Conclusion: Building emotional relevance and trust in a transformative era As gen AI increasingly shapes consumer decision-making, the role of brands is shifting from providing functional benefits to fostering emotional relevance and trust. While algorithms take over tasks like product comparison and efficiency, emotional attachment and authenticity will become the primary drivers of brand value. “Credibility, confidence, and trust are key, and the best way to achieve that is through strong customer references and standout campaigns,” Schneider Electric’s Odebrecht said. To thrive in this new landscape, brands must prioritize authenticity, creativity, and emotional resonance. Long-term brand building remains essential, as seen in campaigns like Heinz’s “It has to be Heinz,” which leveraged heritage and consistency to reignite consumer love. 21 Interactive branding strategies demonstrate how two-way engagement can deepen connections, while full-funnel campaigns show how storytelling and sales activation can work together to drive both awareness and conversion. Gen AI offers new opportunities to scale personalization and content creation, but its success depends on human oversight to ensure alignment with brand values, identity, and tone. In a world where functional benefits are increasingly commoditized, brands that focus on emotional relevance and trust will secure a sustainable competitive advantage. By anchoring their strategies in authenticity, creativity, and purpose, they can build lasting connections that resonate with both consumers and the algorithms shaping their choices. Interview: How Schneider Electric is building a trusted B2B brand Schneider Electric is a French multinational company specializing in digital automation and energy management. Richella Odebrecht, its senior vice president of global marketing for industrial automation, leads global marketing strategy with a focus on digital transformation, industrial innovation and sustainability. She has more than two decades of international leadership experience across the energy, construction, and industrial sectors, having held senior marketing and communication roles at ABB Group, LafargeHolcim, and the Linde Group. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. McKinsey: What are your top three marketing priorities for 2026? Richella Odebrecht, Schneider Electric: Our first priority is building brand presence. We’re working to create a stronger association in customers’ and influencers’ minds of Schneider as an industrial automation player with a distinct vision for shaping the industry. This business is about making long-term investments and building trust and customers want to know who will be there for them in the long run. Our second priority is having relevance and presence in core segments. We’re being very specific about which segments we want to win in, what our value proposition is, and how we demonstrate depth and relevance to customers’ needs and ambitions. Customers in this space tend to stick with their current suppliers, so we need to be focused and highly targeted with a credible pitch. Our third priority is the visibility of our product portfolio. We have a strong product lineup, but we need to ensure it’s visible in the right places, whether that’s at trade shows, through distributors and e-commerce, or in other channels. 21 Eliza Williams, “How Heinz used creativity to reassert its OG status,” Creative Review , September 6, 2023. 22 Past forward: The modern rethinking of marketing’s core