Being known doesn't get a brand chosen. Being the 'must have' choice does. Brand strength is earned when superior products, innovation, value, visibility and communication all work together to create consumer preference in the marketplace, and, over time, growth. Strong brands are the result.
With more than 30 "billionaire" brands, including KitKat, Maggi, Milo, NAN, Nescafé, Nespresso and Purina, we have one of the strongest portfolios in the industry.
But in a world of more choice, more channels and faster-changing consumer expectations, that strength must be built every day. To accelerate growth, we are transforming how we build brands: making sharper choices, focusing resources behind our biggest opportunities, raising the quality of our innovation and execution, and building the capabilities to win consistently at every consumer touchpoint.
Watch: Inside our approach to brand building
Focusing on fewer, bigger priorities
In 2023, 350 brands received paid media support. In 2026, we are focusing our investment on the top 150 brands, with 95% directed to the top 100, and we will continue to sharpen this focus further.
Nestlé has built its investment strategy directly around those findings: fewer, bigger campaigns, scaled globally and run for longer, because consistency itself is a multiplier of effectiveness. The shift from independently run local partnerships to a single global platform, such as our partnership with NBA for Milo, Nescau and Nesquik, our largest international brand collaboration to date, shows how that discipline plays out at the brand level, giving one campaign global reach rather than fragmenting spend market by market.
Nestlé brands Nesquik, Milo and Nescau partner with the NBA
But that doesn't mean that we lose the ability to be agile and reactive. Our KitKat heist campaign is the perfect example of that, turning the theft of 12 tons of bars just before Easter into a global cultural moment. By playfully engaging the public with our Stolen KitKat tracker, we created conversations across social media and earned media, and ensured the iconic brand keeps feeling relevant.
Brand building and innovation excellence
The same 'fewer, bigger' mindset now shapes our approach to innovation. There are platforms where we can accelerate performance with investment and innovation for growth. Cold coffee is an example. By combining science, technology and consumer insights, we are creating new formats such as coffee concentrates under Nescafé and Starbucks to meet evolving habits and occasions.
We are also raising the bar with more memorable creativity, partnerships and creators that cut through globally. Think partnership with Formula 1 for KitKat, Purina Pro Plan & ATP tour or Nescafé Espresso Concentrate's collaboration with Zach King.
Nescafé partners with digital magician Zach King as its first-ever global influencer
Investing in our people
Strengthening our brand-building capabilities means investing in both our people and the tools they need to succeed. We've equipped our marketers with a powerful new suite of solutions, from advanced analytics and agentic AI to a global network of content studios, designed to accelerate insight, creativity and campaign execution.
An extensive upskilling program has also been put in place to ensure our people are ready for this new chapter in the Nestlé story. By the end of 2026, 50 000 employees will be trained on brand building.
The engine behind the transformation
Underpinning all of this is Brand Building the Nestlé Way (BBNW), our redesigned, end-to-end approach to building stronger brands and accelerating growth.
At its heart are the Nestlé 4Us, our repeatable model for brand and category growth that every function in the company contributes to:
- Unrivalled superiority: Products must win on taste, quality and nutrition, and on pack design and functionality.
- Unbeatable value: Earning shoppers' everyday preference through best-value experiences.
- Unmissable visibility: Showing up powerfully wherever consumers shop, instore or online.
- Unforgettable communication: Creating campaigns with winning ideas that cut through culture.
Milo's revival shows that disciplined execution is working. Our 4Us model enabled the team to turn Milo's performance around, delivering volume-led growth, as stated in our third-quarter and nine-month sales.
Laying the foundation for growth
Greater disciplined-choices, stronger brand building fundamentals and a relentless commitment to innovation, guided by Nestlé's 4Us, our repeatable model for brand and business growth, is how we unlock new levels of speed, quality and scale. Our end goals are always clear: delight consumers, grow categories and create value for customers.
Key takeaways
- Brand growth: Nestlé creates consumer preference through superior products, innovation, value, visibility and communication, with stronger brands as the result.
- Fewer, bigger priorities: Nestlé is concentrating resources behind our greatest opportunities, with 95% of paid media investment directed to our top 100 brands by 2026.
- Sustained innovation: We are backing key growth platforms, including cold coffee, adult nutrition and pet therapeutics, with multi-year investment and dedicated media support.
- Marketing capabilities: We are equipping our teams with advanced analytics, agentic AI and global content studios, while working to train 50 000 employees by the end of 2026.
