Well, Marketers, we made it through the whiplash that was 2025.

Congratulations to all of us for weathering a total shift in consumer behaviour, channel performance, creative production, and even the definition of “value”.

What will 2026 hold? No one knows for sure, but here are nine emerging trends that marketing leaders should be preparing for now.

1. Offline Is Back. And It’s Suddenly Strategic Again

After a decade of digital dominance, audiences are actively seeking real-world experiences. Events are sold out, trade shows are thriving, print is rebounding, and physical interactions feel fresh again.

The takeaway: experiential is no longer a “nice to have.” Marketers should reimagine offline channels as fuel for online engagement – designing moments worth capturing, sharing, and amplifying.

2. Consumers Are Rewriting the Value Equation

Economic sentiment used to predict spending. Not anymore. Today’s consumers strategically trade down in some areas, so they can indulge elsewhere. Value is now deeply personal; less about price and more about what feels worth it to the individual.

Brands that win will articulate meaning, not just benefits: showing how they can solve real problems, support aspirations, and simplify decisions across every channel.

3. The New Risk Isn’t Missing Out; It’s Blending In

AI has democratized good-enough content. The result is a sea of sameness. Marketing leaders must double down on differentiation. Sharpen that brand positioning, codify your voice, and own a point of view that no algorithm can replicate.

Your brand needs a personality that’s recognizable without a logo.

4. Video Production Has Been Completely Disrupted

AI-enabled video tools have erased production barriers. Small teams now create content that rivals major brand outputs. Production value alone can no longer be your competitive edge.

Future-focused marketing leaders will invest in experimentation: expanding volume, testing creative agility, and building workflows that move at the speed of culture.

5. Your Existing Assets Are Your Biggest Untapped Advantage

The era of expensive “net-new everything” is over. AI now makes it possible to regenerate, localize, animate, and contextualize existing assets at scale.

Leaders who embrace asset reinvention will cut costs, accelerate creative cycles, and keep content fresh without expanding budgets.

6. AI Can’t Replace Trust. And Consumers Are Noticing

Even as AI becomes mainstream, trust remains fragile. People question authenticity, sources, and curation. AI-generated creative can impress, but you can’t expect to press a button and produce something that automatically resonates emotionally.

The winning formula: use AI for what it excels at – personalization, testing, volume – while keeping human creativity at the core of storytelling, relevance, and connection.

7. B2B E-Commerce Is Entering Its Next Growth Sprint

Enterprise and mid-market brands are accelerating investments in B2B e-commerce, driven by rising expectations for “Amazon-like” buying experiences.

Marketing leaders must focus on foundational technology that supports scale, integrates cleanly, and sets the organization up for future innovation – before layering on additional platforms and capabilities.

8. Retail Media Networks Demand Smarter Investments

Retail media continues to explode, giving brands direct access to high-intent audiences and rich first-party data. But fragmentation is now the biggest barrier to performance.

Successful brands will be selective, choosing the right networks, aligning to category and geographic relevance, and pairing retail media with broader brand-building strategies to power the full funnel.

9. AI-Native Browsers Will Reshape Search Visibility

Search is shifting from keywords to context. AI-first browsers are rewriting how information is found, ranked, and recommended. Authority, expertise and clarity of voice matter more than ever.

Marketing leaders should be auditing their content through a new lens, ensuring it communicates expertise, stands out from AI-generated noise, and reflects a distinctive, recognizable brand point of view.

The Bottom Line for 2026

The brands that stick the landing will be the ones that balance innovation with intention. They’ll pair human creativity with AI scale. They’ll show up offline in ways that spark online momentum. They’ll build trust, personality, value and differentiation in a world where automation makes everything feel the same.

Most importantly? They’ll start moving now, not later.

9 Big Marketing Trends for 2026

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