{"id":10674,"date":"2026-01-06T18:50:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T00:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/?p=10674"},"modified":"2026-01-06T18:50:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T00:50:42","slug":"4-trends-marketers-must-follow-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/attentionmedia.io\/?p=10674","title":{"rendered":"4 trends marketers must follow in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"An<\/div>\n

Last year was exhausting for many people for many reasons. It\u2019s not just job and family stress, or changes in our industry. But as the book title says, it\u2019s everything, everywhere, all at once. It felt like I was constantly cartwheeling from one thing to another, from the news to the stock market, the impact of tariffs and so much more. There\u2019s always one more thing to deal with.<\/p>\n

That led many of us to cut back or cut off our news consumption. Unfortunately, that\u2019s a luxury marketers can\u2019t afford. Following the news helps you see how today\u2019s developments could translate into business opportunities or casualties. Last year was another year spent learning how to pivot and adapt our plans to cope with swiftly changing conditions in the ways we do business and market to our customers.<\/p>\n

The business acumen we honed during the COVID years has been put to good use this year! However, I\u2019m also seeing promising developments that point to a light at the end of the tunnel, which isn\u2019t necessarily from an oncoming train.<\/p>\n

1. 2026 could become the technology replacement year \u2014 at last.<\/h2>\n

I don\u2019t do predictions for the coming business year. I prefer to suggest trends people should watch for and offer guidance so they can understand what\u2019s happening in our industry and where it may go over the next 12 months.<\/p>\n

In 2024, I predicted that top retail companies would end their collective pause on new technology. I expected companies that had not invested in martech upgrades would come out of their shells and spend their budgets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, what happened? A lot of tire-kicking \u2014 questions and conversations, but not conversions across the martech landscape. This was surprising because many contracts with ESPs and other vendors that began in the post-COVID martech shift should have come up for review or renewal by now.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dig deeper: 4 takeaways for email marketers from Google\u2019s 2025 holiday report<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Now I wonder if we will see the martech change mindset emerge in 2026 as contracts reach expiration dates. Or will companies be satisfied with what they\u2019re doing now, even though technology is advancing at warp speed?<\/p>\n

This could lead to more acquisitions and even a contraction in the space with vendors. Or, it could breed a new level of innovation for vendors trying to compete. If anything, vendors have had two years to focus on their own platforms and to grow their AI.<\/p>\n

I will be watching to see whether innovation continues or stagnates. Make no mistake \u2013 a change cycle is on the horizon. How soon is anyone\u2019s guess. This is why I hate to predict, given all the unknowns and variables in our industry!<\/p>\n

That change cycle will begin when people finally understand how technology has progressed over the last three years. It will also depend on whether marketers and their corporate purse-string holders believe the economy and their companies\u2019 financial health are stable enough to support the risk-taking associated with technological change. <\/p>\n

I am watching to see whether companies that jumped into AI and CDPs before everyone else lick their wounds and come back to the field with the realization that being the early adopter is not always advantageous.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong: CDPs and AI in their first generation were game-changers. But they haven\u2019t changed the game enough to meet company expectations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. AI takes off the training wheels<\/h2>\n

I might have misjudged how actively companies would replace their martech services, but I was right that AI continued to evolve in 2025.<\/p>\n

In my own workday, AI has evolved rapidly from an intern performing tasks like basic copywriting to a valued partner (nicknamed Dean) assisting me with high-level work in reporting, analysis, and research. It also keeps me up to date on trends by synthesizing all the information I consume across the web.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dig deeper: How to write great copy for every channel<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Last year, my agency, RPE Origin, produced several well-received white papers showing marketers how they can use the AI capabilities we have now to catapult their work to the next level, like this:<\/p>\n