Reputation, Not Clicks, Is the New Generative-Search Metric, Says Roche Pharma Brazil Communications Head
Regina Moura, head of corporate communications at Roche Pharma Brazil, argues that generative AI has fundamentally shifted the rules of digital visibility: earned media and source credibility now drive brand presence, replacing keyword volume as the dominant currency of search.
The rise of generative AI is forcing companies to rethink how they build and measure their digital presence, according to Regina Moura, who leads corporate communications at Roche Pharma Brazil. In an interview with Valor Internacional published on 18 September 2026, Moura argued that the longstanding logic of search-engine optimization (SEO) has been displaced by a new framework she calls generative-engine optimization (GEO).
"The metric is no longer clicks. It is reputation. And in generative search, reputation is built through the quality of the sources that cite you, validate you, and discuss the field in which you have expertise," Moura said.
Under traditional SEO, she explained, brands competed on content volume and keyword optimization. Generative AI systems, however, operate differently: they prioritize what the industry refers to as earned media — coverage and commentary from established media outlets and credible opinion leaders — over brand-owned content. Moura cited a study published in the U.S. edition of Vogue finding that 80% of generative AI responses to user searches drew from that category of content.
Moura said Roche's communications team began incorporating AI tools in early 2023, using them for drafting copy, responding to emails, producing internal-communications videos, preparing presentations, and brand monitoring. She described AI as functioning like a "thinking assistant" — one that challenges questions, surfaces unconsidered perspectives, and flags communications risks that human reviewers might miss.
The pharmaceutical sector adds a further layer of complexity. Brazil's strict advertising regulations prohibit prescription-drug marketing directed at consumers, a constraint Moura described not as a limitation but as essential to patient safety. She outlined what she sees as the correct chain of communication: the company conveys the science, and doctors interpret and relay it to patients. In therapeutic areas such as oncology, hemophilia, and rare neurological diseases, she said, trust "is not a brand attribute here. It is a condition of operating."
The interview was published by Valor Internacional, the English-language edition of the Brazilian financial daily Valor Econômico, and translated by Todd Harkin.
Prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by the editorial team.
