2026 趋势报告 人工智能时代下的营销 2026 Trends Report Marketing in the Age of AI

CTDGITAR

2026

Trends:

Marketing

intheageofAI

Contents

1.Findingthe‘why’beforeAI

2.Moresoul,lessslop

3.Brandasthedeepestmoat

4.Contentisnotanumbersgame

5.“I’dliketothankmyagent”

6.GEO,AEO,LLMO?It’sallsemantics.

7.Accessibilityrequiresengagement

8.TheAIefficiencytrap

9.Pilotsstartwithpeople

10.AIlevelstheplayingfield

2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

Introduction:

MarketingintheAgeofAI

AIischallengingmarketers.Toinnovate,tobecomemoreefficient,butalsotozigwhenthealgorithmszag.It’screatingbothpressureandpossibility.

ThetrendsinthisreportreflecttheironictensionasAIgetsevermorepowerfulanduseful,andindoingso,raisesthepremiumonauthentic,humanperspectivesandexperience.

“Two-speedthinkinghasbecomeapre-requisite

forCMOs...”

We’lllayouthowmarketersshouldrespondin2026,wheretheopportunitiesliewithhuman-centricAI,andwhat’snext.

Insimpleterms,wedigintothequestionsthateverybusinessis

dealingwith:WhatcanAIdo?Wherewillitaddvalueforus?Howdoweimplementiteffectively?Whatarethepotentialrisksforour

CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

brandandourpeople?Andhowdoweremaindistinctiveandclear-eyedthroughthisperiodofdisruption?

AtCTI,acrossourDesign&Build,Growth,andInnovationteamswe’ve

seenhowthealgorithmagehasimpactedourclients.Two-speedthinkinghasbecomeapre-requisiteforCMOs,whomustcombinetheinsightofaMarkOpsspecialistandlifecyclemanagerwiththeinstinctsofabrand

custodianandcustomerofficer.

Our10trendseachgiveanodtothisleftbrain/rightbraindynamicandhopefullystrikeapragmaticandoptimistictonefortheyearahead.

Themarketingdepartmenthasalwaysthrivedamidstuncertaintyandchange.Itsleadersnowhaveanoutsizedroletoplayinthe

implementationofthispowerfultechnology.◼

CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

1.Findingthe‘why’beforeAIIt’stimetoconfrontthestrategicplanninggap.

It’sbeennosurprisetoreadheadlinesaboutcorporateAIpilotsandtheirtendencytofizzleout.Thereareechoeshereoftheearlydaysofdigitaltransformation.

Likeanyothertech,AIprojectscanfallfoulofissueswith

governance,integrationorsecurity.Butperhapsmorefundamentally,businessesriskwastedinvestmentiftheyallowstrategytobe

supplantedbyhype.

Productivitywithoutpurpose

ThedangerisifAIusageisspottyandtactical.Iftoolsremainasad

hocassistants,andarenotintegratedintoworkflows,theycanenterthedreadedterritoryof‘workslop’.ThisisthetermforlowqualityAI-generatedworkthatmerelycreatestheimpressionofproductivity.Itisthebyproductofalackofinvestmentinstandardisation,training

andgovernance.Butitalsoreflectsalackofpurpose–alossoffocusonwhytheorganisationexists.

Businessesmustclosethestrategicplanninggapanddefinetheproblemstheyaresolvingfor,beforetheycanworkoncompanycultureandadoption.

Successstemsfromalignmentamongstleadership,andclarityaboutopportunity(withKPIsattached).LeadersplanningAIpilotsmay

pursueaportfolioapproach(as

advocatedbyDavidEdmondson-Bird,

FacultyLeadinAIatMMU’sCentreforEnterprise),whichdefines

opportunitiesacrossthedistinctareasofsupport,operations,strategyandfuturebets.Thisapproachallowsorganisationstoprioritise,manageriskandfocusonexistingbusinessneeds.

Knowingwhentobuildorbuy

Planningwillalsoincludethequestionofwhentobuildorbuy.In

transformationprojectsatCTIweoftentalkabout‘replatforming

withoutregret’,andthissentimentcanbeextendedtoAI.Gettingtherightinfrastructure,systemsandinterfacesinplaceisvitalforlong-termsuccess.

