As marketing and communications enter a new era defined by AI, fragmentation, and cultural acceleration, the rules of brand-building are being rewritten in real time. From how consumers discover and evaluate brands to how credibility, community, and culture are formed, 2026 will reward those who can adapt with clarity, consistency, and authenticity. In this trends report, industry leaders across marketing & communications share their perspectives on what’s ahead, offering a roadmap to navigate the year ahead with relevance, resilience, and trust.
AI shaping how consumers discover & form relationships with brands | Elizabeth Harrison, Founder & CEO, H&S Communications
“As AI increasingly mediates how consumers discover and choose brands, PR is shifting from shaping perception to shaping what machines can confidently recommend. In 2026, decisions are driven less by brand promises and more by verifiable proof—trusted reviews, playtests, athlete validation, and consistent third-party coverage that AI can substantiate and repeat. For a brand like Wilson Sports, earned media and athlete partnerships don’t just build awareness; they become machine-legible signals that influence AI shortlists at the moment of decision. The opportunity isn’t to change the story, but to package Wilson’s performance leadership with enough clarity and consistency that both people and algorithms trust it.”
Earned media matters most in the age of GEO | Caitlin Copple, Founding Partner, Full Swing Public Relations
"Fifty-eight percent of consumers now use AI to evaluate products and services, double last year, which means purchase decisions are increasingly shaped by what the internet says about your brand, not what you say about yourself. Generative search prioritizes earned media, with 27–49% of citations coming from journalistic sources, depending on the query. If companies aren’t showing up in credible outlets, AI outputs will reflect that absence. In 2026, closing your credibility gap means closing your AI visibility gap."
"Generative search is becoming the default, and that means PR matters more than paid marketing because AI models reward ongoing, authoritative coverage over one-off announcements. Since AI systems often train on data that may lag six to twelve months, the stories brands place today determine how they appear (or not) in tomorrow’s generative search results. Earned media already drives the vast majority of AI citations, with over 95% pulled from unpaid media sources. The winners in 2026 will be the brands that show up consistently in credible media, not those who only pitch during a launch.”
Editorial and Social – A Two-Way Influence Loop | Shauna Solum, Executive Vice President, LaForce
“The relationship between editorial and social isn’t just blurred – it’s a constant two-way exchange of influence. On one side, outlets are extending editorial content into multi-part social series and immersive digital storytelling that sparks social buzz, amplifying editorial reach far beyond the page. On the other, social media is the cultural pulse point driving editorial – what trends on feeds often dictates what gets covered by traditional media. For brands, the takeaway is clear: success means playing both sides – craft stories that spark shareable moments and feel native to social, while also using social signals to anticipate and shape the editorial narratives that matter most."
Authenticity over perfection drives creator and content strategy | Maura Brannigan, Vice President of Content, JBC
“Both Gen Z and Alpha are officially over the polished, picture-perfect aesthetic; they want real, unfiltered content that shows what's actually happening behind the scenes. With 62% of this generation saying they care about brands that foster real community and belonging, the shift from aspiration to authenticity isn't just a nice-to-have, it's essential. This changes everything about how we approach creator partnerships and content production. We need to prioritize engagement and trust over reach and production budgets, work with creators who feel genuine (not performative), and stop being afraid of showing the messy, human side of brands. Imperfection is the new perfection.”
Cultural shift toward steadiness, meaning, and continuity | Josh Tierney, Chief Creative Officer, BMF
“In 2026, people are craving a quieter, more intentional rhythm after a heady and turbulent decade defined by cultural overload, constant disruption, and micro-trends that appear and disappear faster than ever. The speed of the 2020s has produced moments that feel meaningful in real time but hollow minutes later, leaving audiences wary of spectacle, clickbait, and an endless news cycle they no longer trust. In an age where information is abundant, unstable, and increasingly shaped by AI, the question of what’s real feels more present than ever. What we’re seeing is a broader cultural renewal, a shift toward steadiness, meaning, and continuity, that’s reshaping how people receive and respond to communication."
"The 2026 Cultural Trendbook by BMF is grounded in this reality, starting with culture and the consumer first, and offering a point of view on how marketing and communications can show up with greater clarity and relevance as a result.”
Engagement and participation over passive consumption | Gabirelle Gambrell, Chief Communications Officer, Hachette Book Group
"Media consumption is advancing integrated marketing communications. With the blending of traditional and new media formats, streaming platforms are integrating creator-driven content, immersive formats such as video-commerce are rising, and branded experiences are shifting toward models that reward engagement and participation over passive consumption.”
