Brussels / Leuven, March 12, 2026 – The Best Brands Awards celebrated their 11th edition tonight at Docks Dome in Brussels, where Belgium’s favorite brands were revealed during a gala event attended by leading professionals from the business, advertising, and media sectors. Organized by Serviceplan Group and NielsenIQ, this edition marked eleven years of honoring the brands most cherished by Belgian consumers.
Launched in Munich in 2004 by Serviceplan and GfK – an NIQ Company, the Best Brands Awards have become a trusted barometer of brand performance across Europe. Unlike other awards, the winners are determined solely by consumers. In Belgium, brands are evaluated based on two key criteria: Share of Wallet (economic success) and Share of Soul (emotional connection).
For this 11th edition, more than 4,000 Belgian consumers were surveyed, evaluating over 271 brands across 20 categories, including several new additions such as Best Sport & Energy Drinks Brand, Best E-Bike Brand, Best Frozen Dessert Brand, and this year’s special category, Best Experience Brand.
WINNERS OF THE 11TH BEST BRANDS AWARDS
The gala event unveiled the winners across all categories:
- Best Automotive Brand → BMW
- Best Coffee Brand (NEW) → Douwe Egberts
- Best Cookie Brand (NEW) → Lotus
- Best Dairy Food Brand → Brugge Kaas
- Best E-Bike Brand (NEW) → Gazelle
- Best Food Preparation Brand (NEW) → Philips
- Best Frozen Dessert Brand (NEW) → Magnum
- Best Personal Care Products Brand (NEW) → Nivea
- Best Home Comfort Brand → Mr. Proper
- Best Garden Care Brand (NEW) → DCM
- Best IT Peripheral Brand (NEW) → Samsung
- Best Large Household Appliances Brand → Miele
- Best Personal Care Appliances Brand (NEW) → Philips
- Best Powered Gardening Brand (NEW) → Bosch
- Best Retail DIY & Garden Brand → Hubo
- Best Retail Electro Brand → Bol.com
- Best Retail FMCG Brand → Colruyt
- Best Screen Technology (TV) Brand (NEW) → Samsung
- Best Spreads, Sauces & Condiments Brand (NEW) → Devos Lemmens
- Best Sport & Energy Drink Brand (NEW) → Red Bull
- Best Experience Brand (SPECIAL) → Samsung
- Best Overall Brand → Samsung
HUMAN + AI IS THE NEW BRAND POWER
The brands celebrated at Best Brands 2026 demonstrate how technology can amplify human imagination rather than replace it. They leverage artificial intelligence to unlock deeper consumer understanding, drive relevance, and accelerate innovation while staying true to their values, purpose, and emotional connection with people.
In an increasingly complex and automated world, these brands stand out by remaining authentic, meaningful, and human-centric. They build trust through transparency, relevance through data, and loyalty through emotion. They don’t merely adapt to change, they shape it.
“The future of branding is not about choosing between human intelligence and artificial intelligence. It’s about combining them. The strongest brands are those that use technology to enhance creativity, deepen relationships, and stay true to what makes them human.” Peter Vande Graveele, Managing Partner, Serviceplan Group Belux
The Best Brands Awards 2026 honour the pioneers who prove that lasting brand power is created where human imagination meets machine intelligence, a new balance that drives growth, relevance, and long-term success.
Because in a world of endless choices, brands that unite Human + AI don’t just perform better, they matter more.
“For brands, AI is not a shortcut, it’s a multiplier. When powered by accurate data and human expertise, it transforms decisionmaking from reactive to predictive. That’s where the next wave of brand growth will come from.” Ralph de Greef, Managing Director Benelux, NielsenIQ
SPECIAL CATEGORY: BEST EXPERIENCE BRAND
This year, the Best Experience Brand Award was introduced as a special category, celebrating brands that create truly unforgettable experiences.
Recognising excellence across both digital and physical touchpoints, this award honours brands that successfully engage consumers by delivering meaningful, immersive, and memorable moments throughout 2025.
Samsung was named the winner of the Best Experience Brand category, standing out for its ability to seamlessly connect innovation, technology, and human-centric experiences across digital and analog spaces.
DOUBLE VICTORY FOR PHILIPS AND FOUR VICTORIES FOR SAMSUNG
Philips and Samsung emerged as the standout winners of this year’s Best Brands Awards. Philips achieved an impressive double victory, being crowned Best Food Preparation Brand and Best Personal Care Appliances Brand. This recognition highlights the brand’s ability to combine innovation, quality, and everyday relevance, earning the trust and preference of Belgian consumers.
Samsung dominated the rankings with an exceptional four awards, winning Best IT Peripheral Brand, Best Screen Technology (TV) Brand, as well as the special category Best Experience Brand, and ultimately taking home the most prestigious title of all: Best Overall Brand. These achievements reflect Samsung’s leadership in technology, its strong emotional connection with consumers, and its ability to create meaningful brand experiences across all touchpoints.
Discover all winners on our results website HERE.
Find more info on the Best Brands Awards HERE on the Best Brands website.
Contact Serviceplan Group Belux
Cassandra Tsigros, Marketing Manager, c.tsigros@house-of-communication.com, +32
(0)474 370 371.
Contact NielsenIQ
Tamara de Lange, Marketing Manager Benelux, tamara.delange@nielseniq.com, +31 6
38 555 449
About Serviceplan Group
At our Houses of Communication, we combine Strategy & Consulting, Creative & Content, Media & Data and Platform & Technology solutions – services tailored to your individual communication needs. Our vision & Mission – Building Best Brands Best Brands are not only commercially successful, but also spark strong emotions. These outstanding brands remain etched on the memory of the consumers as something that is innovative and positive. Transforming your brand into a Best Brand – it’s what our 6,500+ people across the globe work in a variety of specialized agencies of our Serviceplan Group.
About NIQ
NielsenIQ (NIQ) is a leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. Our global reach spans over 90 countries covering approximately 85% of the
world’s population and more than $7.2 trillion in global consumer spend. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights — delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms — NIQ delivers the Full View™. For more
information, please visit www.nielseniq.com
