5W Research

Research from the AI Communications Firm

5W is the AI Communications Firm and the publisher of the 5W AI Visibility Index series — the most extensive body of multi-engine generative engine optimization research produced by a U.S. communications agency. 5W research spans how brands appear inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews, alongside studies on crisis, trust, and category leadership.

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Start with the anchor reports that define 5W's AI-era research library, then filter the full collection below by format or topic.

Index

The Retrieval Index — Volume I

Which sources AI engines actually cite across categories — and what it takes to get on the list that shapes every answer.

 Index

The Celebrity Endorsement Index

Volume III of the Talent Resources and 5W research series on what AI engines actually recommend for celebrity endorsements.

 Report

Future of Communications Measurement

The operating manual for citation share, retrieval economy, and AI-era communications planning.

 Report

State of AI Search 2026

5W's annual report on how brands win inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews.

 Index

NFL Citation Share Index

The first AI visibility ranking of all 32 NFL franchises across 750 prompts and five AI engines.

 Study

The First-Stop Study

Where the buyer journey begins now: AI vs. Google across public datasets and answer surfaces.

 Index

AI Visibility Index Series

The canonical hub for category-level AI visibility benchmarks and citation share reports.

 Report

The GEO Reckoning

The strategic foundation for generative engine optimization and AI discovery.

 Index · Travel & Hospitality

The Theme Parks AI Visibility Index 2026

Disney 58%. Universal 23%. Six Flags 13%. The most consolidated experience-category in the 5W AI Visibility franchise — 25 parks, 5 engines, 50 prompts.

AI Visibility & GEO Research

The 5W AI Visibility Index series ranks brands by citation share across the major AI answer engines — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Each index uses 5W's proprietary Generative Engine Optimization methodology to measure how a category surfaces inside generative AI, where brands win mention share, and where they disappear. Together, these indexes form the largest published library of category-level AI visibility benchmarks in U.S. communications. The canonical destination for category-level AI Visibility studies is the dedicated AI Visibility Index hub; this Research page links those studies for discovery alongside 5W's broader research library. Scoring rubric and prompt architecture: AI Visibility Index Methodology.

Study The State of AI Citations 2026

The State of AI Citations 2026

How large language models source information about brands — and what it means for communications. A 5W analysis of citation patterns across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini.

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Guide 5W RFP Center v2

5W RFP Center v2

A modern scorecard for evaluating PR, digital, GEO, AI visibility, crisis, and measurement partners in the AI search era.

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Report The First-Stop Study — AI vs. Google: Where the Buyer Journey Actually Begins

The First-Stop Study

AI vs. Google — where the buyer journey now begins. The 5W First-Stop Index, 2026 Edition. Synthesizes 12 public datasets covering ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews.

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Study The 5W Citation Source Audit Q1 2026

The 5W Citation Source Audit

Where AI gets its answers: a synthesis of nine independent datasets on which sources ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews cite.

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Study Who AI Cites Now — The new media hierarchy inside AI

Who AI Cites Now

Wikipedia and Reddit out-cite WSJ, NYT, and Bloomberg combined. The new media hierarchy inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini.

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Index The GEO Reckoning

The GEO Reckoning

The strategic foundation document for the 5W AI Visibility series — why generative engine optimization is reshaping brand discovery and what it demands.

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See the full AI Visibility series →

Crisis, Reputation & Trust Research

5W research quantifies what reputation is actually worth. These reports measure the financial cost of crisis communications failures, the role of trust in earned-media performance, and the loyalty premium that protects category leaders.

The Crisis Tax

The Crisis Tax

Research quantifying the financial cost of poor crisis communications and its measurable impact on shareholder value and brand recovery time.

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The Loyalty Premium 2026 — 5W research on how American consumers build, break, and reward brand relationships

The Loyalty Premium 2026

A study on how American consumers build, break, and reward brand relationships — and what the loyalty premium is worth across eight consumer sectors.

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Industry & Category Studies

Category-specific research from 5W on the communications dynamics shaping growth sectors — cannabis, SaaS, hospitality, beauty, and celebrity partnerships.

The SaaS Content Paradox

The SaaS Content Paradox

Why SaaS companies are spending more on content marketing while the returns for most are declining — and what the high performers do differently.

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Report The AI at Work Index 2026

The AI at Work Index 2026

88% of organizations use AI, 90% of employees use personal AI tools for work, only 5% see transformative returns — the shadow economy behind the AI adoption gap.

