Across the year, the WFA team has been doing what it does best: getting into conversations with the people shaping modern marketing.
Those discussions have stretched from CMOs to policy leaders, from insight specialists to sourcing experts, and from regulators to pressure groups – drawing on a global network of marketers and events.
A year ahead defined by “now” decisions with “next” consequences
When those viewpoints are taken together, a clear picture emerges of what could define the year ahead.
The big themes are less about shiny new tactics and more about how organisations operate: how they use Artificial Intelligence, how they earn trust, how they manage scrutiny, and how marketing leaders balance short-term delivery with long-term value.
1. Generative AI moves from efficiency to effectiveness
In 2025, almost every WFA member reported using Generative AI in marketing, with 70% prioritising it mainly to drive efficiencies – automation and cost-saving – rather than effectiveness.
In 2026, the WFA expects that to change materially, with more brands experimenting with GenAI as a growth lever and demanding measurable improvements in outcomes, not just quicker processes behind the scenes.
2. Organisational transformation becomes the new normal
At Forum Connect events in Singapore, Amsterdam and New York, almost all attendees reportedly said they were already mid-transformation, often driven by emerging technologies like AI – an intensity of reorganisation the WFA describes as unparalleled.
The outlook for 2026 is that marketing organisations won’t just react to this pace; they will proactively redefine operating models through agile working, cross-functional AI upskilling, and the introduction of new roles designed to harness accelerating technological change.
3. Change management and AI fluency become core capabilities
As AI and broader digital transformation reshape the discipline, organisations are already shifting recruitment and training priorities toward adaptability, systems thinking, and hands-on experimentation with AI tools.
The WFA’s view is that 2026 will see an increased emphasis on “AI coaches” and mentorship models inside marketing functions, with ongoing capability development becoming a continuous process – without letting this come at the expense of marketing fundamentals, which remain as important as ever.
4. Influencer marketing enters the regulatory mainstream
WFA research indicates that more than half of brands expect to increase investment in influencer marketing in the coming years, but the growth story is now running into a tougher regulatory reality.
China is described as the first major market to require influencers to hold verified professional credentials before discussing complex topics such as finance, law, medicine or education, and the EU is expected to introduce more comprehensive rules – pushing influencer activity firmly into the regulatory mainstream.
In response, the call to action for marketers is clear: stronger global standards and tighter governance won’t be optional if brands want to scale influencer work safely.
5. AI transparency becomes non-negotiable
A major pressure point is rising around disclosure and accountability, with regulators across the world beginning to hard-wire AI transparency into law. The WFA notes that the EU, China and five US states already have measures in place – or due to come into force – requiring disclosures for AI-generated and enhanced content as well as AI-assisted services.
The prediction for 2026 is that brands will need to define what responsible AI disclosures look like in practice, not only to stay compliant, but to protect brand equity amid increasing scepticism about AI.
6. Marketing evolves from resourcing to organisational architecture
The shift the WFA is flagging is cultural as much as operational: “none of us is as good as all of us.” In 2026, more brands are expected to focus on balancing internal and external talent, people and technology, and deliberately playing to each other’s strengths.
As AI increases the ability to work faster and smarter, the competitive edge is predicted to come from building “augmented” partnerships – where human creativity and machine intelligence work together in a fluid, integrated ecosystem, moving beyond pilots and into end-to-end collaboration that consistently beats ownership.
7. Short-term and long-term objectives blur into one agenda
Marketing’s core value, as framed here, remains the ability to understand customers better than anyone else – and use creativity to turn that understanding into action that drives brand and business growth.
The WFA expects that in 2026 more leaders will recognise that short- and long-term goals can’t be managed in separate buckets; they must operate together to deliver real outcomes.
This puts the CMO in a tricky but powerful position: delivering the near-term results CEOs monitor closely while also championing long-term building – infusing creativity across product design, team structures and organisational problem-solving.
8. Retail Media grows up, gets complicated, and becomes “Commerce Media”
Retail Media has surged as advertisers use high-quality retail environments and first-party data to convert high-intent consumers. But the WFA expects the space to become more complex and effectively be rebranded as Commerce Media, with a key split emerging in 2026.
On one side, some retailers may pursue high-volume open exchanges, prioritising inventory monetisation over targeting quality; on the other, some will retain curated marketplaces with strict standards.
The former is expected to invite non-endemic advertisers into the auction dynamics, potentially disrupting established retail media strategies – meaning advertisers will need more sophisticated approaches to decide which environments can still deliver the returns they’re targeting.
9. Insights hits a turning point: from knowledge to growth
In insights, the predicted pivot is subtle but important: the use of GenAI shifts from simply being faster to being better. In 2026, impact is expected to be measured through business growth, innovation success, and time unlocked for strategic thinking rather than throughput alone.
The WFA’s view is that client-side insights teams will need to move beyond pilot fatigue and invest in purposeful upskilling – embedding critical thinking, strategic storytelling and hands-on AI practice – while mastering knowledge curation to surface and scale what the business already knows, turning internal expertise into a genuine competitive advantage.
10. A turning point for food and alcohol marketing restrictions
Food and alcohol advertisers are described as heading into continued – and potentially accelerated – regulatory scrutiny in 2026. As the WHO and others refine the definition of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), policymakers may be encouraged to pursue targeted, and in some markets sweeping, marketing restrictions linked to those criteria.
Alongside that, the EU’s review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive is expected to be pivotal, signalling whether regulators continue to back self-regulation or move toward statutory control.
The WFA’s message is that advertisers will need to demonstrate credible, independently verified reductions in exposure of vulnerable groups to inappropriate content – or risk broader prohibitions that reshape how entire categories are allowed to market.
Conclusion: 2026 looks less like a trend cycle, more like a reset
Taken together, the WFA’s outlook suggests 2026 won’t be defined by one channel, one platform, or one technology. Instead, it points to a year where operating models, accountability and trust become competitive advantages – and where AI’s real test shifts from novelty and efficiency to effectiveness and responsibility.
With influencer marketing moving deeper into regulatory oversight, AI transparency becoming a practical requirement, commerce media fragmenting into different quality tiers, and insights teams being pushed to prove growth impact, marketing leaders may find the biggest “trend” is the need to redesign how marketing works end-to-end.
The organisations that treat this as a deliberate rebuild – rather than an endless reaction – are likely to be the ones best positioned for whatever comes next.
