Richard Knott.
The AdNews end of year Perspectives, looking back at 2025 and forward to next year.
Richard Knott, SVP APAC, InfoSum
"What got you here won’t get you there." — Marshall Goldsmith
It’s a warning marketing leaders would do well to heed in 2026. Over the past year, teams have scrambled to adopt the same AI tools, trained on the same public datasets, hoping for transformative results. But as these tools converge in capability, the outputs begin to blur. The reality is clear: AI is rapidly becoming commoditised.
This means that going forward, it’s not the use of one model over another that will set brands apart, but the quality of the data behind it.
That’s what will separate the brands that stand out from those that blend in. Building a connected and exclusive data ecosystem is how marketers will stay ahead in a world where intelligence is everywhere, but true differentiation is hard to find.
Collaboration is the unlock
The challenge, however, is that virtually no organisation, even the most data-rich, holds enough granular, real-world insight to build this ecosystem alone. No single brand sees the complete customer journey. And while proprietary data remains an asset, on its own, it’s simply not enough.
To compete, marketers must stop viewing data as something to hoard and start treating it as something to connect. Privacy-first collaboration between brands, media owners, retailers, and data partners will become essential. It’s the only route to richer intelligence, and the only way to unlock AI’s full potential.
The rise of Private Data Networks
This shift is already in motion as we’re already seeing the rise of Private Data Networks: decentralised, privacy-first ecosystems that allow brands, media owners, retailers, and data partners to collaborate securely without ever moving or exposing data. Unlike traditional data clean rooms that are limited to one-to-one use cases or short-term activations, these networks are built for scale, longevity, and repeatable success.
Think of them less as tech infrastructure, and more as a new way of working. One curator sets the objective, defines the rules, and invites relevant partners to collaborate around a shared goal, whether that’s insight, activation, or measurement. Each participant maintains complete control over their data, with no centralisation, duplication, or leakage.
It’s a model powered by decentralised collaboration and federated learning, which together allow organisations to combine intelligence without ever combining data. The result is a network that gets smarter over time, with every new partner or dataset making the whole ecosystem more valuable.
Crucially, this approach avoids the pitfalls that have limited collaboration in the past. There’s no need to build dozens of clean rooms, rewrite SQL queries for every partner, or wait a year for legal reviews. With the right privacy-enhancing technology, Private Data Networks can be launched in days, not months.
From scale to relevance
Private Data Networks give marketers access to better data. The kind that’s more relevant, more representative, and more actionable. By connecting insights from retailers, media owners, platforms, and brands, they offer a clearer picture of real consumer behaviour.
That clarity drives better results. Stronger targeting, smarter measurement, and richer customer insights all become possible when you’re working with data that reflects how people actually engage, shop, and respond.
As this collaborative approach matures, we’ll see the rise of what could be called Large Marketing Models: AI systems informed not by internet noise, but by real-world marketing signals like campaign outcomes, brand interactions, and purchase journeys.
These models don’t rely on centralising data. Instead, they operate across Private Data Networks, accessing insights from multiple partners while the data itself stays securely in place. It’s a smarter, privacy-first approach that supports innovation and respects consumer trust.
In 2026, the brands that win won’t be those chasing the latest AI tools, they’ll be the ones building the strongest data partnerships. The future belongs to those who collaborate.
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