Brands’ impact on enterprise growth

16th July 2026 |   Journal Of Sales Transformation

Business and technology insights company, Gartner suggests 84% of companies are stuck in a “brand doom loop” that prevents marketing leaders from proving a brand’s impact on enterprise growth, according to a survey of 426 senior marketing leaders. Conducted from September through October 2025, the research found that the brand doom loop occurs when companies underinvest in brand measurement, lack confidence in the results and consequently attract even less funding.

Gartner predicts that by 2028, over 80% of companies will make significant changes to their company’s identity, such as mission, brand and culture, to keep pace with the impact of AI on markets. As AI accelerates commoditisation and fuels disinformation, brand is one of the few remaining levers companies can use to claim a distinctive and trustworthy position in their markets, Gartner adds.

“Brand has long been treated as a communications asset, but it is actually a growth engine,” said Julie Reeves, VP Analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. “The challenge is that most organisations lack the measurement discipline and executive narrative needed to connect brand health to business performance. This creates a cycle where brand is undermeasured, underfunded and undervalued.”