Vice President Client Service

Marketers have money for AI visibility, but uncertain about right data to deliver growth: Kantar. The Kantar Media Reactions 2026 study finds marketers are ramping up spend on AI assistants and creator content, but consumer trust in AI recommendations remains low as confidence in media planning declines. Marketers are rapidly increasing investment in AI assistants, even though consumers remain cautious about the recommendations they provide. This is according to Kantar's Media Reactions 2026 study, based on and. Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) of marketers expect GenAI to play a pivotal role in brand recommendations and a net 75 per cent plan to increase investment in AI assistants in 2027. However, while the majority of people feel positive about generative AI's possibilities and most already use AI assistants, only 32 per cent of consumers are using them to research brands and products and only 23 per cent trust their recommendations. Many factors could be influencing this lack of trust, including how people feel about AI technology, what they already think about specific brands, the source of AI-generated answers or the way these answers are presented. Understanding and measuring these concerns is critical for marketing investment to pay off. Gonca Bubani, Global Director of Media at Kantar, said, "There's a lot of money moving towards AI on the assumption people will use it the way the industry expects. The reality is that marketers don't yet have a firm grasp of the nuanced feelings people have about AI environments or how they work within their wider media mix. That shouldn't stop them from experimenting with AI, but it does mean they need to carefully test, measure and learn as they invest." Marketers confidence declining; clearer intelligence in demand. As channels such as AI and creator content mature, marketers have become less confident navigating the ever-fragmenting media mix and growing volumes of data: * Only half of advertisers are confident they have the right balance between brand-building and performance marketing (2025: 60 per cent). * 57 per cent of advertisers feel confident their organisation has the right media mix (2025: 64 per cent). * Only 51 per cent feel they are extracting actionable intelligence from their data to support their marketing goals. But this lack of confidence is not all justified. Bubani adds, "Despite their insecurity, marketers are actually getting better at making fragmented channels perform in their favour. Kantar LIFT+ data shows that between 2020 and 2025, 43 per cent of campaign performance came from channels working together, compared with only 18 per cent pre-2014." Paul Zwillenberg, CEO at Kantar, said, "Marketing has never been harder to navigate, right when businesses need every dollar of investment to work harder. AI now shapes how people discover and choose brands, so strong brands have to earn the right to be recommended - by people, and by the machines guiding them. CMOs are investing more in the future, yet growing less certain about the decisions in front of them today. The answer is better intelligence, not more data." Media brand advertising equity, globally. Kantar has introduced new consumer ad preference metric in 2026 which now combines preference with exposure; 2026 performance should not be compared with historic results. For the first time, Kantar's ad equity measure combines consumers' attitudes to advertising on different brand platforms with exposure. This new ranking shows where people are both open to advertising and likely to encounter it, helping advertisers understand which brands offer the strongest mix of consumer acceptance, attention and reach according to consumers. Meanwhile marketers are backing a small group of digital platforms, with Instagram, YouTube and Google ahead of other brands when it comes to trust scores. Bubani said, "Marketer trust is only one side of the picture. Effective media planning also depends on understanding where consumers are receptive to ads. Comparing those perspectives can reveal if marketers are putting too much stock in their own views, or if they are adequately reflecting consumer demand. This is particularly relevant as investment shifts into AI, creators, commerce media and streaming." Creator content shifts from reach to relevance. Planned investment in the creator economy continues to grow, and marketers are looking to shift strategies away from celebrity-level fame to local community depth. Micro-creators (66 per cent) and nano-creators (61 per cent) are the creator types most marketers plan to invest in, ahead of macro- (48 per cent) and mega-influencers (42 per cent). This is a positive step: Kantar's Creator Game Plan found that when using creators, platform engagement and brand building potential only align one third of the time, and predicating creator choice on engagement stats had become a common trap for marketers. Bubani said, "Two thirds of marketers plan to increase their investment in creator content, where success is now less about reach and more about relevance: who opens up the best access to audiences, in a credible context and through stronger creative collaboration." Campaign Middle East has shown that follower count doesn't guarantee effective reach: more important is how creators help brands to communicate their meaningful difference to their audience." Anup Oommen is the Editor of Campaign Middle East at Motivate Media Group, a well-reputed moderator, and a multiple award-winning journalist with more than 15 years of experience at some of the most reputable and credible global news organisations, including Reuters, CNN, and Motivate Media Group. As the Editor of Campaign Middle East, Anup heads market-leading coverage of advertising, media, marketing, PR, events and experiential, digital, the wider creative industries, and more, through the brand's digital, print, events, directories, podcast and video verticals. As such he's a key stakeholder in the Campaign Global brand, the world's leading authority for the advertising, marketing and media industries, which was first published in the UK in 1968.

