The real story in McKinsey’s State of Marketing 2026 is not the charts. It is the confession. Europe’s marketing engines were built for a world that no longer exists.

Budgets rise yet impact stalls.
Data grows yet decision quality lags.
AI expands yet teams operate with twentieth century structures.

The winners share one pattern. They stop treating marketing as a function and start running it as an adaptive system.
• Cross functional squads instead of siloed departments
• Always on experimentation instead of quarterly bursts
• First party data as an asset not a compliance chore
• Creative bravery tied directly to commercial impact

This shift is not cosmetic. It is existential. The report shows that firms who redesign around this model create disproportionate growth even in flat markets. Europe’s marketers face a simple question. Keep optimising the old machine or build the one that fits reality.

If your organisation feels stuck, this is the moment to redesign not repackage. The companies that act now will define the next decade of European marketing.

If you want communication that earns belief, not just attention, start a conversation with me.

Grab it here