Meltwater vs Mintel

LLMs Increasingly Cite YouTube in AI Search Results

YouTube has emerged as a leading citation source across major AI platforms, surpassing Reddit. Meltwater data shows YouTube was the most-cited platform by eight AI systems in August 2026. Tinuiti's Q2 2026 report indicates YouTube's citation share in Google AI Mode quadrupled and more than doubled in AI Overviews from January to April 2026. Long-form videos, particularly those lasting 10–20 minutes, dominate citations, while Shorts lag. However, Scrunch found that citations fade by 43% within a month, indicating short-lived visibility. This trend underscores YouTube's growing role in AI-driven discovery, prompting brands to structure content with clear markers for AI visibility.

• YouTube was the most-cited platform by eight AI platforms (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Google AI Mode, AI Overviews, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok) in August 2026.
• YouTube's share of citations in Google AI Mode quadrupled between January and April 2026, and more than doubled in AI Overviews.
• 94% of YouTube citations go to long-form videos, with 10–20 minute videos accounting for 32.1%.

Which B2B Brand 'Won' the World Cup?

The Drum asked social listening firm Meltwater to analyse seven B2B World Cup partners across three social metrics: mentions (loud), engagement (liked) and estimated reach (seen). Results diverged: Lenovo led in mentions (~8,700), Aramco led in engagement (~13.2m) and reach (driven largely by FIFA channels), while Verizon captured moment-driven attention. The piece highlights owned vs earned media, the dominance of LinkedIn (over 90% of B2B engagement), one-off spikes driven by celebrity posts or single assets for smaller partners, and limitations of social listening (e.g., aggregated sentiment masking negative Reddit threads). The conclusion: no single social-metric winner — each metric crowns a different brand and social listening alone cannot prove business outcomes.

• Social listening firm Meltwater analysed seven B2B World Cup partner brands across mentions, engagement and estimated reach.
• By mentions, Lenovo led with roughly 8,700 mentions versus about 2,750 for Aramco and 1,800 for Verizon.
• Aramco drew about 13.2 million engagements and Verizon about 8.8 million, while Lenovo had roughly 1.3 million engagements.

Marketbridge and Meltwater partner on B2B narrative GEO

Marketbridge and Meltwater have formed a partnership to integrate narrative intelligence and generative engine optimization (GEO) into B2B go-to-market planning. Meltwater will provide narrative and GEO intelligence while Marketbridge will fold those insights into its go-to-market intelligence, strategy, content workflows and consulting. Some joint capabilities are already live for clients, with a fuller integrated solution expected in Q4 2026. Executives say the collaboration aims to help marketers understand how large language models (LLMs) and live conversations are reshaping buying journeys, measure machine impact on pipeline, and adapt creative and messaging to what models and communities surface about brands.

• Marketbridge and Meltwater announced a partnership to bring narrative and GEO intelligence into B2B go-to-market planning.
• Meltwater supplies the narrative and generative engine optimization intelligence under the deal.
• Marketbridge integrates Meltwater's intelligence into its go-to-market intelligence, strategy, content workflow, and adds consulting and custom builds.

Carter's Brand Refresh Targets Gen Z and Millennial Parents

Carter's has unveiled its first major brand refresh since 2000, aimed at appealing to Gen Z and millennial parents. The refresh includes a new logo (with an apostrophe replaced by a shooting star), a new visual identity, and a brand commitment: 'to let every child's light shine.' The accompanying 'Watch Them Glow' campaign launched on September 16, 2026, features a 60-second commercial on CTV platforms like Nexxen, Roku, Disney+, and Hulu, as well as digital and social channels. The campaign emphasizes self-expression and individuality, supported by Pew Research data. Carter's also introduced a creator program called 'Light Makers' with up to 15 Glow Grants in the first year. The rebrand follows new CEO Sharon Price John's appointment and increased marketing spend, contributing to a 5% net sales increase in Q2 2026. Partnerships with Outward Bound and Boys & Girls Clubs of America support children and families.

• Carter's launched its first major brand refresh since 2000, including a new logo, visual identity, and brand commitment: 'to let every child's light shine.'
• The 'Watch Them Glow' campaign launched on September 16, 2026, with a 60-second spot airing on CTV platforms like Nexxen, Roku, Disney+, and Hulu.
• The new logo replaces the apostrophe in 'Carter's' with a shooting star.

Global Beauty Ingredient Trends 2026

Mintel added a new featured research report: Global Beauty Ingredient Trends 2026 (Beauty and Personal Care).