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How will you navigate through 2026? We have thoroughly analysed the dynamics for this year. The result is a navigation system for all those who see brands not as an end in themselves or decoration, but as the most effective tool for corporate management and the strongest lever for growth.

We live in a world of permanent crises and AI-generated arbitrariness. The pressure to be efficient is constantly growing. Technologically, everything seems possible, but strategically, there is often a lack of direction. In our Growth Dynamics 2026, we therefore ask precisely those uncomfortable questions that will determine who will be among tomorrow's winners:

• Why does total smoothness actually kill your brand?
• Why is 'soft growth' not a cosy approach, but a growth strategy?
• And why is the flight to new markets often just a symptom of a loss of focus – and how can you find your way back to your effective core?

Brand management in 2026 means effectively shifting your focus: we leave behind the exhaustion caused by internal efficiency dogmas and regain the power of differentiation.

We have identified seven strategic levers that will help you break out of sameness and recapture the appeal of a true original. This will not only secure your differentiation, but also strengthen your pricing power and the long-term profitability of your brand.

After registering, you can download the 7 growth dynamics, including economic impact and reality check questions:

1. Grow the Core
2. Embracing Soft Growth
3. The Optimization-vs-Value-Gap
4. Radical Simplicity
5. The New Ease
6. Bye-bye Sameness
7. Intentional Friction