Have you ever wondered why there are so many ‘How to boil an egg’ videos on YouTube, or why at this time of the year the celebrity TV chefs are doing their ‘best baked potatoes ever’ recipes? It’s because there are people who have never seen it before.
Which is why, when a company like McKinsey comes out with a report that says ‘Branding is back’, half of Linked in lose their minds because it is a revelation and the other half shrug and say ‘did it ever go away?’.
In the recently published ‘State of Marketing Europe 2026’ McKinsey says…
Branding was cited as the number one priority for 2026 by marketing leaders, who view its ability to drive distinctiveness, embody a clear value proposition, and showcase creativity as critical to building competitive differentiation. While financial rigor was also a priority, 72 percent of CMOs plan to increase their budgets relative to sales in 2026—although they are under pressure to better explain marketing’s ROI.
Perhaps it is the absence of character demonstrated by leaders around the world that makes McKinsey have to say that the number one theme that Marketers are pushing is trust - as if ‘Be Trusted’ was something that would ever not be part of a Marketer’s remit.
CMOs are rediscovering that brand is not a relic but the bedrock of resilience and long-term growth. As tools get faster, the fundamentals matter more: trust and emotional connection become the anchor that gives customers clarity, consistency, and a sense of security.
It seems that the report writer has never held the position of CMO. It’s also interesting to note the editorialising that is built into the language. The italics and bolding in the paragraph above are mine.
Branding is obviously a foreign concept to the report writers who are trying as hard as possible not to use AI, and therefore maintain the consultancy’s relevancy, but also demonstrating a lack of understanding about this mysterious marketing concept.
Branding (#1) is, at its core, long-term brand building.
Then again, perhaps AI was used to generate the report, because coming in at number 4 on McKinsey’s list of things that CMOs are going to focus on in 2026 is… Authenticity… which the author tells us is
… a genuine expression of a brand’s values, mission, and identity through transparency and consistency that builds emotional resonance.
Was authenticity really ever something that marketers ignored? I mean I guess you could try and build a brand that ignored all of these things. A brand like McKinsey for example. I have absolutely no idea how Authenticity and Branding are different things and why authenticity gets a place on the list in its own right.
More projection from McKinsey. Employer branding comes in at number 5 on the list. As McKinsey replaces thousands of employees with AI, the company might not have the same appeal to the best and brightest.
Reading between the lines, this report is not about marketing at all. The researchers seemed surprised that AI was not higher on the list of CMO priorities, which is the thing that McKinsey are trying to flog. McKinsey is not great at branding, or authenticity, so they can’t add any value to CMOs there.
10 McKinsey partner’s names are listed on the bottom of the official website that includes such masterful insight as… Branding (#1) is, at its core, long-term brand building. Meanwhile, Tik-Tok is full of posts like “Replace McKinsey with these 10 prompts.”
If… you are a business that has focused too much on tactics and short term growth and you want to shift some of your marketing budget towards building an authentic brand… let me know.