Today, we live in a world of such immense saturation and marketing noise that a well-known logo and a good product alone are no longer enough. The global Havas Meaningful Brands 2026 study reveals a shocking conclusion: as many as 78 percent of brands could disappear from the market overnight, and consumers would hardly notice. Consumers are increasingly tired of brands that try to be “for everyone.” They are drawn much more strongly to companies with a distinct character, a specific history, and their own world of values. In an era of overstimulation, those who have something more in their DNA than just business goals are winning.
Companies are increasingly understanding that people want to feel that a world of specific values, emotions, and relationships stands behind a brand. According to the global Edelman Trust Barometer report, consumers are beginning to perceive brands as new institutions of public trust. As many as 82 percent of respondents expect business to create micro-communities based on shared ideas. Just a few years ago, companies primarily fought for customers’ attention. Today, they are increasingly fighting for something much more difficult – their trust and emotional connection.
– The problem today is not that the modern consumer has nothing to choose from, but that they lack genuine attention and understanding. That is why more and more companies are selling what can simply be called a sense of belonging to a specific world. This is how communities united by a common idea – a passion for music, sports, or art – are formed – says Andrzej Bartkowski, culture promoter and President of MCC Mazurkas Conference Centre & Hotel**** and Mazurkas Catering 360°.
Brand as a new community
As the PwC Polska report “Map of Polish Consumer Choices” shows, a good product or a recognizable logo alone is no longer enough today. More and more people are now paying attention to what stands behind the brand: its approach, values, and whether it actually does something more than just sell. This is also confirmed by the results of the Best Brands Poland 2026 ranking. The study shows that the strongest brands today are those that are not only recognizable and practical, but are also able to build an authentic relationship with their audience.
This, moreover, is no longer exclusively a matter of image. Consumers are currently increasingly willing to pay more for products and services from brands they simply trust. Research by PwC and Euromonitor International shows that over 70 percent of us are willing to pay 10 to even 20 percent more for a product or service if the company genuinely engages in socially important activities – supporting culture, local communities, or caring for shared heritage. There is only one condition: declarations must be backed by actions, not just marketing narratives.
– Today, each of us functions in a reality of increasing distraction and loneliness. Traditional social ties, local communities, and places for building relationships are fading. At the same time, people are exhausted by digital overstimulation, algorithms, and an endless stream of superficial messages. As a result, they increasingly seek not only a product or service, but also a sense of meaning, emotional rooting, and an environment they can identify with. More and more often, it is the brand of a café, hotel, or local concept that gives people a feeling of being “at home” – says Artur Orzełowski, business psychologist.
Instead of a logo
Consumers are increasingly rejecting brands that try to “pretend,” turning toward initiatives based on real history, passion, or long-term commitment. The involvement of brands in issues such as environmental protection, social causes, or culture plays an increasingly important role. Art, tradition, and customs were merely an addition to business until recently. Today, however, they are becoming strong brand differentiators.
One of the most expressive examples of companies that have focused on experiences instead of just a logo is Red Bull. For years, the brand has been selling emotions, not beverages. This is the result of consistently creating its own ecosystem. Projects like the Red Bull Soapbox Race or Cliff Diving World Series are not ordinary sponsored events – they give people a sense of participating in something unique. As a result, the customer in the store is not paying for a can of liquid, but for an admission ticket to a distinct lifestyle.
Exactly the same mechanism, although on a different spectrum, is used by Prada. Its position does not stem from the logo on a handbag. For years, the brand has positioned itself as a patron of high culture and art. The flagship proof of this is the Fondazione Prada in Milan. Transforming a former distillery into a modern cultural campus has made the fashion house a full-fledged participant in the global debate on architecture and contemporary ideas.
Polish companies based on values
On the Polish market, E. Wedel is following a similar path, albeit based on local heritage. Instead of positioning itself as an ordinary sweets manufacturer, the brand has rooted itself in the history of Warsaw and Polish confectionery traditions for generations. Arche, on the other hand, proves that the real estate and hotel business can be based on an authentic social mission – their projects revitalizing historical monuments save local architectural memory, making this their main market differentiator.
Another example of the natural merging of business with culture is MCC Mazurkas Conference Centre & Hotel**** and Mazurkas Catering 360°. In this case, art was not glued on by force. The company grew out of a travel agency whose mission was always to introduce foreign guests to Polish heritage. The natural extension of this philosophy became the hotel and the Forum Humanum project – a series of cultural events organized pro publico bono – in which nearly a million people have participated since 2012. Culture was inscribed into the business’s DNA long before it became a fashionable trend in advertising agencies.
– When I founded this hotel twenty-five years ago, I didn’t think of it exclusively as a business. I wanted to create a place with its own atmosphere and people gathered around similar values. It was meant to be a space for meetings, not just an accommodation service. For a quarter of a century, this philosophy has not changed. I believe that a company that can build trust and a sense of community creates something far more important than the financial bottom line itself – says Andrzej Bartkowski, President of MCC Mazurkas Conference Centre & Hotel**** and Mazurkas Catering 360°.
An advantage that cannot be copied
In the era of artificial intelligence and mass-produced content, culture is becoming one of the last truly unique resources for business. A product can be copied, a campaign recreated, a marketing strategy duplicated in a few weeks. GenAI tools can replicate almost any communication format today, except for one key element: an authentic relationship, real emotions, and a history written over the years. Companies that can build a value-based community around themselves gain something far more valuable today than momentary customer attention – credibility and a lasting place in the minds of their audience. This cannot be bought with an advertising campaign or generated by an algorithm.
This is particularly important today, because brands rarely fail spectacularly anymore. Much more often, they simply gradually disappear from consumers’ view – they become indifferent, predictable, and devoid of a distinct identity. And in a world of excessive messaging, authenticity is what begins to determine which companies stay with people for longer. That is precisely why, in the coming years, brands will probably not lose because they have an inferior product. They will lose when consumers stop feeling any connection with them.
