Download: 2026 Trends Report
Marketing in the Age of AI
Introduction
AI is challenging marketers. To innovate, to become more efficient, but also to zig when the algorithms zag. It’s creating both pressure and possibility.
The trends in this report reflect the ironic tension as AI gets ever more powerful and useful, and in doing so, raises the premium on authentic, human perspectives and experience.
We’ll lay out how marketers should respond in 2026, where the opportunities lie with human-centric AI, and what’s next.
In simple terms, we dig into the questions that every business is dealing with: What can AI do? Where will it add value for us? How do we implement it effectively? What are the potential risks for our brand and our people? And how do we remain distinctive and clear-eyed through this period of disruption?
The trends in this report reflect the ironic tension as AI gets ever more powerful and useful, and in doing so, raises the premium on authentic, human perspectives and experience.
We’ll lay out how marketers should respond in 2026, where the opportunities lie with human-centric AI, and what’s next.
In simple terms, we dig into the questions that every business is dealing with: What can AI do? Where will it add value for us? How do we implement it effectively? What are the potential risks for our brand and our people? And how do we remain distinctive and clear-eyed through this period of disruption?
Contents
At CTI, across our Design & Build, Growth, and Innovation teams we’ve seen how the algorithm age has impacted our clients. Two-speed thinking has become a pre-requisite for CMOs, who must combine the insight of a MarkOps specialist and lifecycle manager with the instincts of a brand custodian and customer officer.
Our 10 trends each give a nod to this left brain / right brain dynamic and hopefully strike a pragmatic and optimistic tone for the year ahead.
The marketing department has always thrived amidst uncertainty and change. Its leaders now have an outsized role to play in the implementation of this powerful technology.
Our 10 trends each give a nod to this left brain / right brain dynamic and hopefully strike a pragmatic and optimistic tone for the year ahead.
The marketing department has always thrived amidst uncertainty and change. Its leaders now have an outsized role to play in the implementation of this powerful technology.
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1. Finding the 'why' before AI
Time to confront the strategic planning gap.
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2. More soul, less slop
Human storytelling is in demand.
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3. Brand as the deepest moat
Are CMOs neglecting brand building just when it matters most?
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4. Content is not a numbers game
Context is king across search and social.
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5. “I'd like to thank my agent”
The agentic boom is underway, now is the time to experiment.
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6. GEO, AEO, LLMO? It's all semantics
AI search understands humans better than ever; and SEO has to adapt.
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7. Accessibility requires engagement
Inclusive design cannot be abdicated to AI.
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8. The AI efficiency gap
Marketing should create new value, not simply automate around the edges.
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9. Pilots start with people
AI rollouts must confront the fear factor.
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10. AI levels the playing field
But lack of internal expertise could nix mid-market revolution.
Conclusion
For all the promise of AI, we are at a tricky point in its adoption. Talk of a tech bubble has added to continued debate about bias, sustainability, copyright and the reasoning limits of LLMs.
These concerns shape part of the challenge for business. The language of agility and innovation is seductive, but the right strategy and the appropriate guardrails are paramount. Without them, even the scrappiest of startups risks getting caught out.
Businesses must consider how to implement AI in a human-centric way. That includes ethics and transparency; skills development and changing job roles; but also extends to authenticity and differentiation in an algorithmic era.
Amidst all this change, marketers are well-placed to lead. They remain the closest to the customer, they appreciate the power of creativity, they’ve already cut their teeth with technological disruption, and they are early adopters of agentic workflows.
It’s an admittedly broad remit for marketing leaders – from company culture to data strategy, user experience to branding – but marketers have been forging these relationships throughout the digital age. AI is the most significant transformation opportunity businesses face today. At its heart is the question of how we combine great people with great tech.
These concerns shape part of the challenge for business. The language of agility and innovation is seductive, but the right strategy and the appropriate guardrails are paramount. Without them, even the scrappiest of startups risks getting caught out.
Businesses must consider how to implement AI in a human-centric way. That includes ethics and transparency; skills development and changing job roles; but also extends to authenticity and differentiation in an algorithmic era.
Amidst all this change, marketers are well-placed to lead. They remain the closest to the customer, they appreciate the power of creativity, they’ve already cut their teeth with technological disruption, and they are early adopters of agentic workflows.
It’s an admittedly broad remit for marketing leaders – from company culture to data strategy, user experience to branding – but marketers have been forging these relationships throughout the digital age. AI is the most significant transformation opportunity businesses face today. At its heart is the question of how we combine great people with great tech.