TrendLens Live: May 2026, Americas & Middle East

From Brazil's creator-obsessed teens to Turkey's self-improvement focused kids, the Americas and Middle East are telling a fascinating and complex story this quarter.

In this second TrendLens Live webinar, Adam Woodgate unpacks the biggest shifts in kids and family behaviour across seven markets, drawing on the world's largest continuous independent dataset on the family economy. This session includes the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

The big picture

Gen Alpha no longer want to sit back and consume. They want to participate, personalise, interact and express their identity through the things they love. But the motivations behind that participation look very different depending on where you are in the world.

Kids: trending now

Fandom has gone from something kids watch to something they live inside. The strongest IPs are behaving like always-on environments, spanning gaming, creators, social, merchandise and live experiences simultaneously. Adam explores how participation is showing up differently across the Americas and the Middle East, why creator-led entertainment is now competing directly with studio franchises, and how discovery is quietly but significantly shifting from TV-led awareness towards AI-assisted, socially validated exploration.

Spotlight: football and connected IPs

Football isn't just a sport in these markets. It's an always-on cultural language shaping identity, family routine, aspirations and social conversation. Adam unpacks how it operates differently in Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Saudi Arabia, and what that means for sponsorships, partnerships and messaging. He also examines which connected franchises, from Mario to Hello Kitty to Batman, are maintaining continuous cultural presence between releases, and why that matters more than any single launch moment.

TIF Engagement Index

Legacy IP is proving far more resilient than many expect, with heritage franchises finding new cultural entry points through creators, fashion and film. But creator-led entertainment is now competing head-to-head with the biggest studio franchises and, in some markets, winning. Adam shares what the Engagement Index reveals about which IPs are truly embedded, and why emotional familiarity consistently outperforms short-term hype.

Parents' perspective

Parents across all seven markets are redefining what value means, and it goes well beyond price. Purposeful play is becoming the dominant parenting mindset, with families gravitating towards experiences that combine fun with learning, creativity, emotional wellbeing and togetherness. Rather than restricting their kids' digital lives, parents are increasingly focused on managed participation, finding ways to stay involved rather than simply saying no.