Build brand value through consistent, meaningful difference
Global - Tariff Turmoil
Tariff turmoil compounds cost of living pressure for three quarters of world’s consumers
The recent study by Kantar reveals that over six in ten people (62%) blame economic policies for rising prices, and nearly nine in ten (86%) are making lifestyle changes in response, including considering US product boycotts. The threat of tariffs is compounding consumers' concerns about the cost of living, with three-quarters (76%) of people globally worried about how these trade policies will affect them personally.
Kantar’s Consumer Sentiment Barometer identified the economy and inflation as the biggest concerns among consumers globally, named by 88% and 85% of people respectively. With tariffs now threatening to compound ongoing cost-of-living challenges, the threat to consumer spending could soon become very real. One-third of people (32%) already say that meeting their monthly household budget and outgoings is more challenging than last year, and 45% are unable to or struggling to meet these basic household commitments.
Nearly half of the population (46%) already thinks the economy is worse than this time last year. Although tariffs are only just starting to influence prices on the shelf, people are already making changes to cut expenditure: 40% are actively seeking out price reductions and promotions, and 35% are trading down to cheaper stores.
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Brands should provide certainty, reliability, and trust for consumers, especially during chaotic times. However, not everything is within marketers' control, and brands need to accept and understand the importance of being agile. |
Belgium - Tariff Survey
Belgian consumers are increasingly avoiding goods from specific countries due to heightened awareness of product origins.
- Product Origin Matters: 61% of Belgians consider the origin of products important, with 70% paying attention to it and 37% stopping purchases from certain countries.
- Decline in US, Russia, and China Products: 45% of Belgians avoid US products, 40% avoid Russian products, and 35% avoid Chinese products, while 82% buy more Belgian products.
- Replacing American Products: 74% of Belgians find it easy to replace American products, citing reasons like customs tariffs and environmental concerns.
- Concerns About Tariffs: 37% of Belgians fear tariffs' impact on their standard of living, and 32% are worried about US-Belgium relations.
- Support for Belgian Brands: 86% of Belgians want to support local brands, valuing products made in Belgium and companies that support local employment.
Study conducted by Kantar Insights Belgium with a representative sample of 1000 Belgian people age 18+ in April 2025. Get in touch with our experts for more details about Belgium.
Get in touch
Our team is available for meetings and calls to discuss these key findings and help you navigate the challenging landscape of tariff wars. We can provide insights and strategies to adapt to these changes and ensure your business remains competitive. Let's connect to explore how we can support you in this evolving market.
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Gino De Vooght |
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Isabelle Mérillou |
Build brand value through consistent, meaningful difference
For decades, BrandZ has measured the influences, successes, and failures of marketing globally. Now, after reviewing everything we have learned, we have distilled our most important insights.
Join us on Thursday 15th May to celebrate the 20th anniversary edition of BrandZ’s global report. Hear how the world’s leading brands have overcome the most significant marketing challenges of the past two decades, what to do now to protect your brand from ongoing volatility and pave the way for success over the next 20 years.
See our insights through the lens of data visualisation expert, David McCandless. Listen to the perspectives of business leaders from AB InBev, Asics, Haier, Michelin, Mizuho, RBC and Tata Consultancy Services. Don’t miss the reveal of Kantar BrandZ’s Global Top 100 2025.
Get in touch with our Belgian BrandZ experts
For more detailed insights and personalized assistance, our Belgium BrandZ experts are here to help. Contact us to discuss how we can support you in shaping your brand’s future and leveraging the latest market trends.
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Sana Hussain |
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Isabelle Mérillou |
Register for the Consumer Sentiment Barometer Webinar
Discover Kantar's latest insights on consumer sentiment amid tariff turmoil. Join us for an exclusive webinar where Kantar experts Jane Ostler and J. Walker Smith will reveal findings from our recent global survey of consumers across 20 countries.
We'll dive into:
- Consumer Sentiment: How are people feeling in these turbulent times?
- Behavioral Change: How are they planning to adapt?
- Brand Strategies: What can brands do to effectively respond?
- The Uncontrollable: What external factors will impact your brand (hinting at country boycotts)?
Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and ask your questions live. Sign up now to navigate these unprecedented times with confidence.
Countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UAE, UK, USA, China
Manage your growth in uncertain times
Our experience in supporting brands through COVID-19 and the Ukraine war means that Kantar has a unique track record of helping clients anticipate and navigate uncertainty. Let's talk today, to build your sustainable growth plan as uncertainty grows within the context of a volatile century.
