The Pendulum Swings: Brand Marketing in a World of Digital Decline
I’ve long argued that digital marketing — the banner ads, the programmatic ad‑rolls, the SEO stacking, the automation pipelines — have taken us further away from what really matters: human connection. In a world that increasingly looks like bots talking to bots, performance metrics may light up dashboards — but they don’t build memory. They don’t build trust. They don’t build brand.
Fortunately, it looks like the pendulum is swinging back. The latest McKinsey & Company “State of Marketing Europe 2026” — based on a survey of 500 senior marketing leaders across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK — signals a clear, structural shift. Branding is back at the top.
Why the return to brand — not bots — feels inevitable
Performance marketing is losing punch. According to the report, the media landscape has become more volatile, and ROI from purely tactical, performance‑driven efforts has been slipping. In response, companies are increasingly looking to brand as the only stable lever left.
Brand equals long-term resilience. The research shows that organizations investing in a real brand strategy — rooted in meaning, emotional differentiation, cultural relevance, trust — build long-term equity. Brands that focused only on immediate tactics often “lost momentum,” while those who leaned into identity saw enduring value.
Authenticity, not automation, becomes the anchor. In the top‑five priorities for 2026 marketing leaders: branding, data privacy, authenticity, employer branding. AI, generative or agentic, ranked 17th out of 20.
Interactive branding over one‑way broadcasting. The report argues that modern brands must engage in ongoing dialogue, adapt their identity as culture shifts, and lead meaningfully — not just push ads.
In other words: 2026 isn’t about more pixels per second. It’s about substance.
What this shift means — for you, for me, for all of us
Brands as strategic assets, not marketing line items. The reemergence of branding as priority No. 1 is not a fad — it’s a reset. Brands are being treated as long-term investments in identity, loyalty, and stability.
Story over spam, trust over tracking. When your goal is emotional resonance, cultural relevance, and human connection, the metrics shift. It’s no longer about click‑through‑rates or viewability. It’s about recall, loyalty, reputation, and meaning.
Creativity becomes a core competency again — not a byproduct of tech. In a world glutted with automated tactics, creativity — the original differentiator — becomes rare, precious, and strategic.
Performance and brand are not enemies — they’re allies (if you get the balance right). Yes, performance campaigns and AI-driven tactics still have a place. But they shouldn’t live at the center. Brand should. Use performance for activation — but let brand be the foundation.
The invisible work: Why we need to make 2026 the year of reintegration
What I love about this moment is that it feels like a return to fundamentals — the invisible work that’s most often ignored when the hype is high. Building a brand isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t always yield instant dashboards full of green KPIs. It doesn’t deliver overnight conversions. But it builds memory, association, trust — human connection at scale.
If 2026 is to be more than just another spin of the marketing wheel, it has to be the year we reintegrate brand into the equation. That means working the fundamentals: meaning, positioning, emotional differentiation, cultural relevance, trust. It means focus, consistency, authenticity.
Because in a world of bots talking to bots, what stands out isn’t what’s optimized — it’s what feels human.
If you are interested in building your brand through strategic storytelling, let’s talk.
Sources:
https://www.realmiq.com/blog/seo-is-dead-long-live-geo
https://www.realmiq.com/blog/if-taste-were-downloadable-wed-be-in-trouble
About the Author
Curt Doty is a former studio executive and award-winning creative director with deep leadership experience across the entertainment and branding industries. Ten years in Television. Ten Years in Movies.
As the founder of CurtDoty.co, a creative consultancy, Curt has led integrated marketing, multi-channel storytelling, branding, identity, and user experience initiatives for a diverse roster of clients.
Over the past 15 years, Curt has leaned into innovation—leading R&D projects at Apple, Toshiba, and Microsoft, and pioneering interactive content for mobile, Blu-ray, and multi-touch eBooks at Trailer Park and Bemis Balkind.
Today, Curt’s work also explores the intersection of AI and entertainment. A sought-after fractional leader (CCO, CMO), speaker, and AI educator, he focuses on demystifying AI for creatives and executives alike.
He also hosts RealmIQ: Sessions, a podcast spotlighting thought leaders in tech, content, and design—continuing his role as a visionary voice in the future of creativity.
