The inaugural Contagious Brands Report 2026 has spotlighted 45 brands from around the world that it identifies as creative, disruptive and innovative, with Nigeria’s Hello Tractor featuring among companies challenging established ideas about products, communities, technology and brand experiences.
Published by global marketing and creative intelligence platform Contagious on September 28, the report brings together brands ranging from startups to multinational companies and examines how they are responding to changing consumer behaviour, media fragmentation, artificial intelligence, the creator economy and the growing importance of communities.
Also read:Airtel money secures £1.96 IPO price, values firm £5.3bn
Rather than presenting a conventional first-to-last ranking, Contagious has organised its selection into nine areas that reflect different opportunities facing marketers in 2026.
They are Destination Designers, Everyday Magic Makers, Product Innovators, Creator Makers, Gen Z Magnets, Worldbuilders, AI Pioneers, Community Builders and Value Champions.
Sunil Bajaj, Lead Brand Analyst at Contagious, said the brands share a shift away from simply manufacturing products or providing services towards creating experiences that attract attention and bring people together.
“What unites many of these diverse brands is that they have found success by moving away from simply manufacturing products or providing services,” Bajaj said. “Instead, they’re creating experiences that surprise and delight.”
The report’s Destination Designers category examines brands rethinking physical retail and turning stores into experiences rather than conventional points of sale.
Japan’s Kura Sushi is highlighted for transforming conveyor-belt dining into a gamified experience, while Dick’s Sporting Goods in the United States has developed retail spaces around athletic experiences.
South Korea’s Gentle Monster has turned more than 80 stores into art gallery-style environments, while Games Workshop has positioned its stores as community hubs.
China’s Miniso Land, meanwhile, has developed 26 theme park-style stores.
The Everyday Magic Makers section focuses on brands operating in familiar categories but using design, science, personality and storytelling to make them more distinctive.
The selection includes Scrub Daddy, whose recognisable smiley-faced sponge has become a content asset; Bustanica in the United Arab Emirates, described by Contagious as the world’s largest indoor vertical farm; US tinned-fish brand Fishwife; Brazil’s Bold protein bars; Dr Squatch in men’s grooming; and Japan’s Kurand, which has used experiences to introduce sake to younger consumers.
In Product Innovators, Contagious turns its attention to companies challenging assumptions about what products in their categories should look like or do.
India’s Ather Energy is recognised for its proprietary electric scooter technology, while SharkNinja is highlighted for launching numerous lifestyle products using premium technology at comparatively lower prices.
Belgian earplug brand Loop, US acne-care brand Starface, Finland’s Oura and UK energy company Octopus Energy complete the category.
The Creator Makers category reflects another significant shift in modern brand communication: companies are increasingly turning employees, customers and everyday users into visible participants in their marketing.
Starbucks is highlighted for its Green Apron Creators programme, which gives baristas opportunities to become brand creators.
India’s Nykaa uses young consumers as brand ambassadors, while UK electronics retailer Currys has made employees a central part of its social media presence. Grillo’s Pickles, meanwhile, uses college students as campus representatives.
For brands attempting to connect with younger consumers, the Gen Z Magnets category includes South Africa’s Bathu, which combines African identity with an initiative addressing youth unemployment; US brands BuzzBallz and Poppi; South Korea’s Buldak; and China’s Luckin Coffee.
The report also explores the idea of brands becoming larger cultural worlds through its Worldbuilders category.
US sunscreen brand Vacation is recognised for its retro-styled universe, while British plush-toy company Jellycat has expanded its appeal beyond children.
Finnish game Clash of Clans is highlighted for taking elements of its virtual world into real-world entertainment, while China’s Mixue Ice Cream has turned its Snow King mascot into a viral cultural character.
US sports company Fanatics is also featured for developing a wider sports ecosystem around its customer base.
Artificial intelligence receives its own category, with AI Pioneers highlighting three developments Contagious considers worth watching.
UAE-based Xpanceo is developing smart contact lenses designed to project digital information into a user’s field of vision.
Uruguay’s Zapia is presented as an AI personal assistant built specifically for Latin American users, while US-based Runway is highlighted for its role in AI-powered video creation.
The Community Builders category is particularly significant for Nigeria because it includes Hello Tractor, the country’s sole representative in the 45-brand selection.
Hello Tractor is a Nigerian B2B agricultural technology company whose app-based service connects farmers with tractor owners, helping farmers access mechanisation without necessarily owning agricultural machinery themselves.
Contagious places the company alongside GTA Online, Substack, Brazil’s Hubla, New Zealand’s Letterboxd and Mexico’s Tecate as examples of brands building communities around services, interests, platforms and shared passions.
The inclusion gives the report an African dimension beyond the more heavily represented markets in North America, Europe and Asia.
A Brazilian industry report also noted that Nigeria was among a group of countries represented by a single brand, alongside Belgium, South Africa, Uruguay, France, Lithuania and Argentina.
The final category, Value Champions, considers how brands are responding to an environment in which inflation and living costs have made price and perceived value increasingly important to consumers.
French refurbished-electronics marketplace Back Market, Lithuanian second-hand fashion platform Vinted, New Zealand telecommunications company Skinny, Mexican food-waste platform Cheaf and Argentina-based Mercado Libre make up the category.
Their approaches range from refurbished products and resale to affordable telecommunications, surplus-food redistribution and more engaging discount strategies.
Across the nine categories, the report reflects a broader change in how Contagious views brand growth.
Its selection suggests that creativity is increasingly being expressed through product design, physical spaces, technology, community participation and customer experiences, rather than through advertising campaigns alone.
That thinking also aligns with Contagious’ wider 2026 research.
Its Contagious Radar 2026 identifies six major cultural and technology tensions affecting marketers, including attention, nostalgia, loneliness and connection, social media, personal optimisation and declining optimism about the future.
The 45-brand report therefore provides a snapshot of different ways companies are responding to those pressures.
Some are turning stores into destinations, others are building communities, while others are using artificial intelligence, creators, product innovation or value propositions to differentiate themselves.
For African marketers, the presence of Hello Tractor provides a notable local example within that global conversation.
Its inclusion under Community Builders places an African agricultural technology model alongside international consumer platforms and entertainment brands, highlighting how community-oriented digital services can become part of a wider brand strategy.
Also read:Airtel money secures £1.96 IPO price, values firm £5.3bn
Contagious has made the full Contagious Brands Report 2026 available as a free report, with further details explaining why each selected brand was included.