Build brand value through consistent, meaningful difference
We believe in the power of brands.
There is now undeniable evidence that great brands have the potential to influence not just sales, but business value and resilience. Kantar BrandZ data shows that strong brands outperform others, drive profitability, and weather the storms of economic uncertainty.
Join us in celebrating the power of brands and discover how Kantar's unique perspective can help you achieve sustained success. Unpack your favourite brand strategy.
Choose the format that best suits your learning style and start transforming your brand strategy today!
| Brand Strategy Unpacked Digital Booklet
Find practical examples and case studies demonstrating how Kantar Brand Strategy solutions can help uncover present and future opportunities, prioritize focus areas, and apply consistency to build Meaningful Difference and deliver long-term brand value growth. |
Brand Strategy Unpacked Masterclass
The masterclass series elevates the conversation by providing practical, interactive learning experiences. It consists of three video lessons led by Kantar's brand experts. |
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Together, these two form a comprehensive resource for enhancing brand performance. |
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Get in touch for more brand strategy solutions
If you’d like to learn more about how our brand solutions can help transform your current process, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. We are here to support you in your journey to brand excellence.
Today’s media landscape challenges are evolving fast
Answers the “why” not just the “what”
LIFT+ tells a holistic story about campaign success, to determine the value of each customer touch point leading to a brand response and provides prescriptive recommendations for how to improve campaign performance.
To help inform your media decisions, Kantar has summarised three top tips for campaign success. These are evidence-based recommendations for optimising brand growth, based on our latest insights.
Discover the capability of LIFT+ powered by THX
Which campaigns channels and tactics drive brand and business growth?
Get in touch with our team of experts to benefit from an innovative methodology based on real-time exposure. Discover how to apply this to your brand and elevate your cross-media campaigns. Contact us today to maximise your campaign ROI!
Walk the talk - 5 ways marketers can succeed in 2025
Marketers face a fragmented media landscape, pressured budgets, and rapid technology developments. Political and macroeconomic events add unpredictability. Kantar’s Blueprint for Brand Growth shows brands with strong predisposition have 9x volume share, 2x price command, and 4x likelihood to grow value share.
Success comes from touchpoints and interactions with consumers, making media landscape understanding crucial. Kantar Media Reactions 2024 surveyed over 1,000 senior marketers globally, revealing five ways to succeed in 2025.
1 - Meaningful data is key in making informed budget decisions
Half of marketers say multiple factors influence their budget allocation, with consumer preference, campaign objectives, and ROI being major influences. However, 36% feel their media mix isn't optimal.
Consumer preference is crucial, with 60% of marketers considering it. In 2024, point of sale ads were most preferred by consumers, but marketers increased spending on sponsored events and digital channels like online video and social media stories.
In 2025, marketers plan to boost spending on digital media, especially online video and TV streaming. Meaningful data and consistent measurement are essential for better investment decisions.
2 - Don’t just say brand-building matters; build your brand.
81% of marketers value both short-term and long-term ROI, with the optimal split being 60% long-term and 40% short-term. Despite this, 16% measure only short-term ROI.
All channels can build brands. Recently, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and online display ads have shown high brand contributions, following broadcast TV and POS ads. These figures are expected to rise as marketers better customize ads per platform and context.
3 - Campaigns need to be integrated and customised
Integrated and customized campaigns perform 57% better. However, 35% of marketers lack confidence in understanding context, and 46% don't tailor content to channels. Testing ads early and in different contexts is crucial to avoid wasting marketing dollars.
Advertisers’ confidence about tailoring content to contexts continues to fall 
4 - Skill up and be efficient: AI is your ally
AI enhances effectiveness and efficiency in ad testing, customization, and measurement. Only 9% of marketers view AI negatively, while 74% are excited about its application, and 55% see AI predictions as valuable for testing ads.
However, 36% of marketers feel their team lacks the skills to use generative AI. Training is essential to leverage AI's capabilities and stay competitive in creative and media planning.
5 - Don’t let your eyes glaze over: pay attention to attention
Attention is crucial for media effectiveness, influencing budget plans and creative impact. Consumers prefer outdoor, cinema, and POS ads, while marketers favor influencer content, TV, and cinema ads.
