Does no mention mean a brand is invisible to AI?

No. Absence means the brand was not recorded in this limited set of prompts and usable answers. It does not establish absence from other AI answers.

How often is ASICS mentioned?

ASICS appeared in 11 usable answers in this snapshot. A mention is not necessarily a recommendation.

Which brands appear most in the budget answers?

ASICS appeared in 4 of 4 usable budget answers. This measures mentions, not verified price or budget compliance.

Does this benchmark prove AI recommendations are biased?

No. Differences in answers do not establish bias or prove that advertising or commercial integrations caused a recommendation. Model, tier and collection changes can also affect comparisons.

How was this running shoes snapshot collected?

3 prompt types were recorded across the participating services. 12 of 12 captured response records contain usable answers, from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity. Brand mentions and recorded ranks are measured separately. Unavailable and explicitly excluded answers do not contribute to brand analysis.

Evergreen monthly benchmark — Jul 16

Running Shoes

Research by Robert Hu · Published by RecoScope · Collected Jul 16, 2026

Usable answers: 12/12
Models: 4
Prompt types: 3

Included: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity

Report history · Jul 16 selected · 12 snapshots

Key takeaway

For a recreational road runner, AI routes to ASICS first in every engine - the Novablast is the single most-recommended shoe in the category - with HOKA, Nike, Brooks, and New Balance forming an interchangeable second tier sorted by persona (cushion, speed, reliability, width). A brand outside the big six is nearly invisible: Puma is the one challenger with cross-model traction, while On and Mizuno barely register despite real market presence. Every engine insists fit beats brand, which caps how much any ranking matters at purchase.

Compare the model rankings

Mention Frequency Trend

Brands ordered by mention count in each run. Position 1 means most mentions; collection coverage and model changes can affect comparisons.

Scroll sideways to see all dates and labels.

Top Brands by AI Mention Frequency

Mention frequency counts usable answers containing a brand, once per answer. Unranked and critical mentions count as visibility. Recommendation ranks are shown separately below.

Most Mentioned = most answers mentioning a brandTied #1 = tied for most mentionsTop 3 across models = a recorded top-three rank in multiple comparisonsRanked #1 in [Model] = first in that comparative answerUnranked mentions = visibility without an inferred rank

1ASICSMost Mentioned11/12

2HOKATop 3 across models10/12

2New Balance10/12

4Nike9/12

5Brooks8/12

Cross-Agent Comparison

Recorded ranks from the comparative prompt (Prompt 3). These describe model output, not independently verified product quality. Historical parsing conventions may differ.

4/4 models with recorded ranks

Agent	#1	#2	#3
ChatGPT	ASICS	Saucony	Brooks
Claude	ASICS	HOKA	Adidas
Gemini	ASICS	HOKA	New Balance
Perplexity	ASICS	Puma	Adidas

All 4 ranked comparisons list ASICS at recorded rank #1

What This Means

ASICS wins the explicit brand-ranking prompt (P3) in all four engines, but the aggregate across all three prompts splits: ASICS is the aggregate #1 for ChatGPT and Gemini, while Claude's aggregate crowns HOKA (its discovery-prompt lead, the Mach 7) and Perplexity's crowns Nike (its discovery-prompt lead, the Pegasus).
The divergence is entirely a P1 effect - Claude and Perplexity open with a non-ASICS hero model before ranking ASICS first when asked head-to-head.
Below that, ChatGPT is the most exhaustive, giving a full ten-brand ranked table with models and prices and uniquely surfacing On and the deepest Saucony progression.
Claude is the most fit-and-gait-focused, leading with the HOKA Mach 7 and repeatedly redirecting to in-store fitting, uniquely surfacing the Superblast and GT-2000.
Gemini is the most persona-tiered (fun/comfort/speedster archetypes) and sticks tightest to a five-brand core.
Perplexity is the most divergent: it leads with the Nike Pegasus, is the only engine to reference prior-generation models (Ride 17, Ghost 16, Pegasus 41), and ranks Puma second overall - higher than any other engine places it.
Brooks, New Balance, and HOKA fill the remaining top-3 slots, trading positions by engine.

Findings and Limitations

The category is led by a stable big-six (ASICS, HOKA, Nike, Brooks, New Balance, plus Saucony), and the challenger tier is thin but real: Puma is the one brand gaining genuine cross-model traction (a top-3 brand-ranking slot in Perplexity, value pick in ChatGPT and Gemini) on wet-grip and midsole-value positioning.
On, despite strong retail and lifestyle presence, surfaces only once and only in a ranking tail flagged as overpriced - a notable marketplace-versus-AI-visibility gap.
Mizuno appears only in deep tails.
Carbon-plated super-shoes are actively steered against for this persona.
The stability sub-category (GT-2000, Gel-Kayano, Guide, ForeverRun) is consistently named but never leads.
Altra, Topo, Saucony racing, and Brooks racing are absent.

