Brave Ah! is a behavioral marketing firm. We study how people make decisions, how trust forms, and how attention converts to action. Then we measure it.
It began with a young girl named Ava, whose parents instilled in her a simple yet powerful mantra: “You are Ava the Brava, strong and capable. You can do anything.”
These words became her guiding light. A source of strength in moments of doubt and challenge. Whenever Ava faced an obstacle, whether learning something new, navigating uncertainty, or pushing past fear, she would take a deep breath, embrace the challenge, and press forward.
With every breakthrough came a moment of realization. An “AHA.” That clarity is not just about knowing the answer, but about having the courage to seek it.
The name represents both the bravery it takes to face what’s hard and the “AHA” moments that come when you see things clearly.
Ava’s story reminds us: clarity comes from courage. We try to bring that same spirit to the work we do with brands.
We’ve been studying how people make decisions for a long time. Here’s what we’re seeing right now.
In 2023, buyers typically checked one or two sources. Now they check five or more. They’re looking for consistency across what AI says, what reviewers say, what peers say, and what you say. Showing up with a clear, consistent story across these touchpoints helps buyers feel confident.
A few years ago, most buyers would accept a company’s self-representation at face value. That’s shifted. Now over 90% look for validation from someone other than the company: reviews, case studies, third-party coverage. What your customers and peers say about you carries more weight than what you say about yourself.
About half of buyers now include AI in their research. They might start with ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini before they ever visit a website. Understanding how these platforms characterize your brand gives you a clearer picture of what buyers encounter before they reach you.
The time from first research to decision has compressed significantly. Buyers are pattern-matching across sources and moving forward quickly. The story they piece together in that first scan carries real weight.
We developed these to guide our own work. They’re useful whether you work with us or not.
Buyers discover brands through four layers now. Each requires different content. All four feed each other.
When we examine how brands appear in AI recommendations, we see five distinct levels.
When AI recommends you, the buyer trusts the AI. They don’t yet trust you. Something has to bridge that distance. We’ve identified five elements that help the bridge hold: congruence (does your site match what AI said?), evidence (can the buyer quickly find proof?), clarity (is it obvious what you do and what happens next?), humanity (are there real people behind the brand?), and accessibility (can the buyer act easily?). We measure how each element is working and where there’s room to strengthen.
ATLAS² queries seven AI systems with the questions your buyers ask. It tracks where you appear, how you’re characterized, and how that compares to alternatives. The result is a clear picture of a layer that’s been hard to see until now.
Where your brand ranks when AI answers buyer questions. We track your position across every platform, every query type, over time. You see movement and trends, not just snapshots.
How often you appear compared to alternatives. A brand in 60% of answers enters buyer consideration twice as often as one in 30%. Share of voice has predicted market share for decades.
What AI says about you when it mentions you matters. “Industry leader” and “growing presence in healthcare” shape different buyer impressions. Understanding your characterization helps you see the story buyers encounter before they reach your team.
Everything we measure for you, we measure for every competitor you choose. Where they appear, how they’re characterized, and how your presence compares. Seeing the full picture helps you decide where to focus.
LLM Visibility Strategy
Content Production & Sales Enablement
Each engagement taught us something we carry forward.
Dennis has spent 30 years working in customer experience with companies like McDonald’s, FedEx, AT&T, Starbucks, and Wells Fargo. He’s had the chance to learn from brands serving hundreds of millions of people.
He shares what he learns. Nearly a million people follow his work across professional networks. He speaks at events on five continents, serves as Chair of Judges for CX awards programs, and authored two books on turning customer experience into growth.
He built ATLAS² because he wanted a way to measure what’s happening in AI discovery. That platform became the foundation for Brave Ah!
The line between “marketing” and “customer experience” is disappearing. When a buyer asks AI for advice, that’s an experience with your brand, even if you weren’t involved. What they learn before they reach you shapes what they expect when they arrive.
The experience starts upstream. Helping you show up well in those early moments is what we do.
CEO
Strategic direction, client relationships, thought leadership. 30 years in CX with Fortune 500 brands. Built ATLAS² to measure what’s happening in AI discovery.
The Global Voice of CX. Approaching 1M followers.
President
Carla brings 30+ years of agency experience, having led work for Wendy’s, McDonald’s, American Express, and other national retail brands across the US.
She leads our team of 35 people across seven countries. When client work needs to come together across continents, Carla is the one who makes it happen.
Ava is her daughter. The courage and clarity in our name were inspired by her story.
VP of Content
Kamille is responsible for the quality of everything we publish. She ensures that whether the content comes from Denver, Dubai, or Manila, it meets our standard and sounds like you.
Your voice matters. Kamille protects it.
Chief of Staff
Joan coordinates projects that span continents and time zones. She also produces our podcast, CX in the Wild, and keeps executive operations running smoothly.
When things get complex, Joan makes sure nothing falls through.
Director of Operations
Mary Rose built our workflow systems. She leads project tracking, process optimization, and the infrastructure that lets a global team work together effectively.
Rose makes sure you always know where things stand.
We enjoy these conversations. We can show you how AI characterizes your brand today, share what we’re learning about your industry, and explore whether working together makes sense.
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