branding by enabling scalable personalization and content creation, while maintaining authenticity and human oversight. Together, these themes illustrate how brands can navigate today’s complex landscape to create meaningful, lasting connections with their audiences. Doubling down on long-term brand building While customer experience, brand experience and product innovation remain the foundational pillars for the European CMOs surveyed to differentiate their brands, creativity and uniqueness rise as their top investment area for the next years (Exhibit 3). Value perception emerged as a close second while trendiness and cultural relevance saw the sharpest rise in importance, reflecting a shift in brand priorities toward delivering perceived value and staying culturally relevant in the fast- moving world of social media. Exhibit 3 Web <2025> Exhibit <3> of <17> Key investment areas for brand differentiation 1 Question: What key elements have you invested in to differentiate your brand over the past 2 years (2023–24), and which will be most crucial for differentiation in the next 2 years (2025–26)? Source: State of Marketing Europe Report 2026, McKinsey, n = 500 senior marketing leaders across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom Creativity and uniqueness stand out as top investment area for European CMOs to differentiate their brands. McKinsey & Company Key investment areas in last 2 years,¹ % of respondents Key investment areas in next 2 years,¹ % of respondents Change, next 2 years vs last 2 years, percentage point Customer experience Brand engagement Innovation/product development Value perception/value for money Environmental, social, and governance Know-how/craftsmanship/industry expertise Diversity, equity, and inclusion Heritage/history Trendiness/cultural relevance Creativity/uniqueness –11 –6 0 4 –5 –5 0 –1 23 14 Top 5 priorities Other priorities 79 75 70 66 64 62 59 47 31 61 68 69 70 71 59 57 59 46 54 76 100 100 Note: Figures do not sum, due to "Others" category not being shown. 15 State of Marketing Europe 2026