Matt Coote.
Matt Coote, Managing Director, GumGum Australia.
A new year is both a good time for reflection and also an excellent opportunity to look ahead at what’s coming. And at the top of the list of trends we expect to see continuing is the ongoing evolution of how people consume content.
Influenced by AI and new platform innovations, we have now become true digital nomads, dynamically moving across screens, and shifting through emotions, contexts, and needs from moment to moment. In order to really cut through in this media landscape, we need to focus on a more meaningful and robust signal of intent: mindset.
Properly understanding consumers’ mindset is important for a few reasons. Firstly, demographics might tell us who someone is, but mindset tells us what they’re receptive to in a specific moment. Secondly, if we can harness mindset insights, then we can move beyond what someone is viewing to uncover how they’re thinking and feeling in that moment, which is ultimately what determines whether a message truly lands.
Additionally, rapid advances in AI and contextual understanding are helping brands sense when someone is most primed to engage, before the moment even happens. With that in mind, the goal for all marketers should be advertising that feels additive, not irrelevant or intrusive. When we meet people in the right mindset, ads become more natural, more relevant, and ultimately more effective at driving real brand outcomes.
In 2026 marketers will also continue to seek new ways to really understand the verticals they operate - which is why we rolled out the Mindset Graph earlier this year. ‘The Graph’, as we call it, brings together a combination of contextual and attention data signals to help serve the right creative to a receptive audience.
And because Aussies can’t get enough of their sport, we figured why not fire up ‘The Graph’ and drill down into a few major consumer moments. So we took a look at the AFL and NRL grand finals to find out what sort of content really cuts through when featured alongside these defining contests. NRL fans might not be surprised to hear Reece Walsh’s name was everywhere online around the grand final. Maybe more surprising for would-be advertisers though is that categories like legal, health and higher education were capturing the highest attention time alongside the footy.
Campaigns that tap into unexpected insights like these frequently see stronger viewability, better recall and more efficient cost performance. The bottom line: it really pays to dig deeper into advertising opportunities like these, and I expect marketers will be demanding more insights like this to inform the campaigns next year.
Speaking of sport, it’s pretty clear that events like the current Ashes series and January’s Australian Open tennis are among the last of the genuine appointment TV moments out there. Which is why we plan to double down on key sporting moments next year.
These contests are the epitome of premium content and will continue to feature prominently in advertising plans. We’ll be there at the coalface, helping our partners make the most of the moments that matter for highly engaged fanbases.
A final reflection from this year - and a priority for next - is the importance of investing in close and trusted industry partnerships. In an increasingly fast-moving, digital-first world, the value of direct, face-to-face relationships is only becoming more integral to business success.
This year I’ve been really proud of the work we’ve done with OnDevice, the IAB, as well as our agency, client and data partnerships. And of course the great folks at UnLtd, who are the conscience of our industry - we’ll certainly be taking part in plenty more of their events for good.
So as 2026 kicks off, we’re looking forward to forging more of those meaningful partnerships and continuing to provide the industry with the insights into consumer behaviour that drive successful campaigns.