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Report AI and the Brand — 5W Research Study

AI and the Brand

35% of consumers start product discovery inside AI. 85.5% of AI citations come from earned media. How LLMs are reshaping global marketing spend — April 2026.

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Report The DTC Graveyard

The DTC Graveyard

Why brands built for clicks died while brands built for citations survived inside AI answer engines.

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Markets, Migration & Education

Where capital, talent, and the next generation of communicators are moving — and what brands need to know to follow.

Israeli Tech in Florida

Israeli Tech in Florida

Documenting the economic impact of Israeli-founded technology companies operating across Florida and their integration into the U.S. ecosystem.

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Israeli Tech in Texas — 5W research on Israeli-founded companies expanding into the Texas tech ecosystem

Israeli Tech in Texas

The expansion of Israeli-founded companies into Texas — and their impact on the regional technology ecosystem and investment climate.

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Israeli Tech in Georgia 2026

Israeli Tech in Georgia 2026

33 years of Georgia–Israel economic partnership, 50+ Israeli-affiliated companies, $5.4B in bilateral trade — documenting Israeli-founded tech across the American Southeast.

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AI and Israeli Marketing

AI and Israeli Marketing

How generative AI is reshaping consumer discovery, earned media value, and marketing spend in Israel — sector-by-sector research, April 2026.

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Playbooks & Frameworks

Tactical playbooks from 5W for specific industries and growth stages — built on earned media strategy, AI search optimization, and category-level communications intelligence.

Research FAQs

5W Research Reports & Insights

What types of research reports does 5W publish?

5W publishes original research across AI visibility, generative engine optimization (GEO), citation share, crisis communications, trust and reputation, category leadership, content marketing, celebrity-brand partnerships, wealth migration, and consumer discovery. Every report is built to be cited inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. Browse the full library on this page or visit the dedicated AI Visibility Index hub.

Where can I find 5W's research reports?

The full 5W research library lives at 5wpr.com/research. Category-level AI Visibility Index reports live in the dedicated AI Visibility Index hub.

What is the Wealth Migration Report?

The Wealth Migration Report is a 5W and Haute Jets research study on the global movement of high-net-worth individuals, capital, and the private aviation routes that support them. It documents record millionaire relocation and the economic, lifestyle, and infrastructure shifts driving the move. Read more.

How many millionaires are relocating globally according to 5W research?

The Wealth Migration Report projects approximately 142,000 millionaires will relocate internationally in 2025 the largest single-year wealth migration on record. The figure is expected to keep climbing into 2026.

Which countries are losing and gaining the most wealth?

The United Kingdom leads global outflows. The United Arab Emirates leads inflows. The United States particularly Florida remains a primary destination for both domestic and international wealth migration.

Why is wealth migration increasing globally?

Tax policy. Regulatory environments. Geopolitical stability. Lifestyle preferences. New wealth classes including crypto millionaires reshaping where high-net-worth individuals live and invest.

How does private aviation relate to wealth migration?

Private aviation activity mirrors wealth migration patterns. Key global corridors New YorkMiami, LondonDubai track the movement of high-net-worth individuals who now maintain multiple residences.

What is the impact of crypto wealth on migration trends?

Crypto wealth introduced a globally mobile class prioritizing tax efficiency, regulatory clarity, and lifestyle flexibility. The group is reshaping flows toward Dubai, Singapore, Portugal, and Puerto Rico.

Why does wealth migration matter for brands and marketers?

Wealth migration changes where affluent audiences live, consume media, and spend. Brands targeting high-net-worth consumers must adjust PR, marketing, and media strategy to the new geographic and behavioral patterns.

How is Miami emerging as a global financial hub?

Miami is now a primary residence for high-net-worth individuals not a secondary destination driven by inflows of capital, corporate relocations, and luxury real estate growth.

What industries are most affected by wealth migration?

Luxury real estate. Private aviation. Financial services. Hospitality. High-end consumer brands. Sectors that depend on high-net-worth audiences whose geography is shifting fast.

How can businesses use the Wealth Migration Report?

To refine audience targeting, adjust market strategy, identify new geographic opportunities, and align communications with where wealth is actively moving. A data-driven foundation for PR, marketing, and investment decisions.

What is the Cannabis Communications Gap report about?

The Cannabis Communications Gap analyzes why the cannabis industry operates with limited communications infrastructure despite rapid growth and what it costs in brand authority. Read more.

What does the Gaming Trust Index 2026 cover?

The Gaming Trust Index 2026 is a study on how trust, reputation, and earned media shape marketing performance and player acquisition in gaming and gambling. Read more.

