As AI rapidly reshapes industrial competitiveness, manufacturing companies are facing more than just tool adoption. The real challenge lies in upgrading brand strategy and business models. This has become a key concern for many small and medium-sized manufacturers. Organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the seminar "Building Digital Capabilities and Developing Overseas Markets" invited Charles, CEO of KING's Solution, to share practical insights under the theme "Brand Acceleration in the AI Era: From Tools to Integrated Marketing". The sessions were held on February 3 in Taipei and February 4 in Taichung, attracting many manufacturers, second-generation leaders, and industry experts.
AI Is Changing SEO Logic, Creating New Opportunities for SME Brands
Charles pointed out that AI is fundamentally reshaping traditional marketing strategies that once focused on search rankings and click-through rates. With the widespread adoption of AI Overview and generative search, the click-through rate of the top search result has dropped significantly, while zero-click searches are becoming increasingly common. More importantly, a substantial share of AI-cited sources now comes from pages ranked between 11 and 20, as long as the content is high-quality, well-structured, and easily understood by AI.
He emphasized that marketing goals are shifting from SEO rankings to being cited and recommended directly by AI, a strategy often referred to as GEO or AIEO. This shift highlights whether a brand has truly accumulated experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness, known as E-E-A-T, in the AI era.
Leveraging the Power of National Branding
Charles further shared the idea that branding today is not only about being remembered by people, but also by AI. Using brand hierarchy as an example, he explained how brands evolve from product and channel brands to corporate and national brands. AI evaluates credibility and positioning across different contexts and provides recommendations accordingly, offering new guidance for brand development in global markets.
He also noted that this is a critical moment for Taiwanese SMEs to strengthen their brands. With growing global attention on Taiwan's semiconductor and high-tech industries, combined with recent international exposure from Alex Honnold’s historic live climb of Taipei 101, streamed on Netflix, Taiwan's national brand is rapidly gaining recognition and positive associations. Companies that effectively leverage this momentum will be more easily recognized by global markets.
From Positioning to Alignment: Strengthening Brand Power Inside and Out
During the session, Charles also shared how KING's Solution uses a strategy map to execute brand and business strategy. Externally, the company positions itself as a professional partner for green manufacturing solutions in the machinery industry. Internally, daily meetings and real cases are used to reinforce team culture, with one key strategy being the adoption of an AI-first mindset across the organization.
Through company-wide AI adoption, KING's Solution has improved operational efficiency and strengthened consistency in marketing content and brand messaging, enabling years of accumulated expertise to be organized, transformed, and continuously amplified through AI-driven thinking.
The sessions sparked lively discussions, with many participants staying afterward to continue the conversation. Topics such as second-generation leadership and business transformation strongly resonated with the audience, who shared that making such changes takes courage and long-term commitment. Many attendees also said that the idea of company-wide AI adoption changed how they view the manufacturing industry.
After the events, positive feedback continued to come in. New five-star Google Map reviews described the team as "professional with a responsible and caring leader" and "the greenest machinery company". TAITRA representatives also commented that the sharing was highly practical and forward-looking, and that Charles and his team are clearly leading the way in AI-driven brand transformation within the manufacturing industry.
Through this sharing, KING's Solution not only demonstrated its practical experience in AI and brand marketing, but also reaffirmed that in the AI era, companies with deep content and strong organizational culture are more likely to be recognized by both the market and AI systems.