Rebecca Den Braber,.
The AdNews end-of-year Perspectives, looking back at 2025 and forward to next year.
And see the AdNews 50 plus page state of the market report, Forecast 2026
Rebecca Den Braber, General Manager of integrated marketing agency Impressive.
When I look ahead to 2026, one thing feels certain: uncertainty itself.
In mid-November, Menulog – a brand with a multi-million-dollar advertising budget – announced its exit from the Australian market after two decades, citing “challenging circumstances”. It’s a sharp reminder that in today’s economy, no business is too established to be disrupted.
In that context, making predictions about media or marketing can feel futile. But one shift feels inevitable: curiosity will become the defining competitive advantage of 2026.
The media landscape will keep evolving – platforms will fragment, attention will splinter, and AI will move from being a tool to a true collaborator in the creative process.
But technology alone won’t differentiate brands. Humanness will. The willingness to ask “Why?” and “What if?” before rushing to adopt the next shiny innovation will separate the thoughtful from the reactive.
Curiosity fuels connection. It’ll drive us to look beyond surface metrics and fleeting trends to uncover what really motivates people. Leading with curiosity will blend data with empathy, and creativity with integrity, testing and learning, but with purpose. Measuring success not just by reach or efficiency, but by resonance and relevance.
We’re already seeing this play out among emerging brands. Despite having access to the same digital tools and data as their larger competitors, their sustainable growth comes from building real communities – people connected through shared values and lived experiences. Technology & platforms enabled the reach, but curiosity has fueled the relationship.
AI will continue to reshape how we ideate, create, and distribute work; however, the real opportunity lies in how we use it to ask better questions.
Those who get ahead won’t just automate processes – they’ll use AI to expand perspective, uncover patterns humans might miss, and free up space for deeper thinking.
Curiosity, in this sense, becomes the bridge between machine efficiency and human imagination.
The year ahead won’t be about predicting what’s next, but about staying curious enough to recognise what’s changing and respond with intent. Our collective challenge will be how we navigate complexity, not with control, but with openness.
So, my prediction for 2026 is this: it won’t be defined by a single platform, trend, or technology. It will be defined by a mindset.
A mindset grounded in curiosity, which will mean embracing experimentation over perfection, collaboration over control, and learning over knowing.
It’s about building teams that question assumptions, challenge conventions, and stay open to being surprised. In a world that’s moving faster than ever, curiosity isn’t just how we will keep up – it’s how we will lead. Doesn’t this sound far more exciting?
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