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Agencies see the winners in 2026 will be those growing the link between human ingenuity and machine, and those taking the plunge into creative bravery.
The year will also be when “creative strategists” replace traditional media buying and a further squeezing of brand budgets.
Sam Boardman, director at social-led growth agency Vonnimedia, says 2026 is going to be the year that we see fast, high performing agencies absolutely take off - powered by AI.
“In addition, with AI ramping up, content volume is going to get democratised, so leaning into brand stories will become the key differentiator for 2026,” says Boardman.
“We are also betting on Live Shopping happening in Australia, provided the product roadmap rolls out. It's going to be a big step forward in purchase journey experience and it will take a few years for the big players to catch up - and have the budgets to follow suit.
“Brands will also continue to question the agency business model and look for consultants, who can move mountains with a small team, to partner with.
“We will continue to see the evolution of ‘creative strategists’ replacing traditional media buying relationships.
“Media partners are going to be less about pricing, with most brands able to get similar rates by going direct, and more about strategic insight and executional excellence.”
Emilia Chambers, head of strategy at full-service digital marketing agency The Pistol, says success In 2026 will come from unlocking AI-Human synergy.
“Since the emergence of Generative AI, skepticism has dominated the conversation,” she says.
‘The concerns are real, and the skepticism warranted, but the past few years have revealed an essential truth that neither humans nor AI alone can do it all.
“In 2026, AI will transform from threat to catalyst, amplifying human potential and creating opportunities that were previously out of reach.
“Content creation will be redefined by collaboration. While the vast majority of marketing professionals consider AI essential to daily operations, only a small fraction would replace human creatives entirely. AI generates at scale, but humans are needed to curate for authenticity and emotional connection.
“We’ll also see consumer journeys transformed further by AI-powered personalisation. Australians are adopting AI-driven shopping tools, including ChatGPT and onsite AI shopping assistants, at rates well above the global average, with AI expected to influence the majority of transactions within the next few years.
“Brands must understand this evolution and create seamless transitions between technology and human touchpoints across the whole path to purchase.
“Customer data will continue to be important to a brand’s success but synthetic data, that is data generated by algorithms that mimics real world data but does not contain real world information, is emerging as the third critical source alongside zero and first-party data.
“Development and utilisation of synthetic data is enabling rapid scenario modelling and innovation that would be impossible with traditional data alone, while also levelling the playing field for brands where customer data capture is limited.
“As AI democratises optimisation, brand will become the biggest growth lever. When everyone has access to the same powerful tools, technical execution becomes table stakes.
“Brands that invest in long-term brand building, built from human strategic thinking, will reap the benefits across acquisition, loyalty and growth, compared to those that purely rely on performance marketing.
“For brands preparing for 2026, the message is clear, embrace the collaboration. Use AI for scale and speed while preserving human thinking for strategy, authenticity, and emotional connection. 2026 isn't only human or AI. It's both, working in synergy.”
Renata Freund, founder and director at consultancy Honeycomb Strategy, says the market will reward those that invest in brand and creative bravery.
“After years of over-investing in short-term conversion tactics, the brands that will outperform are the ones backing long-term brand building and storytelling,” she says.
“You can see it in established disruptors like Liquid Death and Who Gives a Crap, which have turned everyday items like water and toilet paper into high-growth, high-value businesses.
“Not through discounts or promotions, but through sharp, consistent and creative brand and storytelling that drives engagement and emotional connection.
“It’s the same story with the next wave of challengers. AllKinds is turning self-care into self-expression, with fun, creative branding and product execution bringing its strategy to life.
“Surreal Cereal is making breakfast feel fun again by rebooting childhood cereals for adult diets and proving unconventional channels work, with 143,000 LinkedIn followers treating the platform like entertainment, not corporate content.
“In categories where everything looks the same, the brand story is the differentiation. It’s less about optimising ad spend and more about creating meaning, memorability, and pricing power.
“In 2026, the marketers who treat brand and storytelling as a business essential, not a budget extra, will be the ones who thrive.”
Carin Lee Skelton, GM regional sales (ANZ) at digital-out-of-home and electric vehicle charging networkJOLT, says the shift in attention metrics is becoming the norm on media plans.
“This ties back to the influence that communities and creators have on driving culture, and the impact that context has on driving stronger brand engagement and advocacy. Context will become the new reach,” says Skelton.
“As attention metrics mature, brands will move beyond visibility to true connection, reaching people in meaningful moments. Out-of-home networks like JOLT will play a pivotal role, combining relevance with data-driven precision to shape behaviour and brand preference.
“There has been a big push on AI in the media in 2025, and in 2026 we will see the benefits of this, with the rise of the "generalists". AI implemented in the industry will free up time for agencies, clients and publishers to come together more for critical thinking, creativity, problem solving and overall collaboration.
AI won’t replace strategic thinking — it’ll supercharge it. The most effective teams will be generalists who blend human curiosity with machine intelligence. At JOLT, we’re already seeing how automation creates space for deeper collaboration and creative problem-solving — the kind that moves the industry forward.”
John Schonovegel, head of strategy at independent Those That Do, says it feels like the industry has been caught in a race to the bottom, and this will likely continue.
“Budgets are shrinking, timelines are tightening, and the space for big, reflective thinking is disappearing,” he says.
“Every year, projects seem to get shorter and more fragmented, with campaign elements split across more teams and channels, yet delivered in less time than ever.
“Less and less time is the constant. Less time for preparation and planning. Less time for thinking. Less time to make anything great.
“The result is a growing focus on simply getting things done, rather than making things great. Strategy and creativity are being squeezed out by the relentless pace of production. We’ve become experts in output, but at the cost of outcomes.
If 2025 was the year of ‘fast,’ then 2026 needs to be the year of ‘better’. The brands and agencies that will stand out are the ones willing to push back on the tempo, make space for thought, and fight for the craft. Because great work still takes time, and we can’t afford to forget that.”
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