: Week of May 25, 2026 Increasingly, companies feel pressure to stand for things beyond the products they make or the services they provide. Political.

05/13/2026

So you’re sitting in a meeting about how AI is going to streamline operations, but you’re worried that some of your customers still don’t quite understand all that you do, and you haven’t really integrated messaging for the acquisition from two years ago, and you get an email from a salesperson who needs stronger support for a new product, because they are still confused about how to position it, when it dawns on you that maybe, just maybe, you need more than a series of marketing band-aids to grow your business. Perhaps you need Cohesion.

Learn more: https://cohesioncompany.com

04/02/2026

"Every company needs one of these."

That’s what a client said to me after we delivered their brand direction platform a couple of years ago.

What they were reacting to wasn’t its format. Not its design.

It was context.

A new way to see how everything that defines the business fits together.

Positioning. Messaging. Brands. Products. Assets. Priorities.

Because once direction is set, it needs structure to function and perform.

Not as separate pieces, in a dozen different decks.

As a system.

Work that turns strategy, positioning, messaging and direction into something concrete.

For a specific brand, product, solution, platform, initiative...

Or, the business as a whole.

Something people can see, understand and use.

To better guide. Manage. Explain.

What we initially developed 20+ years ago to help a Fortune 1000 company manage 50 brands, has become a critical engine for our business.

The original goal was simple: reduce waste and create consistency.

We’ve used this approach ever since.

Across 300+ businesses and brands.

Of every size, kind and level of complexity.

Here is how we approach Direction Architecture:
https://www.cohesioncompany.com/engagements/architecture-platforms

03/27/2026

Yes, AI is intelligent. (Thus, the name.)

But it isn't wise. And it doesn't care.

(Remember, it's making many of the same decisions for you AND your competitors.)

Only experienced humans can properly direct a business to real success.

Only humans can decide how to use our powerful new tools.

To augment intelligence and knowledge, or to replace judgment and discernment?

We choose the former.

Cohesion: https://cohesioncompany.com

03/26/2026

We're looking to grow.

Let’s share opportunities.

Maybe you’re looking for a new position; maybe you’re starting a new business.

Maybe, you need to launch a new brand, or product.

Or, fix an old one.

The point is, we can never have too many friends.

Coffee’s on us.

Visit Cohesion: https://cohesioncompany.com

Or, email me at [email protected]

03/26/2026

CHANGE. DEFINITION. OPPORTUNITY.
​
Companies engage Cohesion during periods of leadership change, growth, transition or expansion, when the direction of businesses, brands, products and solutions needs to be more clearly defined, positioned and structured to support what comes next.

Learn more: https://cohesioncompany.com

03/12/2026

The Marketing Glass Ceiling

Across many organizations, marketing plays an important but clearly bounded role.

It is responsible for communication, promotion, demand generation and supporting sales. When those activities work well, marketing is seen as effective and valuable.

But the influence of marketing often stops there.

Marketing helps drive the business. But it rarely helps define or guide it.

Over time this creates a structural pattern that appears across many organizations.

Brand becomes confined to the marketing function. At the same time, marketing leaders often find it difficult to move into broader leadership roles that shape the direction of the business.

Those two conditions tend to appear together for a reason.

They come from the same structural barrier.

We've started referring to that barrier as The Marketing Glass Ceiling.

The same constraint that keeps brand confined to marketing, also works to limit the role marketing leaders play in shaping the business itself.

I recently published a short white paper examining how this structure forms, why it persists and how organizations (and marketing professionals) can move beyond it.

You can read the white paper here: https://app.box.com/s/52nv7frqyjhow8qnwlv637dm6d2j9lfd

02/24/2026

You’ve built a solid business.

Now, it’s time to build a stronger brand.

Why?

Because sales and operations keep you running. But brand determines your value.

If your market doesn’t understand your purpose and worth, price becomes negotiable. Competitors gain room. Buying cycles stretch.

This isn’t about logos and taglines.

A true brand clarifies direction and intent. It increases relevance and interest. Creates a bridge to what you stand for and where you’re headed. When that direction is clear, margin strengthens and growth becomes efficient.

Many strong companies postpone this work because they view brand as an unnecessary cost…and not the true investment that it can be.

These companies must start from scratch with every sales cycle, instead of creating a longterm strategic advantage that directs their next move.

Strong brand direction creates higher value, stronger positioning and a more defensible business.

You’ve built a solid business.

Now, it’s time to build a stronger brand.

And to that, you'll want the right partner.

Cohesion. | The Direction Company

Learn more: https://cohesioncompany.com