The research, based on interviews with over 800 senior marketers globally, found that almost two-thirds ( 62%) of marketers expect generative AI to play a pivotal role in brand recommendations going into next year.

However, the study also suggests a decline in confidence among marketers, with half ( 50%) reporting that they are confident that they have the right balance between brand building and performance marketing, compared with 60% in the 2025 study.

Additionally, half ( 51%) reported that they are extracting actionable intelligence from their data to support their marketing goals, with no comparison with last year available as 2026 was the first time Kantar had asked this question in the survey.

As well as the interviews with marketers, Kantar also surveyed 23,000 consumers across 33 countries about their attitudes towards advertising and AI as part of the study.

According to the research, 32% of consumer respondents are using AI assistants to research brands and products, while 23% of those trust recommendations offered by LLMs. 

Gonca Bubani, global director, media at Kantar said: “There’s a lot of money moving towards AI on the assumption people will use it the way the industry expects. The reality is that marketers don’t yet have a firm grasp of the nuanced feelings people have about AI environments or how they work within their wider media mix. That shouldn’t stop them from experimenting with AI, but it does mean they need to carefully test, measure and learn as they invest.”

Kantar’s Media Reactions 2026 study is based on two surveys:

• 23,452 consumers in 33 markets: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, KSA, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Türkiye, UK, US, Vietnam, conducted between 3rd July and 10th September 2026.
• 806 senior marketers (advertisers, agencies and media owners) globally conducted between 25th May and 21st July 2026.