BrandZ 2026: AI boosts brands and builds trust
Google replaces Apple at the top and Zara overtakes Nike
Apple is widely considered to be falling behind in AI, which is given as the reason it’s lost the number one spot on Kantar’s annual BrandZ report after four years at the top. New CEO John Ternus will have a lot to do when he takes over from Tim Cook in September: Siri is stagnating, investment is cautious, and the company’s strict privacy approach is hurting its competitive edge.
AI acceleration has brought about some big shifts in brand value: Google takes over as world’s most valuable brand with a 57% year-on-year surge, driven by its AI capabilities to the number one spot for the first time since 2018. Along with Apple, Microsoft and Amazon, it’s one of four brands to surpass the $1 trillion valuation.
Zara has overtaken long-time leader Nike to become the world’s most valuable apparel brand, and Hermès (which hired British designer Grace Wales Bonner as the first black woman creative director) has overtaken Lous Vuitton as the top luxury brand. In financial services, Chase and HSBC’s emphasis on building customer relationships has strengthened their positions.
A standout in the ranking this year, Claude has debuted in the global top 100 at number 27, with a brand value of just under $100bn ($96.6bn). Meanwhile, ChatGPT recorded the highest year-on-year brand value increase, rising by 285%; the only brand in history to see a bigger increase in the top 100 was Blackberry, which rose by 390% in 2008.
Martin Guerrieria, head of Kantar BrandZ, said: “AI is accelerating growth. And it has also made marketing harder. Marketers are digesting more signals than ever, decisions have to be made faster, and it’s less clear what actually matters. The brands outperforming the market are using AI to bring judgement back into the system: to identify which signals to trust, connect what people are doing to real business choices, and do so quickly and confidently. In a market this fragmented, sustained growth is coming from clarity.”
The combined value of the BrandZ global top 100 is up 22% on last year to $13.1 trillion.