“We are currently seeing a shift toward creators and influencers becoming a part of a brand’s identity, and I see this growing in 2026, as they continue to serve a significant role in communities and ecosystems. I anticipate the growth of investment in creator tools, social commerce, and community-based content.”
Creator Ecosystems Will Shape Buying Decisions | Team North + South Agency
“Audiences are tuning out polished campaigns and looking for real people they trust. In 2026, the brands that win will be the ones showing up inside creator conversations – through UGC, micro-reviews, behind-the-scenes education, and organic partnerships. It’s less about big influencers and more about building a network of aligned voices who validate your authority. Community has always mattered, but now it directly fuels conversion.”
The future belongs to audience revenue | Team Orchestra
Orchestra partnered with Puck to better understand the current state of the marcomms industry and where it is headed. Together, they surveyed Puck’s elite audience of media insiders, executives, and dealmakers about the health of the business, the future of A.I., the evolution of ESPN, the fate of The Washington Post, and much more. One of the key findings after evaluating responses from 173 media insiders, predominantly from the C-suites and executive ranks of the industry was that the future will belong to audience revenue.
“Respondents are unequivocal: The future belongs to audience revenue. A plurality (34 percent) expect subscriptions and memberships to be their biggest revenue stream in five years—eclipsing advertising (27 percent) and far outpacing events (18 percent) and licensing. The decades-long dominance of ad-supported journalism is fading; the businesses with the strongest audience relationships will win the next cycle.”
Maxing Out Fandoms | Michelle Edelman, CEO, PETERMAYER
“2026 is set to be a Nirvana for sports fans, with a World Cup and Winter Olympics hopping on top of the calendar of typical mega-events. Brands looking to tap into the fervor will face a different landscape that they did four years ago. Winners will have laid groundwork to learn from fans and engage as one of them. Brands looking at fans as a target audience will see little return for adding to the interruptions in the game.”
Evolving brand sentiment measurement | Linda Zebian, Vice President of Communications, Muck Rack
“In 2026, brand sentiment measurement will evolve far beyond today’s simple positive, negative, or neutral classifications. Next-generation AI-powered models will bring true contextual intelligence to communications, interpreting not just what was said, but what it means, capturing nuance, intent, emotional intensity, and even the credibility of the source. Instead of surface-level indicators, AI will reveal why audiences feel the way they do and what’s driving those shifts across different communities, industries, and cultural moments. Sentiment for healthcare, politics, crisis communications, or brand storytelling will no longer be measured the same way.”
“This new wave of sentiment intelligence will empower PR teams to move from reactive tracking to predictive strategy. AI will map how narratives form and evolve, anticipate when conversations are likely to accelerate or shift, and tie emotional signals to likely outcomes such as reputation impact, engagement, or potential escalation. In 2026, sentiment analysis will expand beyond just measuring tone. It will offer foresight and meaningful interpretation, giving communicators a powerful new layer of intelligence to guide decision-making in real time.”
Listening to stakeholders with greater scale, precision, and accuracy | Ethan McCarty, CEO, Integral
"Listening to our stakeholders with greater scale, precision and accuracy - thanks to emerging tools and practices powered by AI - will be a trend among the most successful communications and marketing professionals in 2026. This is not about buying more software licenses. Rather, it'll be the strategic shift in our personal, departmental, and enterprise capabilities that get us closer to communicating and marketing effectively to audiences of one. Listening practices - powered by AI - will lay the groundwork in 2026 for the coming wave of hyperpersonalization.”
“Want a pro-tip? Start by listening in this way to your most important stakeholders (hint: that'd be our own employees and colleagues)."
Permacrisis readiness is the new reality | Priyanka Banerjee, Vice President, R[AR]E Public Relations
“We are operating in nonstop volatility, especially with geopolitics, polarization, misinformation, fast-moving platforms, and louder-than-ever comment sections. That means our job isn’t just to tell the story; it’s to back it up, defend it in real time and be clear about where you stand, because saying nothing is still saying something. People are over being spun, and the brands that cut through will be the ones that speak plainly, show their work, and match their words with what they actually do. Tech and AI can help you move faster, but it can’t replace the human touch and genuine accountability, especially when things get messy in public.”