BNP Paribas Cardif: 2026 survey of financial advisors. September 22, 2026 Wealth Management: a dynamic market shaped by innovation and personalized advice. * 72% of financial advisors now use artificial intelligence (AI) in their business, compared with 56% last year. * 54% of financial advisors have observed increased diversification in their clients' investments over the past 12 months, ahead of the search for security (38%). * 71% have seen their client base grow by targeting professionals, business owners and heirs. * According to financial advisors, investors will continue to seek returns (69%), an appropriate level of risk (66%) and diversification (49%). * More than half (53%) plan to offer more individual retirement products over the coming year, while more than one-third intend to expand their protection insurance offering. * 92% of them are confident about the next 12 months, the highest level ever recorded by the barometer. "This twentieth edition of the financial advisors survey confirms the confidence of the sector while highlighting its profound transformation. The rise of artificial intelligence, the diversification of investor profiles and the growing complexity of the economic environment are redefining the practice of wealth management. By combining innovation and personalized advice, advisors are gradually reinventing their profession and expanding their client base" said Delphine Mantz, director of financial advisors networks - brokers at BNP Paribas Cardif France. Paris, 22nd September 2026 - While the majority of financial advisors (92%) report a record level of confidence, the sector is undergoing a profound transformation, marked by the widespread adoption of AI (72%), a growing client base (71%) and increased demand for diversification (54%). The twentieth edition of the financial advisors survey, published by BNP Paribas Cardif and conducted in partnership with world's leading marketing data Kantar reveals a sector in full transformation, where the combination of technological innovation and human expertise remains the key to success. Wealth management enters a new era of opportunities. The wealth advisor profession is reinventing itself, driven by three major factors: an increasingly structured regulatory framework, an economic and social environment that fuels the need for advice, and a technological revolution synonymous with greater efficiency for clients. Regulation is a central issue for 61% of financial advisors, who see it as a key factor in ensuring the security and transparency of the sector. Beyond being a constraint, regulation is becoming a driver for improving practices for the benefit of both advisors and clients, demonstrating the profession's adaptability. At the same time, asset allocation is becoming more complex and adapting portfolios to the economic environment has become a priority. It is cited as a challenge by 37% of them, up 16 percentage points from 2025. Artificial intelligence establishes itself as an essential tool. The profession's digital transformation continues to accelerate: 72% of financial advisors now use artificial intelligence, compared with 56% in 2025, to automate administrative tasks, refine portfolio analysis and provide personalized advice to increasingly demanding wealth management clients. One in four believe AI will fundamentally transform their profession, and 67% say it has also changed their clients' behaviour, with nearly one-third (32%) considering them much better informed. This technological transformation is accompanied by new risks. Indeed, 72% of financial advisors feel more exposed to cyber threats and 75% have strengthened their security measures. Protecting client data and maintaining trust are therefore becoming essential challenges for wealth management professionals, who place the security and confidence of their clients at the heart of their priorities. An evolving client base with growing demand for comprehensive support. After several years marked by economic and geopolitical changes, financial advisors perceive a reduction in client concerns, although the level of anxiety remains high. Indeed, 54% of them believe their clients are concerned about their investments (compared with nearly 78% in 2025), while 46% report renewed optimism regarding investment opportunities. Demonstrating both the attractiveness of the profession and the continuing need for advice, 71% of financial advisors saw their client base grow in 2026, the highest level recorded since 2018. This dynamic is notably driven by stronger support provided to certain client segments: professionals in private practice (44%), SME owners and executives (43%), closely followed by self-employed workers (33%) and heirs (32%). This expansion of the client base is also supported by intergenerational wealth transfer issues, for which financial advisors play a central role in supporting families, including in the financial education of younger generations. To meet the expectations of these diverse client segments, financial advisors continue to broaden the scope of their advice through an expanding range of products and services. Individual retirement savings solutions are emerging as a key product category, with 53% of financial advisors (versus 32% last year) planning to develop this business further. Individual protection insurance and credit protection insurance are also viewed as essential services by nearly one-third of them to meet clients' protection needs, particularly those of professional clients facing life's uncertainties. Finally, 40% of financial advisors plan to strengthen their employee savings plans within their business portfolio over the coming year. Investment trends driven by diversification. This year, 54% of financial advisors highlighted diversification as a priority for their clients (compared with 41% in 2025), ahead of security, which was cited by 38% of them (versus 63% last year). This trend reflects a complex macroeconomic environment and increasingly volatile financial markets, where the expertise and advisory role of financial advisors are essential. The risk-return balance will naturally remain the key selection criterion for clients: 69% and 66% of financial advisors are convinced of this and expect it to remain a priority over the next 12 months. To meet this demand, they are focusing on financial products that align with new investor expectations or remain underrepresented in portfolios. ETFs continue to gain traction and address the need for diversification, with 46% of financial advisors planning to recommend them more frequently. Defence and sovereignty-related funds remain highly popular and rank second among the investment solutions that advisors intend to promote (43%). Finally, the development of private assets is seen as an opportunity by nearly half of wealth management professionals (49%), although two main barriers are holding back wider client adoption: a lack of liquidity, cited by 65% of financial advisors, and the risk of capital loss, mentioned by 51% of respondents. Record-high confidence among financial advisors, combined with a realistic view of ongoing and future transformations. Financial advisors take a realistic view of competition while looking ahead with confidence. 92% say they are confident about the next 12 months, compared with 85% in 2025, marking the highest level recorded over the past five years. This optimism helps explain the continuation of market consolidation, with 55% of financial advisors having already completed an acquisition or considering one. Of these, 24% have already completed such an operation and 31% are considering doing so. This trend enables firms to reach greater scale and expand their range of products and services in order to better support their clients, particularly in response to the growing influence of fintechs, which are cited by 57% of professionals as competitors, ahead of traditional players such as banks and other financial advisors, mentioned by 24%. Looking to the future, 67% of advisors surveyed believe that client relationships will remain essential over the next 20 years. At the same time, 59% anticipate a greater recognition of their expertise, driven by demand for specialized skills to serve increasingly well-informed investors and by stricter regulatory requirements. Faced with the constant evolution of their sector, financial advisors once again demonstrate their ability to turn challenges into opportunities to enhance the quality of support they provide to clients. Overall, 89% of those surveyed believe that the profession offers significant growth prospects over the next five years.