The Future of Brand Growth: Kantar Unites Global Visionaries to Honor the Year's Most Valuable Brands

The third annual Kantar Brand Gala highlights how intelligence, AI and Meaningful Difference power the next era of brand growth 

NEW YORK, May 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Marketing and advertising leaders from across the globe recently gathered for Kantar's third annual Brand Gala, an exclusive evening dedicated to honoring the world's most valuable and impactful brands. Kantar, the world's leading marketing data and analytics business, hosted the gala to celebrate the launch of the 2026 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands. Kantar's gala announced this distinguished list of winning brands and awarded six brands that exemplify the key principles driving growth today, which included Amazon, Coca-Cola, Disney, Fenty Beauty, Google, and TikTok.

The evening kicked off with a fireside chat between Jeff Greenspoon, CEO, Americas, Kantar, and Jessica Sibley, Chief Executive Officer, TIME, where they unpacked the evolving media landscape and shined a light on the enduring and growing importance of trust for marketers and consumers. Jessica shared how trust is a cornerstone for everything TIME does, "Trust for us is our number one value. It really signifies and stands for something meaningful, and it's become more than just our purpose. It's our actual product."

Throughout the evening, Kantar celebrated the trailblazing brands that have earned consumer trust while redefining global value - achievements validated by Kantar BrandZ's unique metrics of Meaningful Difference and future-focused momentum. Kantar BrandZ, now in its 21st year, quantifies how brand contributes to enterprise value, through a global analysis across 4.6 million respondents, 22,392 brands and 545 categories. According to 2026 data, today's most successful brands turn intelligence into action, integrate AI without losing their human edge, and continuously reinforce what makes them meaningfully different in an increasingly complex, competitive ecosystem.

The featured award winners were:

• Google as the 2026 BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brand: With brand value increasing 57% year-on-year, Google's award reflected its continued leadership in integrating AI into everyday experiences.
  "Our north star has always been building a brand that connects with real people and helps make their everyday lives easier. We're incredibly proud of this recognition from Kantar, which is a tribute to the teamwork happening across every corner of Google, not just Marketing," shared Marie Gulin-Merle, Global Vice President, Ads & Commerce Marketing at Google.

• TikTok as the 2026 Most Transformative Global Media Brand: This past year, TikTok has bridged the gap between 'content' and 'commerce' in a way that has left traditional retailers breathless. Through the evolution of TikTok Shop and its cutting-edge interactive ad formats, it has created a frictionless ecosystem where discovery and purchase happen in a single heartbeat.

• Disney as the 2026 BrandZ Most Meaningful US Brand: What makes Disney extraordinary is the clarity of its emotional core and discipline to protect it, even as the business has expanded. Known for delivering a superior experience and its distinctive identity, Disney also has a strong emotional connection that drives relevance and deep, memorable connections for the brand.
  In his acceptance speech, John Campbell, Senior Vice President, Entertainment and Streaming Solutions, The Walt Disney Company, said, "Storytelling has always been at the center of everything we do, and that's what makes this recognition as Kantar BrandZ's Most Meaningful US Brand so special. Disney is deeply personal and our stories become part of every fan's story. That is a privilege that we never take for granted."

• Amazon as 2026 BrandZ Most Different US Brand: Awarded to a brand in the Top 100 that has among the strongest Difference perceptions, Amazon has exceptional Difference, even considering its massive scale. Amazon's retail marketing follows through to the customer experience it delivers: speed, reliability and value in everyday life, while AWS showcases real customer builds, innovation credentials and category leadership, making Amazon feel both indispensable and ahead of the curve.

• Coca-Cola as 2026 US Premium Brand: This award recognizes not just a brand's ability to be chosen, but its power to command a price premium through its capacity to convert Meaningful Difference into strong pricing power. Coke has strong Pricing Power, even when brand size is accounted for, and epitomizes what it means to be a premium mass–market brand, consistently standing for a joyful, refreshing treat that's always within arm's reach of desire.
  "To be recognized as the Most Premium Brand because our consumers continue to choose us is special. For Coca-Cola, premium has never been about exclusivity. It's about trust; it's about consistency. It's about staying relevant in real lives, across the generations," Stacy Jackson, Vice President, Coca-Cola Trademark, North America stated, "Over the past year, we've seen that relevance come to life through moments that bring people together, experiences that invite participation and personalization, and our creative work, that reminds people that Coca Cola isn't just a part of culture, but when at our best, we create culture."

• Fenty Beauty as 2026 US Future Power Brand: Fenty Beauty has built a clear sense of Difference and stands out versus competitors because inclusion isn't a marketing choice, it's the brand's foundation. This foundation is amplified through creator–led storytelling at global scale, with Fenty using diverse creators and communities to normalize inclusion, fuel cultural relevance and drive growth organically across platforms and markets.
  "Thank you very much for the honor of Fenty Beauty receiving the BrandZ Future Power Brand Award. I want to thank Kendo Brands, in addition to thanking LVMH, and, of course, our Fenty Fam! We couldn't do anything without them," said Logan Malone, Creative Director, Fenty Global – Kendo Brands, Inc., "Without our consumer community, it's impossible to bring Rihanna's vision to life, one that represents beauty for all across the world."  

Kantar BrandZ continues to provide an unparalleled lens into how brands create value, transforming signals into intelligence and intelligence into foresight that drives growth. As the pace of change accelerates, Kantar remains committed to equipping marketers with the insights needed to build Meaningful Difference and sustain long-term momentum. Explore the full 2026 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report here.  

About Kantar
Kantar is the world's leading marketing data and analytics business. We deliver the intelligence needed to power brand growth. We provide the signals that help organizations act quickly and confidently. We empower brands to make effective marketing decisions based on predictive evidence. And we help them craft powerful growth strategies rooted in the connection between consumers, brands and enterprise value. All this is powered by our uniquely robust human and synthetic data, our unrivalled IP, our AI-native platform and the team of global brand experts that bring this all together.

Notes to editors
Kantar's Brand Gala was built around Kantar BrandZ, the industry's leading brand valuation with insight from the world's largest and most comprehensive brand equity study: 4.6 million consumers, 22,392 brands, 545 categories and 54 markets. Discover the 2026 ranking of the world's top 100 Most Valuable brands here.

SOURCE Kantar