Real Madrid, Apple, Meta: This Week's Top Five Stories

Real Madrid Retains Spot as Most Valuable Football Brand

It’s been a big year for football. 

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 expanding from 32 to 48 teams and being staged across three host nations, leading brands – such as Unilever, Carlsberg and Hyundai – have had unmatched marketing opportunities. 

But what about the teams themselves? 

According to David Haigh, Chairman and CEO of Brand Finance, “tournaments of this scale extend football’s reach into new markets and audiences, expanding the commercial opportunity available for clubs, federations and sponsors alike,” which he says reinforces the case for a “rigorous, financially grounded view” of brand value in the industry. 

According to Brand Finance’s recently released Football 50 report, global brand value for the world’s 50 most valuable football club brands now reaches a combined value of €23.9bn (US$27.88bn) and enterprise value of €79.7bn (US$92.95bn) – making it the strongest year of growth for football in the ranking’s history. 

Who are Real Madrid’s biggest partners?

• HP: HP Inc, headquartered in California, serves as Real Madrid's inaugural uniform sleeve sponsor and primary technology partner, deploying hardware across the team's facilities. Led by Interim CEO Bruce Broussard, the computing giant works alongside the Spanish club to accelerate digital transformation. The multi-year collaboration focuses on modernising the Santiago Bernabéu complex, enhancing fan experiences and providing artificial intelligence devices for daily operations. Both organisations have also co-created global community schemes to tackle the digital divide.
• Adobe: Operating as the official fan experience partner, Adobe powers Real Madrid's audience personalisation. Guided by CEO Shantanu Narayen from headquarters in San Jose, California, the company uses AI tools to help the club engage millions of supporters worldwide. Their strategic alliance enables the club to deliver tailored digital content, real-time marketing campaigns and custom interactive templates. Using advanced cloud solutions, the partnership deepens supporter connections while expanding commercial reach across markets.
• Cisco: Headquartered in California, Cisco serves as an official technology and network infrastructure partner for Real Madrid, powering connected stadium technologies. Managed by CEO Chuck Robbins, the networking leader provides high-speed Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and robust cybersecurity platforms to help support the club's digital growth. Cisco infrastructure is designed to support seamless operational security, dynamic digital media displays and enhanced stadium connectivity for millions of visiting fans.
• Softtek: Through a strategic software engineering alliance, Softtek is helping modernise Real Madrid's core digital architecture to deliver scalable online fan experiences. Led by CEO Blanca Treviño from headquarters in Monterrey, Mexico, the IT services firm serves as a primary technology consultancy. The company oversees the complete redesign and maintenance of the club's official website, mobile application and RM Play streaming platform. 

Apple and Nike Named Gen Z’s Most Loyal Brands

Gen Z has named Apple the brand they are loyal to and would recommend “without hesitation” in a survey conducted by Rival Technologies – with the research finding that Gen Z consumers who feel understood by a brand say they are roughly nine times more likely to remain loyal to it. 

The study, which surveyed 903 Gen Z consumers across Canada and the US, found that Apple, alongside Nike and Costco, were some of the brands Gen Z consumers say they remain most loyal to. 

Other highly ranked brands included Adidas, Samsung and Amazon. 

Meta Brings AI Tool into Advertising Platform

Meta is changing the way users can interact with its analytics and advertising tools. 

The company’s AI tool can now work across Instagram and Facebook accounts, Meta ad campaigns and Google Workspace – including Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Slides.

When Meta AI can see this context, the company explains, it can offer sharper, more specific insights to audit and optimise campaigns, benchmark business performance and understand ways to improve marketing strategies. 

SKIMS Names Kim Schraub as Chief Brand Officer

SKIMS is making some changes to its senior leadership team. 

The Kim Kardashian-founded company has announced the appointment of Kim Schraub, formerly its Creative Director, in a newly created Chief Brand Officer role, and Erin Magee as its new Chief Design Officer. 

This closely follows the appointment of Tracy Nguyen as Chief Communications Officer in July. 

“Kim Schraub is one of the most talented creatives I've had the privilege of working with,” says Jens Grede, CEO and Co-Founder of SKIMS. “She has an extraordinary ability to translate the essence of SKIMS into something you can see and feel. 

“Elevating her into the Chief Brand Officer role is the natural evolution of the creative leadership she has always provided.”

IAB Announces Revised AI Advertising Guidance

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has announced Version 2 of its AI Transparency and Disclosure Framework – building on the initial framework published in January 2026, which offered practical guidance on disclosing AI involvement in consumer-facing advertisements. 

This framework was released alongside research conducted by Sonata Insights, which found mixed views on the use of AI in creative contexts, with some consumers seeing it as a positive, and others finding it inauthentic. 

More than half of respondents said they wanted brands to share when an ad was fully AI-generated or used AI imagery, while 73% of Gen Z and Millennials said clear disclosure would increase or have no impact on their likelihood to buy a product.  

There is a disconnect between marketers and consumers – with an IAB study finding that, while 82% of advertisers believe that consumers feel positive about AI-generated ads, only 45% actually do.