Key Takeaways
- Study format: MA International Business
- Company: BeNeering GmbH
- Project format: 6 teams, March to May 2026, online consultancy project
- Topic focus: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), AI search system analysis, competitor benchmarking
- Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Julia Maintz, Professor of Internet Economics and International Management
- Final presentation: Online via MS Teams, 28 May 2026
- Practice link: The project demonstrates the structural integration of real-world business practice into CBS study programmes.
When AI Answers: How Visible Is Your Brand?
Business Projects are systematically embedded in the curriculum at CBS. Students don’t work on fictional case studies – they tackle real challenges from companies. This semester, six teams from the MA International Business programme partnered with BeNeering GmbH, a B2B company headquartered in Germany.
From March to May 2026, the teams worked on one of the most pressing questions in modern B2B marketing: how visible is a brand when AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini answer the questions of potential customers? Tasks were assigned by Mareike Pinkert (Junior Marketing Manager), Natalia Parmenova (Chief RevenueOfficer), and Uliana Khomutova (Presales Lead) at BeNeering.
From Analysis to Strategy: GEO in a B2B Context
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is one of the mostforward-looking yet least standardised disciplines in B2B digital marketing –and this is precisely where the student teams focused their work.
- Analysis of the most widely used AI-based search systems (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) – including how they technically process and prioritise information
- Visibility audits: systematic queries using brand-specific, generic, solution-specific, and competitor-focused terms to identify where BeNeering appears in AI responses – and where it doesn’t
- Competitor benchmarking: documenting how key competitors perform in AI search environments
- GEO execution plans: concrete, actionable roadmaps – from website optimisation to LinkedIn and content strategy recommendations
The teams delivered practical, innovative, and actionable recommendations that BeNeering can directly apply to its digital marketing strategy. Valentina Zimmermann,MA International Business student, reflected on the experience:
“This project provided a valuable opportunityto explore how AI is transforming digital visibility in B2B markets. Workingwith BeNeering allowed us to apply academic concepts to a real businesschallenge and develop practical, data-driven recommendations with tangiblestrategic relevance.”
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Final Presentations: Digital, Direct, and at Eye Level
On 28 May 2026, all six teams presented their findings online via MS Teams directly to the BeNeering team. The format reflected the reality of modern business – where remote communication and clear, structured presentations across digital channels are core professional skills.
This realistic consulting situation trained students to defend their reasoning, respond to questions, and engage in strategic discussions at eye level. For BeNeering, this was already the second collaboration with CBS through a Business Project – and once again, the company came away impressed. Mareike Pinkert, Junior Marketing Manager at BeNeering, commented:
“This is the second time we’ve had theopportunity to collaborate with CBS in a Business Project – and once again, wewere impressed by the quality of the results. The students quickly got to gripswith the technical aspects of AI-based search optimisation and developedsolutions that provide real added value for us in our day-to-day work.”
Academic Supervision and Close Collaboration
The project was supervised by Prof. Dr. Julia Maintz, Professor of Internet Economics and International Management at CBS. She supported the teams in contextualising Generative Engine Optimization as an emerging field at the intersection of academic research and industry practice, and ensured the strategic rigour of the teams’ deliverables.
Special thanks go to BeNeering GmbH and Mareike Pinkert, Natalia Parmenova, Uliana Khomutova, and all involved for the trusted and inspiring collaboration.
Real-World Business Experience Embedded in the Curriculum
The Business Project with BeNeering exemplifies the practice-integrated study concept at CBS. It enables students to learn through real-world experience.
Across our business programmes, the integration of real-world business practice is systematically embedded through:
- Business Projects with real strategic and operational challenges from partner companies
- Regular Guest Lectures from executives and industry experts
- Conventions providing space for inter disciplinary learning and hands-on leadership experience
- Case Studies and Simulation Games to tackle typical business problems
- Mandatory internships to apply academic knowledge in a corporate context
- Dual study formats with continuous integration into business structures
- A network of more than 1,300 partner companies across industries
This structured integration enables students not only to analyse business challenges analytically, but to develop well-founded decisions under real market conditions.
Anyone who chooses to study at CBS not only receives a scientifically grounded education but also gains the opportunity to build confidence in a professional environment at an early stage – within a team, in a corporate setting, and through direct exchange with decision-makers from industry.
Projects like this one underline CBS’s commitment to bridging business and academia and preparing students for leadership roles in a globalised and sustainability-driven economy.
Conclusion: AI Visibility as a Strategic Priority
The Business Project with BeNeering GmbH demonstrates how relevant the intersection of B2B marketing and artificial intelligence already is today. Generative Engine Optimization is not a niche topic – it is a strategic requirement for any company that wants to remain visible in an AI-driven information landscape.
Through this project, students gained real-world experience, direct company contacts, and a deeper understanding of strategic decision-making inB2B digital marketing.
At CBS, practice is not an add-on – it is an integral part of the curriculum.
