Future Proof

Is AI reinforcing or diluting your brand? Which brands do LLMs choose to surface and why?   

LLMs are actively shaping how brands are discovered, compared and chosen. They are becoming the new gatekeepers of growth. 

In this expert roundtable, Kantar leaders, from across disciplines and markets, discuss how LLMs are reshaping brand discovery.

You'll leave with clarity on:

1. New opportunities for growth in the AI era

2. Practical guidance to support confident, informed next steps for your brand

3. Data-led perspectives to shape what to focus on

Win the LLMs' choice using signal intelligence

Visibility is not enough. Brands need signal intelligence to understand how AI assistants are reshaping consumer decisions. Win the LLMs' choice by strengthening the brand signals AI relies on. 

BrandDigital AI signals goes beyond short-term discoverability to show how LLMs shape long-term brand equity, grounded in Kantar’s Meaningful, Different and Salient (MDS) framework.

From visibility metrics to MDS-aligned signals, it

reveals how brand predisposition is built or eroded

across AI assistants.

Find out more: Kantar BrandDigital AI signals

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How do you keep a 180‑year‑old brand relevant for the next generation of consumers?

In this episode of Future Proof, Jane Ostler is joined by Kristy Keyte, CMO of Penfolds, to explore what it really takes to grow a heritage brand in an increasingly volatile world. From reframing Penfolds as a luxury brand rather than a wine brand, to sharpening brand codes, driving difference, and building salience at the point of choice, Kristy shares how a more rigorous approach to brand strategy is shaping decision‑making across the business.

The conversation also digs into pricing power as a critical marker of brand strength, the role of emotion and meaning in luxury, and how brands can stay resilient amid cost pressures, changing consumption habits and global uncertainty.

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Great innovation isn’t just about what you build - it’s about how consumers experience, interpret and adopt it.

In this episode of Future Proof podcast, Dr Nicki Morley, Global Innovation Lead at Kantar, is joined by Richard Shotton, author of ‘Hacking the Human Mind’, to explore how behavioural fuels and frictions shape innovation success, from identifying opportunities early to driving real adoption. 

Through evidence-backed insights and real examples, they unpack why consumers don’t always act on good ideas, and how innovators can design with human behaviour in mind.  

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In this Future Proof episode, Dr Nicki Morley, Global Innovation Lead at Kantar and Dr Angad Chowdhry, Co-Founder & CPO at Quilt.AI, unpack why genuine innovation demands more than fast outputs from LLMs.

They explore how cultural sensing, behavioural fuels and frictions, and multisource signal intelligence reveal the collision zones where breakthrough opportunities emerge, and why human judgment is still essential to shaping concepts that are meaningfully differentiated and commercially real.

They also share how the Kantar × Quilt.AI partnership brings these capabilities together, closing the loop from signal to opportunity spaces to concepts with rigour and transparency. 

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In this episode, Nicki Morley, Global Innovation Lead at Kantar, and Little Moons’ Ross Farquhar discuss how Little Moons turns early-stage ideas into high-impact innovation by designing for occasions, not categories, and acting fast in the market to learn and iterate. Ross Farquhar shares how strong brand guardrails make innovation purposeful while the team experiments, tests, and scales new concepts at speed. He also unpacks how AI accelerates trend discovery and early exploration, with human judgment shaping what truly becomes a breakthrough.

A sharp look at modern innovation discipline, where agility, insight, and smart tools create genuine competitive advantage. 

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In this episode of Kantar's Future Proof podcast, Jane Ostler speaks with Sian Davies, Global Consumer Planning Lead, Ready to Drink at Diageo, and Jauneen Tarin, Head of Shopper UK at Kantar, to discuss the evolving landscape of shopper marketing.  

From the evolution of shopper behaviour and the impact of digital channels to the critical role of leadership and culture, this episode is packed with practical examples and forward-looking perspectives on winning in the fast-changing world of ready-to-drink beverages. 

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Travel is emotional, but booking a trip often isn’t. As expectations rise, Booking.com is working to bring emotion to moments that usually feels purely functional. Convenience isn’t the only game in town.

In this episode, Jane Ostler talks with Ben Harrel, Managing Director, US at Booking.com. They discuss how the brand blends performance and long‑term storytelling to spark that Booking.yeah feeling, how creators help the brand speak authentically to different travellers, and how Gen AI is enabling more tailored and relevant communication at scale. Ben also shares a practical vision for the connected trip: a future where flights, stays, cars and attractions seamlessly work together, as well as how they can step in proactively when things go wrong, working towards a frictionless experience.

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In this episode of Kantar’s Future Proof podcast, Simon Atherley, Head of Marketing Effectiveness at Kantar UK, is joined by Biren Kalaria, Google UK’s Managing Director of Measurement, Analytics & Data, to unpack how marketers can better connect marketing effectiveness to business growth as we head into 2026. 

Biren shares his perspective on the persistent gap between marketers and the C-suite, the importance of unified KPIs, and why long-term effects remain under-measured.  

Tune in for practical guidance on bridging internal divides, strengthening measurement foundations, and using AI and creators to drive stronger, more confident marketing decisions in 2026. 

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What does it take to create advertising that truly stands out? In this episode of Kantar Future Proof, Deepak Varma, Head of Neuroscience Insights at Kantar North America, is joined by Allison Howitt, Global Insights and Analytics Director – Nutrition at Reckitt, to explore how marketers can unlock creative best practices by combining AI analytics, neuroscience, and distinctive brand assets.

Allison shares her perspective on the evolving role of creative effectiveness, revealing how Reckitt leverages a hybrid approach, blending human insight, AI-driven meta-analysis, and neuroscience techniques like facial coding and eye tracking, to identify the moments that drive enjoyment, persuasion, and brand salience. Together, they discuss the importance of building a creative excellence playbook, the value of establishing clear research hypotheses, and how marketers can use these tools to deliver actionable insights and measurable business impact.

Tune in for practical guidance on measuring creative drivers, building brand rituals, and creating ads that resonate across cultures and categories.

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In the age of AI, trust and human connection are the new foundations of customer experience.

The rules are changing: technology is reshaping how brands interact with consumers, but it is human connection, trust, and transparency that will define the winners. In this episode, Jane Ostler talks with Isabelle Zdatny and Amy Cashman. They discuss how organisations must move beyond captive audiences and transactional relationships, earning loyalty through responsible practices and meaningfully different experiences. In an era where everything can be commoditised except the human touch, brands who deliver on their promises and build emotional connections will stand out. 

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