What Does 2026 Hold for Marketing, Creativity and AI?

By Drew Ungvarsky, CEO and founder of Grow

Experience Platforms Will Deliver Brand Value

The brands doing the most interesting work in 2026 will be the ones who shift from chasing attention in short bursts to investing in experience platforms that evolve over time and reward repeat engagement.

This shift changes not just what brands build, but how they bring value to their audiences. Platforms demand that brands earn attention by creating content and experiences that are worthy of seeking out and returning to.

AI will also shun the spotlight, supporting these platforms behind the scenes, enabling personalisation and responsiveness. But the real differentiator will be sustained engagement, as brands focus on creating value over time with ever-evolving digital destinations.”

Creativity And Technology Will Speak The Same Language

In 2026, the distinction between ‘creative thinking’ and ‘technical execution’ will feel increasingly outdated. The strongest ideas will emerge from teams where creativity and technology work side by side, shaping concepts together rather than passing them across silos.

We’re already seeing a backlash against work where AI is treated as the idea itself, or where technology is bolted on at the end. When teams are fragmented, the work shows. When they’re integrated, the technology disappears, and the experience feels effortless.

As tools become more powerful and accessible, craft and judgement become the real differentiators. Which means knowing how ideas behave in real systems, and designing accordingly, is going to be so important in the next twelve months.

AI-Collaborative Teams Will Take the Lead

After a period of rapid experimentation, 2026 will be less about proving who uses AI and more about how teams use it together. The pressure to adopt new tools has shown that technology only improves the work when people are all on the same page.

Audiences are quick to spot when AI is used lazily or performatively. But when creative and technical teams collaborate closely, AI can become that quiet enabler, accelerating workflows, unlocking new possibilities and supporting better ideas.

The best experiences don’t need to explain the technology behind them. They’ll reflect confidence, clarity and care in how they were made. The future isn’t about AI leading creativity, but rather about teams that know how to lead with creativity in a more technologically complex world.