Key Takeaways
- Study format: MA International Business
- Company: BeNeering GmbH
- Project format: 6 teams, March to May 2026, online consultancy project
- Topic focus: Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), AI search system analysis, competitor benchmarking
- Academic supervisor: Prof. Dr. Julia Maintz, Professor of Internet Economics and International Management
- Final presentation: Online via MS Teams, 28 May 2026
- Practice link: The project demonstrates the structural integration of real-world business practice into CBS study programmes.
When AI Answers: How Visible Is Your Brand?
Business Projects are systematically embedded in the curriculum at CBS. Students don’t work on fictional case studies – they tackle real challenges from companies. This semester, six teams from the MA International Business programme partnered with BeNeering GmbH, a B2B company headquartered in Germany.
From March to May 2026, the teams worked on one of the most pressing questions in modern B2B marketing: how visible is a brand when AI systems like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini answer the questions of potential customers? Tasks were assigned by Mareike Pinkert (Junior Marketing Manager), Natalia Parmenova (Chief RevenueOfficer), and Uliana Khomutova (Presales Lead) at BeNeering.
From Analysis to Strategy: GEO in a B2B Context
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is one of the mostforward-looking yet least standardised disciplines in B2B digital marketing –and this is precisely where the student teams focused their work.
- Analysis of the most widely used AI-based search systems (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) – including how they technically process and prioritise information
- Visibility audits: systematic queries using brand-specific, generic, solution-specific, and competitor-focused terms to identify where BeNeering appears in AI responses – and where it doesn’t
- Competitor benchmarking: documenting how key competitors perform in AI search environments
- GEO execution plans: concrete, actionable roadmaps – from website optimisation to LinkedIn and content strategy recommendations
The teams delivered practical, innovative, and actionable recommendations that BeNeering can directly apply to its digital marketing strategy. Valentina Zimmermann,MA International Business student, reflected on the experience:
“This project provided a valuable opportunityto explore how AI is transforming digital visibility in B2B markets. Workingwith BeNeering allowed us to apply academic concepts to a real businesschallenge and develop practical, data-driven recommendations with tangiblestrategic relevance.”
{{call-to-action}}
Final Presentations: Digital, Direct, and at Eye Level
On 28 May 2026, all six teams presented their findings online via MS Teams directly to the BeNeering team. The format reflected the reality of modern business – where remote communication and clear, structured presentations across digital channels are core professional skills.
This realistic consulting situation trained students to defend their reasoning, respond to questions, and engage in strategic discussions at eye level. For BeNeering, this was already the second collaboration with CBS through a Business Project – and once again, the company came away impressed. Mareike Pinkert, Junior Marketing Manager at BeNeering, commented:
“This is the second time we’ve had theopportunity to collaborate with CBS in a Business Project – and once again, wewere impressed by the quality of the results. The students quickly got to gripswith the technical aspects of AI-based search optimisation and developedsolutions that provide real added value for us in our day-to-day work.”
Academic Supervision and Close Collaboration
The project was supervised by Prof. Dr. Julia Maintz, Professor of Internet Economics and International Management at CBS. She supported the teams in contextualising Generative Engine Optimization as an emerging field at the intersection of academic research and industry practice, and ensured the strategic rigour of the teams’ deliverables.
Special thanks go to BeNeering GmbH and Mareike Pinkert, Natalia Parmenova, Uliana Khomutova, and all involved for the trusted and inspiring collaboration.
Real-World Business Experience Embedded in the Curriculum
The Business Project with BeNeering exemplifies the practice-integrated study concept at CBS. It enables students to learn through real-world experience.
Across our business programmes, the integration of real-world business practice is systematically embedded through:
- Business Projects with real strategic and operational challenges from partner companies
- Regular Guest Lectures from executives and industry experts
- Conventions providing space for inter disciplinary learning and hands-on leadership experience
- Case Studies and Simulation Games to tackle typical business problems
- Mandatory internships to apply academic knowledge in a corporate context
- Dual study formats with continuous integration into business structures
- A network of more than 1,300 partner companies across industries
This structured integration enables students not only to analyse business challenges analytically, but to develop well-founded decisions under real market conditions.
Anyone who chooses to study at CBS not only receives a scientifically grounded education but also gains the opportunity to build confidence in a professional environment at an early stage – within a team, in a corporate setting, and through direct exchange with decision-makers from industry.
Projects like this one underline CBS’s commitment to bridging business and academia and preparing students for leadership roles in a globalised and sustainability-driven economy.
Conclusion: AI Visibility as a Strategic Priority
The Business Project with BeNeering GmbH demonstrates how relevant the intersection of B2B marketing and artificial intelligence already is today. Generative Engine Optimization is not a niche topic – it is a strategic requirement for any company that wants to remain visible in an AI-driven information landscape.
Through this project, students gained real-world experience, direct company contacts, and a deeper understanding of strategic decision-making inB2B digital marketing.
At CBS, practice is not an add-on – it is an integral part of the curriculum.
