2026: The Year of Brand Marketing
Think long and short. Introducing data driven brand marketing.
Brand growth works on two time horizons. The short term captures demand. The long term builds the memories that make people choose you when they are ready to buy. That is the real job of brand marketing, building mental availability and mental penetration so your brand is remembered over the alternative.
Most people are not in market today. That is why brand building is slow work that compounds over time. And it is why slow data matters. Slow data shows how real interest moves over time and connects your brand work to business outcomes. MyTelescope provides this. Branded search tracks with results at an average of 83 percent. With AI search taking a central role in discovery, becoming the brand people search and ask for becomes real currency.
To work with data driven brand marketing, you start by setting up your brand analytics. Map your brand and products against the competition. Then define the trends and buying situations you want to own. The MyTelescope Index shows how well you are building mental availability and where to optimize. You can adjust spend, refine your message, or shift the situations you want to win.
Avoid heavy promotions. They lift in the short term but weaken margin over time. Strong brands win because people remember them, and slow data helps you reinforce that memory.
I have been saying this for a while. My Slush notes said the same. Now the new McKinsey State of Marketing report confirms it again. The focus for 2026 is building brands and doing it in a fully data driven way. Luckily, that is exactly what we built MyTelescope for.
Here is how to use it.
1. Understand consumer pain points
Identify the demand points that matter. Track them over time and make sure your brand becomes the natural answer when the question is asked. When people or AI agents look for a solution, you want your name to appear in the summary or in their mind. It is the same job, just a new interface.
2. Track your products and services
Monitor interest and optimise your brand marketing spend based on monthly movements. If a trend starts to move away from you, advertising alone will not save it. Look across the full marketing mix. What people search for and ask about gives you clear guidance on where to focus.
3. Activate your creativity
Build stronger briefs by grounding them in what people are really searching for. Real questions from real users become the best source of creative inspiration. Creativity grows when it is fed by truth.
You can do all of this with MyTelescope. That is the exciting part.
Brand builders, this is our moment to shine.