Marketing landscapes change often due to changes in consumers’ tastes, regulations, and technologies. Here are the top 10 marketing strategies to consider in 2026.
1. Simplification
Consumers prefer simplification when it comes to making purchase decisions. In 2025, NielsenIQ surveyed nearly 19,000 consumers in 27 countries and found that 84% of respondents agreed that they were more likely to purchase a product if the retailer made it easy to compare key product attributes.
2. Personalization
Marketing in 2026 should be one-on-one marketing because consumers prefer a tailored shopping experience. The same survey by NielsenIQ reported that 66% of respondents found it helpful when a retailer suggests products based on their previous purchases or preferences.
3. Micro-series
The demand for micro-series, or serialized short-form video content that lasts only a few minutes, is on the rise. According to Deloitte’s 2025 survey of 1,620 consumers familiar with micro-series, 40%
wanted to see more micro-series on streaming platforms. Brands can launch their own micro-series to communicate their brand messages or integrate their products into the series.
4. Podcast Marketing
Podcasts may have started in the U.S., but they have become a global phenomenon. According to Podcast Statistics, there are more than 584 million podcast listeners worldwide in 2025, and the number is expected to increase to 612 million in 2026. Deloitte estimated that global ad revenue for podcasts and vodcasts, or video podcasts, will increase by 20% per year in 2026, reaching $5 billion.
5. Generative Engine Optimization
According to McKinsey & Company’s survey of 1,927 consumers in 2025, here are the most preferred sources of information among users:
· AI-poweredsearch like ChatGPT or Google AI, 44%
· Search engines like Google or Bing, 31%
· Retailer or brand sites, 9%
· Review sites, 6%
· Social platforms, 5%
· Live commerce, 2%
· Editorial content, 2%.
AI-powered search has its own system of synthesizing information from various sources, including news and media sites, user-generated content, academic and market research sites, which are different from the sources of traditional search. Brands that have been search-engine optimized may not necessarily be generative-engine optimized and may lose opportunities to connect with new customers. If brands want consumers to find them in 2026, they need to be generative-engine optimized, too.
6. Good Value for Money.
Consumers may have been careful about their spending lately. However, they do not necessarily want the cheapest option. Instead, they want something that is worth spending on. They will buy expensive products and services if they believe that those products and services provide great value
to them. According to Qualtrics’ Consumer Experience Trends Report 2026, which collected data from 20,001 consumers in 14 countries, the number one reason why consumers chose to do business with certain companies was “good value for money.” To increase sales, brands should communicate more clearly what their products and services can do for consumers or offer more economical options,
such as larger-sized packages or volume discounts.
7. FandomEconomy
Fandom Economy is a business model that revolves around fans who share the same passions, including sports, music, films, and fashion. These fans actively participate in their communities—they are co-creators of their fandom. They also spend their money on fandom-related activities. Therefore, brands should engage with fans in a meaningful way, rather than merely sponsoring or advertising. Momentum Worldwide conducted a global fandom study in 2025 by collecting data from 1,069 people in North America and Europe and found that 60% of respondents wanted “brands to be involved in their favorite sports or activities.”
8. Retail Media Networks
With proximity to high-intent shoppers, retail media networks have advantages when it comes to sales conversion. According to WARC, investment in retail media is projected to increase by 12.4%, from 174.9 billion US dollars in 2025 to 196.7 billion US dollars in 2026.
9. ContentCreators
Despite what has been speculated, social media isn’t dead. Content creators can still engage with audiences and help brands reach new customers. In fact, out of approximately 1,000 senior marketers worldwide whom Kantar surveyed in its Media Reactions 2025 report, a net 61% of them planned
to increase their budget for partnering with content creators in 2026.
10. AI Transparency
Consumers are skeptical when it comes to interactingwith artificial intelligence or AI. According to IBM’s survey of 8,500 consumers, 89% of respondents preferred to know when they are interacting with AI. In addition, 20,001 consumers in 14 countries reported that the number one concern about AI was the misuse of personal data, according to Qualtrics’ Consumer Experience Trends Report 2026. Therefore, be sure to let consumers know when AI is used and how their personal data is handled by AI.

Bibliography:
· Deloitte. (2025). TMT Predictions 2026: The gap narrows, but persists Deloitte predicts. Deloitte. https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/insights/articles/2025/ca188454_tmtp26/pdf/2026_TMTP.pdf
· IBM Corporation. (2025). 5 trends for 2026. IBM Corporation. https://www.ibm.com/downloads/documents/us-en/1443d5df79cf4c92
· Informa Festivals. (2025, November 3). The future of commerce media 2025. WARC. https://www.warc.com/content/feed/retail-media-market-nears-200bn-as-search-gives-way-to-display/en-GB/11085
· Kantar. (2025). Kantar Media Reactions 2025: Your guide to the media landscape. Kantar Group and Affiliates. https://www.kantar.com/campaigns/media-reactions
· Momentum Worldwide. (2025). Fandom: Understanding today’s fandom. Momentum Worldwide. https://www.momentumww.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/MomentumWW-Understanding-Todays-Fandom.pdf
· Nielson Consumer LLC. (2025, September 29). Consumer outlook: Guide to 2026. Nielson Consumer LLC. https://nielseniq.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/10/Consumer-Outlook-Guide-to-2026-report_FINAL.pdf
· PodcastStatistics. (2025). Podcaststatistics 2025. Podcast Statistics. https://podcastatistics.com/
· Qualtrics.(2025). Consumer Experience Trends Report 2026. Qualtrics. https://www.qualtrics.com/ebooks-guides/customer-experience-trends/
· Silliman, E, Boudet, J., Robinson, K., Oppong, D., & Shah, N. (2025, October). New front door to the internet: Winning in the age of AI search. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/new-front-door-to-the-internet-winning-in-the-age-of-ai-search#/