Our team spends the entire year strategizing, developing, writing, designing, and capturing video. They’re also constantly researching, chasing their curiosity down every rabbit hole across marketing. So, we asked each department what they see for the year ahead. What follows is a distillation of their thoughts—emerging ideas that will stay fresh throughout the year. These insights will drive many parts of marketing in 2026. Follow along.
AI & INNOVATION: It’s Time to Stop Playing Around
2025 was the year of AI experimentation. Most people were playing around. 2026 will be the year for implementation, team-wide training, and actual USAGE of AI platforms for better business.
AI Slop is everywhere, fatigue is growing, and pushback is strengthening. It’s time to start leveraging AI for more practical purposes. Intentional AI usage will become even more important as it increases in price. Each prompt technically “costs” server power, and as concerns increase regarding water waste and energy usage, AI companies will start monetizing/de-incentivizing this exploration.
If you’re not using AI intentionally in 2026, you’re wasting time and money.
Also, expect ads on AI platforms. OpenAI just announced plans to start testing ads inside ChatGPT, and that will only be the beginning.
DESIGN: Starting From Sketch
AI-generated images and graphics are EVERYWHERE. That’s why “authentic imperfection” in design will be more important than ever in 2026. Graphically, we’re talking hand-drawn type, illustrative elements, visible brush strokes, and pencil grain. As for photography? Candid is key: capturing real, unscripted moments. These details quietly communicate something powerful: a real person made this.
AI has been and will continue to be a valuable asset in creative work, but it is the human element that transforms AI from a generator into a true tool. We’re already seeing this in the new AI features released this past fall as part of the Adobe Creative Suite.
Original artwork matters, often beginning with pencil and paper. Imperfect, intentional details convey the qualities that slash through the slop and make designs connect with people.
DIGITAL: AI Everywhere
Move over, search engine optimization (SEO); AI search optimization has entered the chat. Whether you call it GEO or AEO, view this as a transition from what we’ve known about SEO: organizations will need to adjust their content and messaging to provide answers that fit the conversational way people ask questions of LLMs. Ranking #1 isn’t necessarily the goal anymore; it’s providing the answer AI chooses to cite. Think of it as a bit of a rebrand for SEO.
AI will also become more refined and specialized, as custom AI agents handle specific tasks like reporting, analysis, and website scraping.
And remember: expect to see paid ads on AI platforms. Enshittification is beginning.
MESSAGING: Copy Becomes Conversational
“Write like you talk” is not a new directive, but its status as a throwaway platitude is over. We’ll need to write dialogue to cut through the clutter in 2026. That means varying sentence lengths, unconventional structure, and atmospheric writing. Not everything needs to be polished, but it needs to have a point.
While others spiral worrying about whether they used too many em dashes or Power of 3 segments in their writing, the winners will focus on messaging that entertains and acknowledges as much as it informs (with as many em dashes as necessary). We’re moving beyond storytelling; it’s time for scene-setting.
STRATEGY: The (Bigger) Shift from “Earned Media” to “Owned Media”
Businesses and non-profits are shifting their public relations strategy from earned media (stories produced by media outlets) to owned media: self-produced stories through avenues such as videos (YouTube, TikTok, Reels, etc.), blogs (not dead yet!), podcasts, and self-publishing outlets.
With this shift, the C-suite is coming back around to the value of good messaging:
A Wall Street Journal article reported that third quarter earnings calls had a sharp uptick of 359x over last year in the number of mentions of the words “storytellers” and “storytelling.”
This development pushes companies and organizations to take control of their own narrative.
VIDEO: Know What to Use (and How to Use It)
The video world loves new tech: equipment, software, effects. We’re talking a level of craze bordering on mania. And yes, AI is becoming a huge part of the stack. Agencies and brands of all sizes are using it to create.
But in the rush to chase trends, the best skill is knowing which tech to leverage to get the best result. Make a mistake and you’ve wasted hours, money, and equipment. Expert cinematographers will view AI and other tech as ingredients—not the base—for creative work.
Those cinematographers and producers will curate exactly what’s needed based on client goals and platform. The best work will appear polished when it’s called for, unpolished when it makes sense. But it will always be perfect for the moment. That’s because the best creators will feel the work, letting human emotions and behavior drive their decisions, not shiny new tech.
WEB: Accessibility is a Non-Negotiable
2026 is when web accessibility becomes even more than a need-to-have. It’s now an absolutely-must-have-or-face-critical-consequences. Its importance can’t be overstated—not just for user experience but also for AI agents scanning page content.
And think beyond ARIA labels and alt text: clear language free of jargon, less animation and javascript, and sensible content organization that prioritizes what matters. You need to guide people through every page to bolster website performance. Because without it, your SEO and GEO will suffer.
Also, don’t be surprised to see those AI agents connecting to or replacing traditional online forms in the year ahead.