Behavioral measures like time viewed and clicks are common, but facial coding, eye-tracking, and AI predictions should guide attention measurement to capture active emotional engagement.
Curious for more after reading this short extract? Read the full article now.
Would you like to learn more about the media landscape in Belgium?
Get in touch to learn more about these 5 ways or to explore about the opportunities the Kantar Media Reactions report can provide for you.
Connecting with people in the age of AI
In an increasingly information-saturated environment, brands need to find creative ways to connect with consumers meaningfully.
We know that the winning ads in Kantar’s Creative Effectiveness Awards have made real connections with consumers. How? Because they are judged by consumers.
Kantar’s Creative Effectiveness Awards celebrate the most creative and effective ads from the thousands we tested last year.
In an age where AI is redefining the industry, our winners connected with people on a very human level, whether to laugh, cry or share in their experiences, all helping to build brand affinity and that all important future demand for their brand.
Join us on Wednesday 9 April to discover the best ads from around the world and what makes them great.
This year, we’re thrilled to host a panel with some of our winning brands, who will bring the ideas behind their award-winning creativity to life. Register now and find out what winning brands will be joining us. You won’t want to miss it!
Discover the winners from all the ads researched at Kantar in 2024, and learn how to engage with your audiences through connected creativity in the age of AI
We will reveal:
- Top 10 TV winners
- Top 10 digital/social winners
- Top 10 print/outdoor winners
- Top 10 LINK AI tested winners
What makes or breaks a product launch?
Uncover the “why” behind your launch’s performance
Whilst product launches are always exciting, Kantar data reveals that almost two-thirds of product launches are dead or dying by the end of their second year. The difference between a launch that achieves liftoff and one that fizzles out is often small, and knowing what drives that difference is what can separate success from failure.
Based on years of knowledge and experience helping brands innovate, we have consolidated our learnings into a guide that will help your launches drive meaningful growth with post-launch insights.
This guide will equip you with the insights needed to navigate the highs and lows of your launch performance, fine-tune your strategy, and chart a path to long-term growth.
What happens when data meets creativity?
The biggest open night for the creative industry
Discover the answer together with us during ADNIGHT BXL
Kantar's brand and creative experts will explore the connection between data and creativity. This event will showcase how consumer insights and AI can inspire and enhance the creative process. It’s all about blending data with imagination to create work that truly resonates.
Kantar proves that data isn’t just numbers it’s the spark behind every great idea.
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NEEDSCOPE AI - Demo session Put your positioning skills to the test! Use your creativity to design an ad and align the correct emotion to it.
Our demo stand is open: |
| LINK AI - Info session Secrets behind ideas that work: A Belgian Brew of Creativity
Time your visit for our speaker session: |
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Discover WPP City, a journey through creativity
The route
- A Night Shop by VML | Discover unexpected Antwerp finds and creative takeaways.
- Game Night by GROUP M |Play, engage, and experience media creativity in action.
- A Speakeasy by AKQA | A creative hub where big creative ideas are celebrated.
- A Gallery by OSL | Immerse yourself in social culture.
- A Monument by KANTAR | Step into a space that explores the intersection of data and creativity.
Interested in the full creative route through BXL?
A modern marketer’s toolkit: early-stage insights
Our data shows that brands who embrace early-stage research can more than 2x their chances of creating top-performing ads. Researching creative ideas earlier helps marketers futureproof campaigns, preventing wasted spend on ideas that don’t resonate with consumers.
We are excited to announce early-stage creative insights are now available on LINK+ and LINK AI! Revolutionise your ad development process by identifying and nurturing winning creative concepts early to help build campaigns that grow your brand and maximise your media investment.
Discover how early-stage creative development capabilities on Kantar Marketplace can supercharge your marketing investments today!
LINK early insight on Kantar Marketplace helps you:
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Screen and nurture ad ideas, concepts, scripts, summaries, mood films or any type of early-stage creative |
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Build a creative platform that will deliver campaigns that can grow your brand long term |
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Save time and money by gaining scalable, robust insights using survey and AI-based technology |
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Maximise ROI with ads that are right for your audience, brand and strategic objectives |
Nurturing Early-Stage Creative Ideas and Concepts
The new LINK+ and LINK AI capabilities aimed at supercharging early-stage creative development are now available in Kantar Marketplace, Kantar’s agile market research platform. I’d love to guide you through in a quick demo and show how you can benefit from these innovative additions to the LINK tool kit.