Kantar BrandZ 2026 explains why emotional marketing delivers better results

PHOTO ART: MERCA2.0 | AI

Amid the artificial intelligence boom and intensifying digital competition, emotions have become one of the most valuable assets for global brands. That is one of the key conclusions of the latest Kantar BrandZ 2026 Most Valuable Global Brands report, which reveals that companies capable of building deep emotional connections with consumers achieve higher levels of growth, loyalty, and financial value.

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The study argues that the world’s most successful brands no longer rely solely on functional or technological attributes to grow. Instead, the real differentiator lies in their ability to generate emotional affinity, cultural belonging, and memorable experiences.

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Kantar found that brands that strengthened their emotional dimension grew much faster in brand value than those that focused solely on functionality or price.

Emotional marketing dominates the new brand economy

One of the report’s most important findings is that only one-third of the associations people have with a brand are related to functional aspects. The other two-thirds are linked to emotions, cultural perceptions, and personal connections.

According to Kantar, this means consumers are more likely to remember, recommend, and choose brands that successfully evoke emotions such as pride, happiness, inspiration, trust, or a sense of community.

The consulting firm explains that the world’s most powerful companies have understood that modern branding is no longer just about selling products, but about building lasting emotional relationships with audiences.

“Strong brands are those that manage to be Meaningful, Different, and Salient at the same time,” the report explains, referring to its global analysis methodology.

Google, ChatGPT, and TikTok lead emotional connections with consumers

The report highlights that some of the world’s fastest-growing brands have successfully built emotional narratives capable of becoming part of the daily lives of millions of people.

ChatGPT, for example, became the fastest-growing brand in the ranking after increasing its value by 285 percent in one year. Kantar attributes part of this success to OpenAI’s ability to position its platform as an approachable, useful, and human-centered tool, beyond its technical capabilities.

TikTok also stands out as one of the major success stories in building emotional connections. The platform strengthened its global relevance through shared experiences, personalized entertainment, and the creation of digital communities.

Google, which regained the top position among global brands in 2026, successfully capitalized on the artificial intelligence boom without losing its connection with users, combining technological innovation with familiarity and trust.

Emotional brands grow faster than their competitors

Kantar says that brands that improved their “Meaning” metric, which is associated with emotional relevance and affinity, recorded significantly higher growth in brand value.

The report shows that companies that strengthened their emotional connections grew by 129 percent between 2019 and 2026, while those that lost emotional relevance grew considerably less.

The consulting firm argues that emotions create competitive advantages because they drive recommendations, loyalty, and purchase intent, all of which are essential in markets saturated with choices and advertising.

In addition, Kantar warns that artificial intelligence is accelerating this trend, as brands need to differentiate themselves in an environment where many tools and products are beginning to look increasingly similar.

Spotify, Nike, Sephora, and the new era of emotional branding

The study highlights several examples of companies that have successfully transformed cultural and emotional experiences into engines of business growth.

Spotify was recognized for transforming personal data into viral experiences through Spotify Wrapped, a strategy that turned music-listening habits into global conversations and moments of shared identity.

Nike is another relevant example thanks to campaigns associated with inclusion, women’s empowerment, and sports culture, while Sephora was recognized for building digital communities that strengthen consumers’ sense of belonging.

Artificial intelligence accelerates the importance of emotional branding

The report argues that AI is radically transforming the way people discover and choose brands, increasing the need to build strong emotional connections. Kantar warns that as technological capabilities become more accessible and increasingly similar among competitors, the emotional value of brands will become the primary differentiator for attracting consumers.

The consulting firm believes this phenomenon is already visible in sectors such as generative artificial intelligence, streaming, digital retail, and social platforms, where users’ decisions increasingly depend on trust, familiarity, and cultural affinity.

Emotional branding is no longer merely an advertising complement; it has become one of the main drivers of global economic growth.

Kantar confirms that emotions are now brands’ most valuable asset

The report concludes that the companies experiencing the strongest global growth are those capable of combining technological innovation with consistent emotional experiences.

According to Kantar, the future of marketing will depend less on the size of advertising budgets and more on brands’ ability to build authentic, relevant, and memorable connections with people.

The consulting firm warns that human emotions will become the scarcest and most valuable resource for companies seeking to differentiate themselves.