What is the focus of the SaaS Content Paradox report?

The SaaS Content Paradox analyzes why SaaS companies are spending more on content marketing while many are getting less from it and what the high performers do differently. Read more.

How does the Hospitality Celebrity Index help brands?

The Hospitality Celebrity Index ranks celebrity restaurant and hospitality partnerships by earned-media performance and long-term brand equity and explains why some last decades while others collapse. Read more.

What is the Loyalty Premium 2026 report about?

The Loyalty Premium 2026 examines how American consumers build, break, and reward brand relationships and what the loyalty premium is worth across eight consumer sectors. Read more.

What does the Celebrity-Brand Fit Index analyze?

A sector-by-sector analysis of where celebrity-brand partnerships create earned-media value and where misalignment destroys it. Read more.

How does The GEO Reckoning address AI in marketing?

The GEO Reckoning is the strategic foundation document for the 5W AI Visibility series why generative engine optimization is reshaping brand discovery, and what it demands of communications and marketing teams. Read more.

What is the PR & Marketing Education Study 2026?

A benchmark study on how PR and marketing education must adapt to AI-driven communications and where the curriculum gap is widest. Read more.

How can I access more research from 5W?

Browse the full library on this page, or visit the AI Visibility Index hub for category-level citation share benchmarks.

5W Company, Services & Performance

What services does 5W offer?

5W is the AI Communications Firm combining earned media, digital marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and proprietary AI visibility research. Services include public relations, reputation management, crisis communications, public affairs, influencer and celebrity marketing, social and paid media, event management, strategy, design, and growth marketing. Learn more.

What makes 5W's digital marketing performance stand out?

Real-time performance tracking, advanced analytics, conversion rate optimization, and tailored strategies including a 200% growth in e-commerce sales for Black Button Distilling. Learn more.

Who is the target audience for 5W's services?

5W works with C-suite executives, marketing and communications leaders, founders, and product teams across consumer, technology, health and wellness, food and beverage, travel, apparel, fintech, and B2B sectors. See client list.

Who are some of 5W's clients?

Shield AI. Samsung SmartThings. Sparkling Ice. Kodak. GNC. Pizza Hut. ZICO. Loews Hotels. UGG. Webull. Delta Children. Crayola. And many more across technology, consumer, health, food, travel, apparel, fintech, and parent/child sectors. Full client list.

What is 5W's company history?

5W was founded in 2003. An Inc. 500 company. Named Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards. A Top U.S. PR Agency by O'Dwyer's. A 2026 Top Place to Work in Communications by Ragan. Learn more.

What industries does 5W serve?

Technology. Consumer brands. Health and wellness. Food and beverage. Travel and hospitality. Apparel and accessories. Fintech. Multicultural marketing. Parent, child, and baby. See all industries.

What are some measurable results 5W has delivered?

200% growth in e-commerce sales for Black Button Distilling. Strategies built for ROI and sustained growth. See case study.

How does 5W approach campaign strategy?

Every campaign is custom-built to the client. Data-driven. Iteratively tested. Measured against AI citation share, earned media, and revenue not vanity metrics. Learn more.

What awards has 5W received?

Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards. Top U.S. PR Agency by O'Dwyer's. 2026 Top Place to Work in Communications by Ragan. Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year. Clutch Global Leader. MarCom Awards. See awards.

How can I contact 5W for research or PR services?

Use the contact form or email [email protected].

AI Visibility Index

Category AI Visibility Index reports and citation-share benchmarks.

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Glossary

Vocabulary for AI communications, GEO, PR, and technical visibility.

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About 5W

5W is the AI Communications Firm, building brand authority across the platforms where decisions now happen — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews — alongside earned media, digital, and influencer channels. 5W combines public relations, digital marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and proprietary AI visibility research to help clients measure and grow their presence in AI-driven buyer research. Founded in 2003, 5W is recognized as a Top U.S. PR Agency by O'Dwyer's, named Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards®, honored as a 2026 Top Place to Work in Communications by Ragan, and named to Digiday's WorkLife Employer of the Year list. 5W serves clients across B2C sectors — Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, and Nonprofit — and B2B specialties including Corporate Communications, Reputation Management, Public Affairs, Crisis Communications, and Digital Marketing across Social, Influencer, Paid Media, GEO, and SEO. Learn more at 5wpr.com.

Talk to 5W

5W's research powers client work in AI visibility, crisis communications, and category leadership. To commission a custom AI Visibility Index for your category — or to see how your brand surfaces inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini — talk to 5W.

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