The bottom line? 2026 looks like a year of maturation. The shiny-object syndrome is fading, replaced by a focus on what actually works.
BRANDS + MARKETERS
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With game day just around the corner, now’s the time to pressure-test whether your measurement setup reflects how marketing actually works: in spikes of attention, shifts in timing, and campaign effects that ripple across channels.
Brands that build assets with these models in mind, and supply them with consistent, well-defined signals, are more likely to appear accurately and consistently as AI-first experiences expand.
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AW SHORTS – BRANDS + MARKETERS
The future of influencer marketing isn’t transactional. It’s relational. And it starts with recognising that influencers are brand partners, not adverts.
If the deal sounds too good to be true, it’s probably because you’re paying for it somewhere you can’t see.
The future of growth belongs to the leaders, and the CMOs, who understand that visibility isn’t just exposure. It’s equity.
SMEs must be prepared to learn and experiment, but they don’t need to sit on the sidelines of programmatic. With the right guidance, they can claim their seat at the table – and challenge the dominance of legacy players with smarter, leaner campaigns.
Start saying no, to vanity, to product-first thinking and briefs with no heart. Tell your product team you’ll take it from here.
The label ‘influencer’ no longer captures this reality. It reduces a diverse ecosystem into a single, superficial category.
Thanks to the streaming revolution, viewers are turning away from linear TV in droves. Even sports are seeing seismic shifts in how fans engage with content.
We all know markets and media spaces are fiercely competitive and budgets are under the cosh. So, we don’t believe in only instinct to land unfair ideas.
True brand power comes from people talking about you because they want to – not because they were paid to.
While brands are unwilling to relinquish hard-won cohesion, there’s some movement toward pushing against monolithic rigidity, in favor of a more flexible, realist’s approach.
For years, the narrative has been that malls are relics of the past, casualties of e-commerce and shifting consumer habits. But Gen Z is rewriting that story.
In a world optimised for clicks, the real opportunity lies in connection. And connection, when it’s done well, is still the most human story we can tell.
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