Marketing trends move fast but the brands that are making impact aren’t chasing every new tool or platform, they’re going back to the basics that have proven to drive commercial success: branding, authenticity and data-driven marketing to gain return on investment.
McKinsey’s State of Marketing Europe 2026 report found that branding was the number one priority for marketing leaders, stating that ‘CMOs are rediscovering that brand is not a relic but the bedrock of resilience and long-term growth.’ Marketers plan to invest in distinctiveness, clear value perception, and creativity.
The influence AI has on customer journeys means it’s not enough for brands to simply offer a good product. What matters now is how a brand makes people feel and whether it earns their trust. Brand is all about customer perception, so if you can influence how people think, feel and act, you’re building perceived value in the market. Ultimately a brand that is trusted, recognised and liked drives more sales. Across Europe, marketing leaders are leaning into this shift, working to build brands that are perceived as creative and authentic.
With more tools and new technologies becoming readily accessible, marketing fundamentals matter even more. There’s plenty of companies that offer the same products and services but it’s the ideas that are associated with the company that set it apart. If you don’t know what your values are and what makes you different, then your brand won’t make an impact. If your voice isn’t clear, then your brand won’t be heard in the market.
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When information is everywhere, and with the acceleration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), content becomes meaningless and bland. When everyone can create content in a minute, this means that average is more accessible. AI models are trained on the web where rational thought prevails. Authenticity is how brands will win in an age of information overload.
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True human connection comes from other humans. What we took from the McKinsey report and why so many marketing directors are putting brand at the top of their list is because with the rise of AI, human connection is what really matters.
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Creativity cuts through. AI is a great accelerator of implementation, but true creativity is facilitated by humans. As our founder Oliver Smith says “true expertise is about asking the right questions. AI just answers any question we give it, and most of the time, it’s not the right question to be asking.” Creativity makes brands famous, connects with people, and drives commercial success by separating them from the competition.
Why does brand matter?
Strategy made visual
Your brand needs to support where you are heading as a business. For instance, if you want to be a national business, are you creating this impression? Or are reflecting a more local feel.
Creates the right opportunities
Whether this be partnerships, acquisitions or contracts. Your brand should help you pull in opportunities that you want. Chances to pitch, talk at events or other commercial opportunities.
Supports your sales efforts
Your brand should align with your sales strategy. What do you want to be known for? What work do you want to attract? A good brand, and branding is aligned to business strategy – it should pull the right opportunities, and help sales deals improve conversion. We find a lot of SMEs don’t get this right and it hurts their new business efforts.
Differentiates you in the market
Good branding positions you away from the competition, so you appear different and build a brain tattoo. You can’t always differentiate a product or service in reality, but you can differentiate it in the mind of your customers.
Attracts top talent
In the war of talent, good branding supports your recruitment efforts, it’s selling the internal essence of your business.
Generates cash
Branding helps support all the ways your business makes money. From creating demand and driving sales to the amount of money you can charge. Branding isn’t about colours and fonts – it’s an important conversation at the centre of the c-suite.
The future of marketing isn’t a rejection of the past, its readdressing and rebalancing priorities. Amongst a rapidly changing market, fundamentals have regained their weight. At Smith, we help organisations rethink their marketing core for a world where speed, clarity, and distinctiveness decide the brands who win.