BCG in AI Answers
How AI platforms position BCG when executives ask about management consulting
BCG achieves strong AI visibility at 75% organic discovery—appearing in 90 of 120 unbranded tests. However, BCG is frequently mentioned but rarely the primary recommendation. McKinsey dominates as the featured firm in 58% of responses, while BCG is featured in only 0.8%. Strongest categories: General Consulting (100%), Gen AI (92%), and Thought Leadership (90%). Key opportunity areas align with Russell Dubner's focus: Trust & Reputation (45%) and Crisis/Turnaround (40%) show meaningful gaps where specialized PR firms often dominate.
Where BCG appears (and doesn't) in AI responses
Based on 24 unbranded queries across 6 strategic categories aligned with Russell Dubner's communications focus areas.
Which sources correlate with favorable outcomes
Moving beyond co-occurrence to answer the key question: when a source is cited, who wins? This analysis covers third-party sources only—consulting firm sites excluded as they naturally correlate with their own brand.
Top Domains by Citation Count
What sources do AI platforms cite most frequently? Consulting/professional services firm sites dominate, reflecting the competitive landscape for these query types.
Top Third-Party Sources
Independent media, research, and trade publications—sources outside firm properties.
When This Source Is Cited, Who Wins?
The key question: when an independent third-party source appears in the response, which firm is featured as the primary recommendation? BCG baseline featured rate is 0.8% (1 of 120 unbranded tests). Competitor firm sites excluded (consulting firms, PR agencies, IBM)—they naturally wouldn't feature BCG.
BCG Mention Rate in Earned Media
When these media outlets are cited, is BCG mentioned in the response? This measures visibility/awareness rather than competitive wins. Baseline BCG mention rate is 75% (90 of 120 unbranded tests).
Traditional Business Media
Consulting Trade & Research
Media Not Cited in This Study
These outlets had zero citations across all AI responses.
BCG's position in AI recommendations
Based on which firm AI platforms feature as the primary recommendation in unbranded queries—not just mentions, but who "wins" each response.
Featured Firm Distribution (120 Unbranded Tests)
Mention Rate vs Featured Rate
| Firm | Mentions | Featured | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKinsey & Company | 97 | 70 (58%) | +58pp |
| Boston Consulting Group BCG | 90 | 1 (0.8%) | -74pp |
| Bain & Company | 58 | 3 (2.5%) | -46pp |
| Deloitte Consulting | 78 | 7 (5.8%) | -59pp |
| Accenture Strategy | 52 | 12 (10%) | -33pp |
BCG visibility across AI platforms
Unbranded query performance by platform (24 unbranded queries per platform). All platforms show strong BCG mention rates.
All 150 test results
Filter and explore the complete dataset. Click column headers to sort.
| Query ↕ | Type ↕ | Platform ↕ | Category ↕ | BCG Mentioned ↕ |
|---|
Study parameters and limitations
How this analysis was conducted and important context for interpretation.
Study Parameters
- 30 unique queries tested across 5 AI platforms
- 150 total tests (30 × 5 platforms)
- 6 branded queries (20%) for quality validation
- 24 unbranded queries (80%) for competitive testing
- Analysis date: December 5, 2025
- Platforms: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Meta Llama
Query Design Philosophy
This query set deliberately tests beyond BCG's perceived strengths. While BCG has established thought leadership in strategy and transformation, we included crisis/turnaround queries where AlixPartners and FTI historically dominate, trust/reputation queries where Edelman and communications firms appear, and general "best consulting firm" queries that test Big Three positioning. The goal is accurate competitive intelligence, not favorable results.
Category Alignment
Categories were designed to align with Russell Dubner's focus areas as BCG Global Chief Communications Officer: Trust & Reputation (BCG Trust Index), Crisis Management ("From Crisis to Comeback"), Corporate Purpose and Stakeholder Strategy, and Thought Leadership (Henderson Institute visibility).
Limitations
- Snapshot analysis—results may vary with timing, phrasing, and algorithm updates
- Sample size constraints—150 tests provide directional insights, not statistical certainty
- Platform variability—AI responses change based on model versions and training updates
- Citation extraction limitations—non-search-native platforms may underreport sources
- Query phrasing sensitivity—different phrasings may yield different results
- Competitor set boundaries—tracked firms may not represent complete competitive landscape
- Temporal decay—this data reflects a single point in time
- Geographic bias—queries in English may not reflect global patterns