AW SHORTS – BRANDS + MARKETERS

Creators with meaningful audience relationships demonstrate that influence isn’t about size, it’s about impact

The bottom line? 2026 looks like a year of maturation. The shiny-object syndrome is fading, replaced by a focus on what actually works.

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.

In 2026, the luxury sector is poised to regain its sparkle, but only for the brands willing to rethink the fundamentals.

Q5 offers an opportunity to move beyond one-size-fits-all discounting. Instead of rewarding everyone simultaneously, brands can reward those who truly deserve it, for the work they do to better our communities.

The best experiences don’t need to explain the technology behind them. They’ll reflect confidence, clarity and care in how they were made.

Sean Adams, chief marketing officer, Brand Metrics, believes we can predict future ad outcomes using the unprecedented power of consistent measurement data

If 2025 was a year of change in the marketing world, 2026 will be even more transformative. We can anticipate significant leaps in AI, which will extend to creative decision-making, media targeting, and influencer marketing.

Your relationship goes beyond simply selling them a product.  You want them to buy from you multiple times. 

We’ve just launched our first-ever Holiday Sweepstakes, with ten grand prizes for ten small businesses in ten cities: $10,000 in IRL ad media, each.