There’s no crystal ball in an industry where trends change as quickly as feeds refresh, but that won’t stop me from making predictions.
Here are some trends in the marketing industry what I think will be the biggest to watch for in 2026.
1.) AI, but maybe only in private
If there’s one thing Dan Murphy, SVP of marketing at Liquid Death, expects to see next year on social, it’s “more and more AI slop,” which he would like to reserve the right to engage in if only for parody purposes. “It’s this weird, confusing time where you see something with high production value and you assume a lot of thought has gone into it, but it’s no longer the case,” he said, adding that “the ability to create content has so far outpaced good content” creation.
As generative AI makes it easier to churn out pictures and videos, Manu Orssaud, CMO of Duolingo, said brands should seek to put forth extra effort to stand out. “As audiences become overwhelmed by automated content, attention will shift toward content that feels real and intentional,” he said. “Originality and personality will matter more than ever.”
Craig Brommers, CMO of American Eagle, predicts a return to longer-form storytelling on platforms in response to the rise of AI-generated content, citing the brand’s success on platforms like Substack. “It’s clear that our mostly Gen Z audience is craving deeper understanding, deeper connection, and deeper differentiation,” he told us.
Josh Hackbarth, CMO of MGA Entertainment, said he expects to see AI used to help streamline social teams’ pipelines and identify trends rather than generate actual content. “I definitely see it much more as backend support and maybe some slight tool enhancement as we see it going forward,” he said.
Mae Karwowski, founder and CEO of creator agency Obviously, agreed, saying she views AI as a tool for creating things like FAQ documents rather than generating the next artificial influencer. “The Tilly Norwoods and Lil Miquelas of the world are seen as pretty toxic right now,” she said.
2.) Raise your voice
As brands seek to stand out, not every one can be Nutter Butter, Nicole Weltman, head of social and PR at Taco Bell, told us. In other words, she predicts that the brands that will win online in 2026 are the ones with “ownable and distinctive” voices. “This whole unhinged social media manager, ‘I’m posting this and legal doesn’t know’ thing is really overplayed,” she said. “My biggest prediction is that it’s going to fizzle out and it’s going to create a white space for a new sort of persona.”
George Felix, CMO of Chili’s, agreed with the need for distinction. “The brands that show up with a real voice rooted in who they are will continue to win,” he said, adding that doing so “requires experts in the space that use instinct and speed” and are allowed to take risks. “When you do that well,” he said, “fans feel it and they respond.”
Getting there may require some world-building, whether it’s with creator partners, episodic content, or other forms of ownable IP. Tony Wood, SVP and head of USA social marketing and strategy at Dentsu Creative, who works with clients like Nutter Butter, told us that “winning brands will take more liberties that deviate from ‘best practices’ to give depth to a persona, language, or cast of characters that originates from outside the walls of the advertising team.”
3.) Quality over quantity
There’s a time and a place for certain content, Andy Rebhun, CMO and chief brand officer at Cava, told us. He pointed to the brand’s Bowlmates reality dating series, which was tailored strictly to Instagram and TikTok, as a success story in specificity. “Brands that win next year will understand how to work in tandem synergistically with social media algorithms versus fighting them,” he said. “On platforms like TikTok, where the FYP reigns supreme for content amplification, brands that learn how to drive net-new viewers to their social ecosystem will be poised for success.”
Understanding a platform also means working with it more organically, Wood said. He predicts that the best brands on social will view platforms as places for spontaneous participation, insight mining, and inspiration for IRL events, rather than just a place to post. “If you are allowing content calendars to dictate the strategy, you’re likely making just for the sake of making,” he said.
4.) Taking it offline
Hackbarth predicts that social and experiential marketing will become more intertwined in 2026 given the surge of branded events and the growing popularity of large-scale events like music festivals. “People are hungrier than ever to crave IRL things, and so how do we capture that?” he said. “That noise and excitement is coming a lot more from physical than it is from digital.”
Sophie Crowther, global talent partnerships director at creator agency Billion Dollar Boy, said she expects IRL events to only grow more next year as brands and creators alike discover the potential to connect deeper with target audiences and create content at everything from podcast tapings to book clubs. “There’s a lot of doomscrolling happening,” she said. “The world is a complicated place right now, and what we all need is more connection.”
Newer, deeper creator partnerships
Lily Comba, founder and CEO of creator agency Superbloom, said she expects 2026 to be the year that more “mega-creators” with tens of millions of followers will emerge, bringing with them a new norm of accepting only a few, long-term brand partners. She also expects to see brands invest more deeply in influencer partnerships, whether it’s launching co-branded products or giving creators a role at the company, like financial creator Vivian Tu (aka Your Rich BFF), who is now SoFi’s chief of financial empowerment. “It’s really just this idea of treating influencers like humans,” she said. “They have more value than putting a link on an Instagram story.”
Even as mega-creators enter the mix, there will still be a place for smaller creators, especially as Gen Alpha becomes more of a marketing target, Chris Brandt, president and chief brand officer of Chipotle, told us. When Gen Alpha creator Lola Winters shared her Chipotle order on TikTok, the brand responded to fans’ requests to add it in the app, and The Lola Bowl became one of Chipotle’s highest-selling pre-set entrées ever. “Using small- to mid-sized creators that authentically connect to your brand and their audiences,” he said, “often can generate stronger creative and higher returns than going with higher-profile influencers that may not have as great an affinity for your brand.”
Among smaller creators, Karwowski said she sees the B2B space becoming more popular in the new year, particularly if tech continues to drive the economy. In the meantime, as many brands deal with economic uncertainty, Megan Vasquez, director of creator strategy and strategic marketing at creator management platform Grin, said she expects affiliate to continue growing in popularity and become the default payment structure in 2026.
“Brands are tightening their belts,” she said. “Marketers are having to get really creative in the ways that they show success.”
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