Orange Marketing
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How do you get your company included when a buyer asks AI to recommend a vendor? And what should your sales team do when that buyer reaches out, already familiar with your business?
Those questions are behind three Orange Marketing projects recognized in the 2026 MarCom Awards: two leadership playbooks and an integrated education campaign focused on Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). The projects earned a Platinum Award, the competition’s highest honor, and two Gold Awards.
Here’s what won, and how you can use it.
Two Playbooks, Two Sides of the Buying Journey
Marketing and sales have different responsibilities when it comes to AI discovery. Marketing needs to help their business get found and build credibility. Sales needs to understand how that discovery shapes the conversations that follow.
Our two recognized playbooks address both.
The 2026 Sales Leader AI Playbook: Preparing B2B Sales Teams for AI-Referred Buyers (Platinum Award)
Our Platinum Award winner, was recognized in the White Paper category. Our Sales Leader AI Playbook tackles what happens after AI introduces a prospect to your business.
A buyer who has already researched your services, compared alternatives, and received an AI recommendation may arrive with specific questions. Your sales team needs to find out what that person knows and what they still need to make a decision.
The guide covers recognizing AI-referred leads, adapting outreach, strengthening third-party proof, and sharing buyer insights with marketing. It also includes a case study of a five-figure deal closed with an AI-referred buyer.
The 2026 Marketing Leader AEO Playbook: Building a Brand AI Can Trust and Cite (Gold Award)
Recognized with a Gold Award also in the White Paper category, our Marketing Leader AEO Playbook helps marketing leaders approach AI visibility through the evidence their business puts into the world.
That includes customer reviews, earned media, consistent company information, and a website that clearly explains what the business does and who it serves. The guide gives teams a framework for assessing those signals and identifying where their credibility needs stronger support.
For marketers wondering where to start with AEO, it offers a practical way to prioritize the work.
Making AEO Education Easier to Put Into Practice (Gold Winner)
Our third recognized project, The AI Search Education Campaign for B2B Marketers: A Multi-Channel AEO Briefing Series, earned a Gold Award in the Integrated Marketing category.
The campaign connects playbooks, webinars, video, and blog content to help teams understand AEO and apply it to their own businesses.
Different formats serve different needs. A playbook gives you a framework to work through with your team. A live briefing provides space for questions. Video and blog content help explain individual concepts and keep the conversation going as new questions emerge.
Together, these resources give B2B teams several ways to learn, and a place to return when it’s time to take the next step.
From Gold to Platinum
This year's awards follow our 2025 MarCom Gold Award for Marketing to AI: Your New Audience, which outlined ten tactics for improving AI discoverability.
The newer playbooks expand that work by focusing on the decisions marketing and sales leaders need to make within their own teams. The education campaign brings those ideas together across formats.
MarCom is an international competition administered by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, receiving approximately 6,000 print and digital entries each year. We’re proud to see our educational work recognized again.
Start With Your Team’s Next Question
If you’re responsible for marketing, start with the Marketing Leader AEO Playbook and assess how clearly your business demonstrates its expertise and credibility.
If you lead sales, use the Sales Leader AI Playbook to review how your team identifies and responds to prospects who found you through AI.
Then compare notes. What buyers tell sales about their research can help marketing understand where the business is showing up, and what information prospects still need.
Want help turning those findings into a plan? Explore Orange Marketing’s AEO services to learn how we help B2B companies assess and improve their AI visibility.
