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Brilliant Bet Early on AI Search. Now It's Signing Clients and Climbing the Inc. 5000

PR Newswire · 1d ago

New marquee client wins, a new seven-practice model, and its own AI-search tool, BASE,

pushed the agency more than 1,700 spots up the Inc. 5000 in four years.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Brilliant, an award-winning, modern performance agency bridging integrated PR, influencer strategy, and next-generation digital discovery is experiencing unprecedented growth. Over the last 12 months, the agency expanded its roster with marquee consumer accounts, reorganized into seven strategic practice areas, and unveiled BASE, a proprietary platform that ensures brands appear in AI-driven answers. Driving this momentum is a jump to No. 1,847 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list, up from No. 3,562 in 2022.

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Key Facts

  • New business: The agency has added an impressive and diverse lineup to its existing client roster with recent new business wins including Haakaa, Baby Brezza, Veer, b.bot, Sera Prognostics, Mira, Napa Cellars, and several others.
  • New operating model: Built for today's digital ecosystem, Brilliant's seven strategic practice areas comprise four client-facing divisions powered by three core operational engines. By uniting earned moments, paid reach, and AI intelligence into synchronized beats, the agency is built to move at the speed of culture.
  • Proprietary AI-visibility platform: BASE (Brilliant Analytics & Strategy Engine) designs campaigns to appear in AI search results across ChatGPT, Google AI, Perplexity, and Claude, and provides critical citations to inform earned media actions.
  • Proof of growth: No. 1,847 on the 2026 Inc. 5000, up more than 1,700 spots from No. 3,562 in 2022, on 188% three-year revenue growth.
  • Where to learn more: www.brilliant-agency.com

Built for how today's consumer discovers brands

The way people search is changing daily. Instead of clicking through pages of Google results, consumers are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity directly for recommendations, product suggestions, and answers. AI-generated responses now appear before traditional search results, meaning brands that are not showing up in those answers are increasingly being left out of the conversation.

  • BASE, Brilliant's Analytics & Strategy Engine, was built to help brands understand and improve how they appear across AI platforms. It tracks AI visibility, analyzes how AI tools describe and position a brand, identifies gaps or misinformation, and benchmarks performance against competitors across major LLMs.
  • BASE helps make media outreach smarter and more strategic by identifying the outlets, narratives, and sources AI models trust most. It can uncover content gaps, flag reputation risks, recommend high-impact earned opportunities, and help prioritize the messaging most likely to improve AI visibility and brand authority.
  • Brilliant uses BASE to make campaigns, content, and media outreach more effective for clients by identifying the stories, outlets, expert angles, and messaging most likely to drive both traditional earned coverage and AI visibility. It helps ensure the work is not just generating headlines today, but also improving how brands are surfaced and recommended across the rapidly growing AI search ecosystem.

One team, seven practice areas

In 2026, Brilliant rebuilt how the agency operates, sorting every capability into seven practice areas: four that face clients, three that power every account.

  • PR & Experiential turns brands into moments people talk about and coverage they care about.
  • Social & Content makes brands impossible to scroll past.
  • Influencer & Celebrity authentically places the right creators and famous faces behind every idea.
  • Paid & Advertising adds reach and scale when the brief calls for it.
  • Insights & Intelligence tracks what's working and suggests performance optimization, including AI and search.
  • Operations & Culture keeps the work running and the team thriving.
  • Growth & Development focuses on the future.

Proof in the numbers

The Inc. 5000 ranks U.S. private companies by three-year revenue growth. Brilliant ranked No. 1,847 in 2026, up from No. 3,562 in 2022, a jump of more than 1,700 spots in four years, on 188% three-year revenue growth. That's well above the 130% median for the 2026 list. That jump lines up with the new clients and the agency's new way of working.

A word from the agency

"The way people find brands is changing fast, and we rebuilt Brilliant to lead it," said Kathleen Tomes, Founder and CEO, Brilliant. "New clients, a new practice model, and our own AI-search engine are the real story. The Inc. 5000 jump is proof it's working. None of it happens without clients who trust us and a team that adapts fast."

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Brilliant? Brilliant is an award-winning, modern performance agency bridging integrated PR, influencer strategy, and next-generation digital discovery backed by its own proprietary AI-visibility platform, BASE.

What is BASE? BASE (Brilliant Analytics & Strategy Engine) is Brilliant's proprietary AI-visibility platform. It helps design campaigns so brands appear in the answers people get from AI models like ChatGPT, Google AI, Perplexity, and Claude.

What is driving Brilliant's growth? Growth is being driven by investment in AI & Technology, the addition of a new SVP of Operations and Client Success, the streamlining of a seven-practice operating model, and a big bet on LLM search.

How fast is Brilliant growing? Brilliant posted 188% three-year revenue growth (2022–2025), well above the 130% median for the 2026 Inc. 5000. It ranked No. 1,847 on the list, up from No. 3,562 in 2022, a gain of more than 1,700 spots in four years.

Where can I learn more about Brilliant? Visit www.brilliant-agency.com.

Is Brilliant hiring? Yes. The remote team is growing, and open roles are posted at www.brilliant-agency.com.

Brilliant is an award-winning, modern performance agency bridging integrated PR, influencer strategy, and next-generation digital discovery. Leveraging proprietary tools alongside full-funnel marketing campaigns, Brilliant helps emerging and category-leading brands capture attention, navigate evolving media landscapes, and generate proven ROI. See the work at www.brilliant-agency.com or follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. 

Media Contact:

Christianna Pally

christianna.pally@brilliant-agency.com 

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SOURCE BRILLIANT PR & MARKETING