Recurring themes in the answers

The brands AI favors share the daily-trainer framing (every engine explicitly steers the recreational road runner away from carbon-plated racers toward a versatile cushioned trainer), 8mm-or-lower drops with energetic foam, and a named hero model per brand (ASICS Novablast, HOKA Mach 7, Brooks Ghost 18, NB 1080).

Inspect the captured answers

Saved response text is model output. Product and health claims are unverified. Tables and cards may be transcribed as text; source labels can remain. Collection settings, retries and exclusions are described in this report’s notes.

ChatGPT · Prompt 1Usable answer

Best running shoes, 30yo man, roads 3-4x/week fitness, 20-30 mi/wk

ChatGPT P1: First choice ASICS Novablast 6 ($154.99, best overall, balance of cushioning/energy/versatility). SKU list: Novablast 6 $154.99, Brooks Ghost 18 $149.99, Nike Pegasus 42 $145, Adidas Adizero Evo SL $89.98, Nike Vomero 18 $155, HOKA Clifton 11 $154.99, ASICS Gel-Cumulus 28 $144.99, NB FuelCell Rebel v5 $144.99, Nike Structure 26 $145. Ranking: 1 ASICS Novablast 6 (best overall), 2 Brooks Ghost 18 (safest, RW best mens daily trainer), 3 Nike Pegasus 42 (durable all-rounder), 4 Adidas Adizero Evo SL (best fun, RunRepeat #1 road shoe), 5 Nike Vomero 18 (cushioned), 6 HOKA Clifton 11 (smooth rocker), 7 ASICS Gel-Cumulus 28 (balanced), 8 NB Rebel v5 (lightweight). Buy Novablast 6 or Ghost 18.

Claude · Prompt 1Usable answer

Best running shoes, 30yo man, roads 3-4x/week fitness, 20-30 mi/wk

Claude P1: Best all-around Hoka Mach 7 (~$145, smooth versatile cushioning, light, handles easy miles and faster efforts, one shoe does it all). Best for beginners/most forgiving Nike Pegasus 41 or ASICS Novablast 6 (Pegasus works at any stage, Novablast fantastic daily trainer comfortable enjoyable ride). Most cushioned/protective New Balance 1080v15 (comfort while light and responsive, max cushioning joint protection). If stability matters ASICS GT-2000 14 (dependable stability, high sidewalls control pronation). Reliable no-frills workhorse Brooks Ghost 18 (nitrogen midsole, predictable, no-gimmicks). Neutral cushioned trainer Mach 7/Pegasus/Novablast 6 safe start. Replace 300-500 miles.

Gemini · Prompt 1Usable answer

Best running shoes, 30yo man, roads 3-4x/week fitness, 20-30 mi/wk

Gemini P1: Top 3 road running shoes. 1 The Fun and Bouncy All-Rounder ASICS Novablast 5 or 6 (crowd favorite, energetic bouncy highly cushioned without heavy, trampoline geometry springy push-off, forgiving on asphalt, ~$150). 2 The Comfort King New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v15 (pillowy soft premium, absorbs massive impact, sock-like upper, ~$170). 3 The Lightweight Speedster HOKA Mach 7 (snappy lightweight smooth, stripped weight, highly responsive energy transfer, nimble fast feel, ~$145). Buy half size larger. Do your feet roll inward or prefer softer vs firmer?

Frequently Asked Questions

Which running shoes brands appear most often?▾

ASICS appeared in 11 of 12 answers. This snapshot includes 12 usable answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity. Mentions include comparisons and criticism.

Which brands rank first in the running shoes comparison answers?▾

ChatGPT: ASICS; Claude: ASICS; Gemini: ASICS; Perplexity: ASICS

Why do models give different running shoes answers?▾

ASICS wins the explicit brand-ranking prompt (P3) in all four engines, but the aggregate across all three prompts splits: ASICS is the aggregate #1 for ChatGPT and Gemini, while Claude's aggregate crowns HOKA (its discovery-prompt lead, the Mach 7) and Perplexity's crowns Nike (its discovery-prompt lead, the Pegasus). The divergence is entirely a P1 effect - Claude and Perplexity open with a non-ASICS hero model before ranking ASICS first when asked head-to-head. Below that, ChatGPT is the most exhaustive, giving a full ten-brand ranked table with models and prices and uniquely surfacing On and the deepest Saucony progression. Claude is the most fit-and-gait-focused, leading with the HOKA Mach 7 and repeatedly redirecting to in-store fitting, uniquely surfacing the Superblast and GT-2000. Gemini is the most persona-tiered (fun/comfort/speedster archetypes) and sticks tightest to a five-brand core. Perplexity is the most divergent: it leads with the Nike Pegasus, is the only engine to reference prior-generation models (Ride 17, Ghost 16, Pegasus 41), and ranks Puma second overall - higher than any other engine places it. Brooks, New Balance, and HOKA fill the remaining top-3 slots, trading positions by engine.