The rules of brand choice are changing. In 2026, AI agents and creators will shape discovery while effectiveness pressure intensifies. The brands that win won’t abandon fundamentals, they’ll apply their Meaningful Difference to a radically new context.
Our latest thought leadership and evidence‑based perspectives explore how brands can grow by working for both humans and machines, scaling creativity, strengthening preference and sustaining growth.
In 2026, brands don’t just compete for attention, they compete to be chosen in AI‑led journeys. As AI-search, recommendation engines and agents increasingly influence discovery and purchase, winning brands go beyond traditional visibility to become clear, trusted and decision‑ready. Success depends on creating content, signals and experiences that are not only compelling for people, but legible and credible for AI systems shaping choices on their behalf.
The reports and guides below will show you how you can strengthen your brand’s presence across AI‑mediated journeys. Learn how to build clarity, consistency and Meaningful Difference so your brands are recognised, recommended and preferred by both humans and AI.
Beyond Visibility: Brand building with GEO and AI Search
Report
Our guide to Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and AI search visibility shows you how to build the signals that modern AI engines rely on to be cited and chosen in AI-generated answers.
Chosen by AI: The new rules for winning search
Report
Through evidence‑led charts, we reveal how AI is reshaping discovery, influence, and consideration, and what it takes for brands to stay visible and credible.
Brand Building in AI search era
Article
Learn how brands can navigate the sea of AI Search and the change in consumer behaviours by optimising for LLMs.
Effective brand building in 2026 blends proven growth fundamentals with new behaviours shaped by creators, platforms and algorithms. Brands that win build Meaningful Difference at scale, while staying coherent across fragmented, co‑created environments. Strong brands don’t chase every trend — they anchor themselves in clear brand strategy that travels consistently across touchpoints.
Using our Blueprint for Brand Growth framework alongside the Kantar Marketing Trends 2026 report, uncover how brands grow by predisposing more people, being more present in key moments and finding new spaces with confidence. Understand how aligning culture, creators and technology can amplify your brand’s value.
Blueprint for Brand Growth
Framework
A breakthrough in understanding how businesses build profitable, strong and sustainable brands.
Kantar Marketing Trends 2026
Report
Focus your marketing strategy, prioritise what matters, and shape your brand growth in 2026.
How to navigate the Less Healthy Food ad ban
Article
Explore how FMCG brands can navigate the Less Healthy Food (LHF) ad restrictions while maintaining meaningful consumer connections.
Nationwide: The power of sharp positioning
Article
Drawing on Nationwide's transformation, discover why sharp, brand positioning is essential for creating brand magnetism and growth.
With budgets under scrutiny, marketing effectiveness is no longer optional — it’s a commercial necessity. Brands that win in 2026 balance short‑term sales activation with sustained brand building, and can clearly prove the impact of both. The challenge is avoiding over‑investment in tactics that deliver quick returns but weaken long‑term growth.
Anchored in our 10 Charts and The Best Christmas Ads reports, this section provides evidence‑based guidance on smarter allocation, creative effectiveness and ROI. It helps marketers build the case for balanced investment that delivers results today without undermining brand strength tomorrow.
10 Charts to Make You A More Effective Marketer in 2026
Report
Bringing together essential insights and research-backed evidence to support marketers with making the commercial case for brand building, and winning the battle for balanced effectiveness.
The Best Christmas Ads 2025
Report
Backed by facial coding, cultural signals, and the world’s largest creative effectiveness database, use these insights for winning creative campaigns that deliver in 2026 and beyond.
Shaping Marketing Effectiveness in 2026 with Google
Podcast
Simon Atherley, Head of Marketing Effectiveness at Kantar UK, is joined by Biren Kalaria from Google to unpack how marketers can better connect marketing effectiveness to business growth as we head into 2026.
How KFC is sticking with what works, and with chicken
Podcast
Join Dani Ruggles, Marketing Manager at KFC, and Lynne Deason, Head of Creative Excellence at Kantar, as they explore how bold choices and an unwavering commitment to your brand's magnetic north can drive extraordinary results.
Creative Magnifier
Social Series
More than just ad testing. Unlock the power of connected effectiveness.
Read more
Cultural relevance in 2026 isn’t about reacting faster — it’s about understanding deeper shifts in values, rituals and aspirations. Brands that win move beyond surface‑level trends to show up meaningfully in the moments that matter, with a role that feels authentic and distinctive.
Bringing together our Winning in Culture: Rituals & Resolutions and Unboxing modern brand building in the creator era reports, this section explores how culture and creators are reshaping brand meaning. It shows how brands can build credibility and connection by aligning cultural insight, creativity and brand strategy — staying relevant without losing focus or coherence.
Winning in Culture: Rituals and Resolutions
Report
A multi volume series to help brands understand and activate the cultural forces shaping consumer behaviour, with each volume focusing on a specific cultural moment.
Unboxing modern brand building in the creator era
Report
For the third year running, Kantar and Effie Awards Europe reveal how marketers are navigating the challenges and opportunities of a fast-evolving co-creation space.
From queries to growth: Jellycat's journey with search
Article
Jellycat’s innovation strategy has clearly understood the cultural manifestations of our times. But how is Jellycat present in people's hearts and minds?
How TikTok revealed wellness boom in food & beverage
Article
As TikTok becomes increasingly prevalent, a brand's ability to successfully uncover new market opportunities now hinges on its capacity to interpret digital trends.
Measuring creator and influencer effectiveness
Article
In the rush to leverage the clear potential of creators, brands can lack clear strategic intent of they how plan to use creators and influencers. Read more about Desperados' masterclass in getting it right.
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