Get your kicks in 2026… top marketers have their say

With the Christmas break now a distant memory for most, the first few weeks of 2026 have thrown up more concerns around economic uncertainty and the ongoing cost of living crisis, with the IPA Bellwether Report adding to industry fears over adspend and growth.

With this in mind, Decision Marketing quizzes industry experts to gauge what they believe brands should be focusing on in the next 12 months.

For Lippincott partner Shaye Roseman, “credibility” must be at the top of everyone’s agenda. She explains: “As the flood of AI slop and misinformation grows ever more overwhelming, in 2026 consumers will increasingly crave trusted brands, quality content, and sources of credible information.

“In a departure from the economy of novelty that’s dominated recent years, tomorrow’s trust premium will go to reliable signals and proven sources; authenticity will stand out against the background noise.”

However, Elmwood chief executive Daniel Binns, has a slightly different take. He says: “As CMOs demand greater transparency and measurable ROI in an AI-driven era, agencies will win briefs and budgets in 2026 by charging on the value they create. Those that define clear metrics and avoid vague benchmarks in pitches will be the ones that succeed.

“Moreover, after many years of focus on performance marketing, I believe 2026 will see the return of brand building. Brand leaders are viewing brand building as essential for driving distinctiveness, embodying clear value propositions, and showcasing creativity to achieve competitive differentiation. The role of brands is shifting from providing functional benefits to fostering emotional relevance and trust.

“Nowhere are these shifts more visible than in pharmaceuticals. Brands must move beyond traditional B2B models and start thinking like consumer brands. Take the rise of GLP-1s or ‘skinny jabs’ which have blurred the line between healthcare and wellness, weakening the historic pharma-to-doctor relationship. Consumer demand now plays a central role, meaning GLP-1 brands need strong direct-to-consumer brand equity to compete.

“Across pharma, brands must answer a key question: ‘how do you support a lifestyle or deliver emotional value?’ Consumers are increasingly acting as CEOs of their own health, making trust and emotional connection critical.”

Even so, Coley Porter Bell chief executive Vicky Bullen reckons 2026 will be all about heritage with bite. She argues: “Nostalgia isn’t cosy – it’s provocative. Bring back rituals, quirks, and characters that are embedded in people’s minds, feel trusted and unexpectedly alive. Brands need to reflect on exactly why people fell in love with them in the first place. Think Cracker Barrel’s rebrand whiplash when getting rid of their more famous asset results in uproar from its fans.

“Brands are increasingly moving towards minimalism and stripped-back assets, and this creates a sea of sameness. Instead, they will need to champion their distinctive assets and their heritage – the things that make up their own unique story and can’t be imitated.”

TBWA\MCR chief executive Fergus McCallum reckons with AI now embedded in brand communications, reshaping how ideas are made, produced and scaled 2026 will see a recalibration. As adoption accelerates, brands are realising that efficiency alone does not create meaning, and that not everything should be improved by automation.

He continues: “From the backlash to Valentino’s AI-generated handbag ads on Instagram to Polaroid’s reminder that ‘AI can’t generate sand between your toes’, audiences are alert to work that feels grounded in human experience rather than generated output – work that offers a more considered, tangible and human form of disruption.

“The challenge for marketers in 2026 will be discernment. Knowing when automation genuinely adds value, and when imperfection, texture and human judgement creates deeper resonance. Used carelessly, AI risks flattening creativity into something efficient but forgettable, optimised for scale rather than feeling.

“Automation and the efficiencies it brings should be embraced, but not at the expense of originality or emotion. In a landscape crowded with polished, generated content, the smartest strategy may simply be to remain unapologetically human.”

Over at Grow, CEO and founder Drew Ungvarsky says that the brands doing the most interesting work in 2026 will be the ones who shift from chasing attention in short bursts to investing in experience platforms that evolve over time and reward repeat engagement.

He continues: “This shift changes not just what brands build, but how they bring value to their audiences. Platforms demand that brands earn attention by creating content and experiences that are worthy of seeking out and returning to.

“AI will also shun the spotlight, supporting these platforms behind the scenes, enabling personalisation and responsiveness. But the real differentiator will be sustained engagement, as brands focus on creating value over time with ever-evolving digital destinations.”

