McKinsey's State of Marketing report 2026

So a few people have been talking about a new report published by McKinsey that attempts to capture some of the significant and noteworthy forces of change affecting the marketing function.

It's never a bad idea to cast a casual eye over things like this - even if it is just to confirm / discredit some of our own research in this area (which we share in our own monthly reports and client presentations).

There is nothing earth shatteringly new in the document (as you would expect from a report published by a giant, lumbering corporate), but what is rather interesting is how tactfully they present the bleeding obvious.

Brand is in - social media and influencers are not so hot right now.

The key themes marketers should be focusing on (which if we're not mistaken are the same as the ones listed in Philip Kotler's marketing textbook which we first encountered in the early 1990s) are: BE TRUSTED | BE EFFECTIVE | BE BOLD.

It's unclear as to when exactly the power of brand building went out of favour. At least from our perspective, nothing has ever, or will ever, trump the consistent building of trust and reputation in the marketplace. But if doubt had somehow crept into the minds of some marketers (distracted by other flashy stuff) - then perhaps it's fortunate that a company that is struggling significantly with it's own reputation, has put the importance of brand back on the map.

McKinsey are clearly offering insights from personal experience. Ironic we know.

Anyhow, marketing is a craft that requires practice and a mindset of continuous learning - so see what insights the report has to offer (even if it is confirming the obvious).