The AI Edge Podcast Ep 15. From the Digital Shelf to the AI Shelf — What CMOs Need to Do Now, with Linda Bethea, Danone
Mar 2, 2026
Linda Bethea, CMO at Danone North America and seasoned leader in food & beverage, e-commerce, and AI-driven marketing. She discusses how consultancies remain vital during AI’s awkward phase. Linda explains the shift from a digital shelf to an AI shelf and outlines the first three priorities CMOs should tackle when adopting AI — starting with people.
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Three Practical Roles For Consultants In Enterprise AI
- Educate leaders, map AI use cases inside existing systems, and manage change to scale AI across the company.
- Linda says consultants win by teaching C-suites, identifying where AI fits in current workflows, and running organization-wide training and adoption programs.
Younger Consumers Skip Traditional Search
- AI-driven discovery already changes consumer behavior: younger users prefer TikTok or retailer agents over traditional search.
- Linda cites her 16-year-old who searches on TikTok and mentions Amazon's Rufus and Walmart's Sparky adoption.
Brands Must Optimize For An AI Shelf
- The path to purchase has shifted from physical shelf to digital shelf and now to an AI shelf requiring distinct tactics.
- Linda explains brands must rethink content, reviews, social and site clarity because LLMs scrape different sources than search engines.