How 2026 Will Change Marketing Forever

Looking Forward with Intention

Change has always been an integral part of marketing. Even without radical technological shifts, marketing simply can’t work if you allow it to grow stale. But now as new platforms emerge, technologies are born and mature more rapidly than ever, and consumer behaviors shift, it can feel like we’re constantly reinventing ourselves. Change used to happen quietly over time, but more often today, you wake up one morning and find the industry experienced a metamorphosis overnight.

As we head into 2026, what feels different isn’t just the pace of change, but the volume of it. AI, automation, evolving agency models, and increasingly fragmented audiences are forcing organizations to rethink not just how they market, but how they partner, plan, and prioritize.

And yet, our focus remains the same: smart strategy, meaningful partnerships, and work that drives real impact. Tools will change. Job titles will change. Even the language we use to describe our work will change. But progress doesn’t come from chasing novelty. It requires intentional decisions rooted in clarity, insight, and a deep understanding of what actually moves the needle.

Looking ahead, there are a few shifts we’re paying especially close attention to — not just to monitor their effects, but to see how we can use them in shaping more efficient, more effective programs that bring value to our clients.

Marketing in the Age of AI

It’s time to stop talking about AI in the future tense. It’s already embedded in how marketing teams operate, from content generation and media buying to personalization, analytics, and optimization. Here, what someone thinks about when prompted (see what I did there?) with the term AI (large language models, image generators) is only part of the story. AI is also deeply connected to the less “sexy” parts of marketing. The question isn’t whether it belongs, but how it’s used and to what end.

At its best, AI removes friction. It accelerates processes that once took days, surfaces patterns humans might miss, and frees teams to focus on higher-value thinking. At its worst, it creates noise: higher content quantity without quality, more activity without purpose.

What we’re seeing here is that the differentiator isn’t the technology — it’s judgment. Human insight still matters most where context, nuance, and intent are required. AI can generate ideas, but it can’t determine which ideas align with a brand’s values. It can optimize performance, but it can’t define what success should look like. It can help personalize messages for specific audiences, but it can’t decide what’s worth saying in the first place.

It’s important to remember that even the best AI tool is limited by its nature. It has knowledge, but it cannot have experience. As such, it can never truly understand what motivates a particular person or group of people. Much of a brand’s institutional knowledge comes from things unknowable to AI: the in-person conversation you had with a customer, the observation you made at a trade show, and everything else that becomes your experiential background.

The brands seeing the most value from AI aren’t replacing human creativity or understanding; they’re amplifying it. They’re using intelligence to inform decisions, not outsource them. As AI continues to evolve, the opportunity lies in striking the right balance: leveraging automation where it adds speed and precision, while doubling down on strategic thinking where it adds meaning.

The AOR Is Dead. Long Live the AOR.

For decades, the Agency of Record model defined how brands and agencies worked together. Everything was handled entirely under one roof.

Today, specialization has exploded as brands need expertise across channels, platforms, technologies, and disciplines that didn’t exist a decade ago. But that doesn’t mean that having a long-term partner who knows your business inside and out is any less valuable. In fact, we’d argue it’s more critical than ever.

The underlying need the AOR once served hasn’t gone away. Brands still want partners who understand their business and customers deeply, anticipate needs, and operate as an extension of their internal team. What’s changing isn’t the desire for long-term relationships, merely the structure of them.

Modern AORs look less like vendors and more like embedded collaborators. Sometimes, this includes agency employees physically located in clients’ offices, working hand-in-hand with internal marketing departments. Even within virtual environments, modern AORs interact with clients with a level of immediacy that would not have been expected just a few years ago. They’re agile, integrated, and flexible. They know when to lead, when to support, and when to bring in specialized partners — with a rolodex of experts ready to call.

In this model, trust and proximity (either physically or digitally) matter more than ever before. The strongest partnerships are built on shared goals, transparency, and a willingness to evolve together.

The most important thing for us at Devise is that no matter the engagement, deliverable, or people working on it, we remain accountable for the work. There may be many talented individuals in the kitchen, but there’s one chef.

Marketing Is Changing … and Staying the Same

It’s easy — and perhaps more entertaining — to talk about what’s new. But while all the changes happening in marketing are important, they do not erase the fundamentals of what makes this business tick.

At its core, marketing is still about understanding an audience, identifying a meaningful opportunity, and communicating concisely and consistently. Relevance and clarity will always matter, and success will always be defined by results.

What has changed is the environment in which those fundamentals are applied. Audiences are more fragmented, attention is harder to earn, and measurement — while amplified by increasingly sophisticated tools — is much more complex. That reality puts pressure on marketers to be both more strategic and more disciplined.

New tools don’t replace the need for strong positioning. Nor do new channels eliminate the importance of a compelling message. And all these wonderful new metrics we have access to don’t matter if they aren’t tied to clearly-defined business objectives. This is why we always hesitate to chase trends for the sake of being trendy. Actual success comes from using new capabilities to reinforce timeless principles.

As marketing continues to evolve, the challenge is resisting the false choice between innovation and consistency. The best work lives at the intersection, embracing change while staying grounded in what works.

The Year Ahead

As we move forward, the path isn’t about predicting every shift or adopting every new tool. It’s about being intentional. That means choosing technology with purpose, building partnerships that go beyond transactions, and staying anchored in the fundamentals that have always driven meaningful growth. It means asking better questions, not just faster ones.

And it means remembering that while the industry will continue to change, the goal remains the same: producing work that delivers real value for brands and the people they serve.