Post by Melissa Blokland

That’s a wrap on Think Consumer Amsterdam 2026! 👏 As the gap between technical AI innovation and commercial impact closes, the conversation centered on one clear shift: discovery and decision-making now happen as a single, simultaneous journey. Addressing this for the super-empowered consumer requires a unified strategy—one that balances brand-building with the speed of AI. Martijn Bertisen framed this new reality of simultaneous discovery, while Mark Ritson highlighted the "Two-Speed Plan" required to win both long-term brand equity and short-term activation. To ground this in science, Karen Nelson-Field PhD provided the essential physics of attention, proving it is the high-octane fuel required for AI systems to drive durable memory and performance. We also heard the powerful "human" side of this transformation from Brenda Smith, who shared how Kruidvat evolved from "shouting promotions" into a genuine "love brand." Her message was a vital reminder for every marketer in the room: while AI has "entered the kitchen," the ability to turn attention into affection through distinctive storytelling remains our greatest competitive advantage. This vision was anchored by Brandon Ervin, who showed how Search is evolving from a space of keywords into a world of Intelligence. As Gemini transforms the expanding search universe, it opens up a radical new growth opportunity for every brand ready to embrace agentic commerce. These strategic pillars met real-world applications in our deep-dive sessions. Birgit Boing provided the technical blueprint for data governance as a primary ROI driver, while Claes Eriksson addressed the "Silent ROI Killer" by demonstrating how a unified measurement approach ensures AI optimizes for real profit. Caio Franchi then decoded why YouTube’s "leaned-in" environment is a brand's most valuable asset for holding engagement, and to finish the journey, Jonny Protheroe and Sarah Ashley mapped how consumer decision-making has fundamentally evolved in this new agentic era. A special thank you to our leadership, Jorit Löhr and Andy Serdons, for the vision and the space to innovate on this journey. Also thanks to the cross-functional team it takes a village to move the needle on how the industry thinks about the future of AI. Proud of the narrative we delivered together. #ThinkConsumer #GoogleAds #GTMStrategy #AI2026 #MarketingLeadership #Google

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