Ungvarsky reckons the distinction between ‘creative thinking’ and ‘technical execution’ will feel increasingly outdated. The strongest ideas will emerge from teams where creativity and technology work side by side, shaping concepts together rather than passing them across silos.

“We’re already seeing a backlash against work where AI is treated as the idea itself, or where technology is bolted on at the end. When teams are fragmented, the work shows. When they’re integrated, the technology disappears, and the experience feels effortless.

“As tools become more powerful and accessible, craft and judgement become the real differentiators. Which means knowing how ideas behave in real systems, and designing accordingly, is going to be so important in the next twelve months.”

DAC Group UK VP managing partner Mike Fantis, meanwhile, believes that the past 12 months have felt like businesses have been waiting and waiting for the downturn to resolve… and are still waiting.

He adds: “While everyone suffered, it felt like the holding companies took the brunt of it and it’s been a horrible year for the big agency groups. Despite market consolidation and layoffs, the quarterly revenues have made for broadly grim reading.

“The big agency groups talk a good game and they are moving in the right direction – I’d expect to see more acquisitions in data next year for instance. However, I’m still not seeing much evidence of joined-up thinking across channels and reach still seems to be their big selling point.

“So, without wishing to sound too partisan, I firmly believe that 2026 could be the year of the indies. As it becomes possible to automate more and more of the marketing function, brands will be able to take more of the day-to-day work in-house. The value they’ll be looking for from agencies will lie in agility, specialism and consultancy around business challenges. And these are the areas where the independent agencies can demonstrably differentiate themselves.”

Fuse head of strategy Tom Wild points to the rise of big brand sports partnerships over the past 12 months. From Louis Vuitton’s expansion into elite sport, Spotify’s deepening partnership with FC Barcelona and Skims partnership with League One Volleyball (LOVB), he insists it 2025 was a year of performance and prestige aligning in deals, and this is just the beginning.

Wild adds: “Brands have woken up to the power of entertainment and the sports market. The Super Bowl has long been the event that combines sport and mainstream entertainment, but next year sees the first halftime show for the World Cup. It’s a turn that brings opportunity for any brands looking to emulate the success of the Super Bowl, with more eyes than ever set to tune in, captured either by the sporting prowess or the music icons set to grace the stage.

“In 2026, we’ll also see the growth of the athlete publisher. As creator platforms mature, top athletes are likely to increasingly act as independent content hubs, negotiating brand partnerships directly and bypassing traditional media. The success of the Lionesses this summer has shown the potential of investing in individual athlete brands at scale, and it’s a trend that’s not going to slow down any time soon.”

The final word goes to Trade Desk UK vice-president Phil Duffield, who insists premium media will win the day, with the likes of Disney, Spotify and The Guardian being just a handful of the world’s largest media brands adopting tools to make their inventory more accessible to advertisers.

He explains: “This isn’t happening by chance. It reflects growing demand from brands to appear alongside the best content: from captivating drama series to interpreting the latest news to quality podcasts.”

Duffield cites research conducted by The Trade Desk, in partnership with PA Consulting, which found that premium media outlets are 1.3 times more effective at driving purchase intent than less premium environments, translating to stronger sales for brands. These spaces also create more emotional resonance and trust with audiences, building both engagement and credibility for marketers.

He continues: “Premium media is ultimately where audiences are more engaged and attentive – and investing in them is the most assured way to drive ROI. The marketers who continue to recognise this will be amongst the biggest winners in 2026.”

Duffield also maintains that data and AI will continue to unlock better results. He explains: “What sets our industry apart is the sheer volume of high-quality data that’s available. From retail data to attention metrics, advertisers have a huge amount of insight to inform smart, targeted campaigns across multiple digital channels.

“Layering AI on top of this data further supercharges marketers’ ability to reduce wastage and buy media with precision and impact. Unlike many industries, AI is nothing new in the world of digital advertising. But what has changed is marketers’ awareness and interest in it. This means we’re going to see more marketing teams proactively seek out and adopt tools and products that use AI, helping them to achieve more and often demonstrate the impact of their work more clearly to the boardroom,” Duffield concludes.