A year of AI Mode data: searches 3x longer, follow-ups up 40% a month, one in six multimodal — SEO hasn’t caught up.

FIFA made non-sponsors hide logos at the World Cup. Levi’s, Heinz and Gillette turned cover-ups into marketing.

ANA Masters reframed the job: AI is ambient, and reputation rather than visibility wins the B2B decision.

Trust is a growth lever as AI erodes it: McCann’s 20,713-person study finds 69% drop brands they distrust, 80% pay more.

Adobe’s Firefly trains private models on a brand’s own assets, moving the scarce skill from making to governing.

Brand is CMOs’ top 2026 priority, but budgets favour performance — tying it to commercial outcomes keeps the funding.

Cannes Lions 2026 adds a Creative Brand Lion and makes AI disclosure the price of entry for every submission.

Brand safety has shifted from placement to accuracy — one airline learned a brand is liable for what its AI says.