Managingallthemovingpartsofstrategicplanning,stakeholder

engagement,workflowmapping,techimplementationandemployeetrainingisnomeanfeat.Butthepotentialisthereforbusinessesthatgetitrighttodevelopanunfairadvantage.◼

(workslop’|noun.

LowqualityAI-generatedworkthatcreatestheillusionofproductivity.

CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

2.Moresoul,lessslop

Humanstorytellingisindemand.

BackinSeptember2025,severalpeoplenotedtheironyinChatGPThiringforacontentstrategist(shaping“voiceandtone”)and

Anthropiclookingforamanagingeditor(includingreferencetoits“boundarypushingnarrativecontent”).

Theseareeffectivelyhumanstorytellingroles,onheftywages.Theyrecognisethefactthattechhastobechosen,implementedand

understoodbyhumans.Andatthemoment,humansarecryingoutforauthenticinsight.It’snothardtounderstandwhy

‘Slop’.awordof2025

Nowaccountsfor

halfofwritten

webcontent

and

20%ofvideos

showntonewYouTubeusers.

The‘ruleofthree’

Evenonpeople-focused

platformslikeLinkedIn,it’seasytospotthehallmarksofAI,suchasrepetitivesyntax.

“That’sAI”

Usedbyyoungergenerationsasslangfor‘fake’or‘unbelievable’.

Reassuringtypos

Fromasignofshoddy

workmanshiptoabeaconofhumanity.

Thistrendhasbeenbubblingunderforyearsandit’snothingnew–brandshaven’tsuddenlywokenuptothepowerofauthenticity,

expertiseandtrust.Butarguablyconsumers,ifnotmorescepticalthanever,areincreasinglywaryofeverythingfromscamsand

misinformationtodatamisuseandopaquebusinesspractices.

Inthisenvironment,marketersshouldconsiderthevalueof

employeeadvocacy(wecanseethisnotjustacrossB2B,butinthestrategiesofretailbrandssuchasCurrysandArgoswhoareusingemployeegeneratedcontent).

ResearchfirmMintelinitslatest

beautyandpersonalcare

predictions

assertsthatby2030“imperfectionwillbethenewluxury”,withdemandforproductsthat“feelraw,human,andunpolished”.

Expert-ledcontentisanotherwaytostandout.Itdoesn’tneedtobeover-produced.Simpleexplainerposts–thatcomefrompeoplewithdeepknowledgeandpassionforaproductorcategory–can

outperformhighlypolishedassets.◼

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3.Brandasthe

deepestmoat

AreCMOsneglectingbrandbuildingjustwhenitmattersmost?

AIisrightlyafocusformanyCMOspursuingefficiencyorinnovation.Butthiscannotbeattheexpenseofbrandbuilding.Astrongbrandremainsthebestwayformarketerstoprotectthemselvesagainst

thevicissitudesofachangingmedialandscape.

Sailingthe‘seaofsameness’

Asbarrierstoentryforcontentcreationarefalling,manytrend

reportshighlighta‘seaofsameness’andaskwhetherbrandshavewhatittakestocutthroughonline.Inshort,isyourbrandinterestingormemorableenoughinaworldofdoomscrollingandAIslop,anddoesitappearintherightplaces?

Thismightinvolvegoingbacktofundamentalssuchasyourbrand’shistory,positioning,distinctiveassets,andabilitytostaythecoursewithconsistentmessaging.Differentiationisn’teasy.Conformityisapowerfulsocialinfluence,andmanymarketersusethesametech,thesameprocessesandthesameresearchmethodology.

Lifeinazero-clickworld

AIsearchhasaddedanotherstrandtotheconversation,as

marketersentertainafutureinwhichconsumersarelesslikelyto

clickontotheirwebsites.Thiszero-clickengagementhappenswhenbrandsarementionedorrecommendedbyAI(suchasinChatGPTorGoogle’sAIOverviews).Purchasejourneysarebecomingmore

fragmentedasaconsequence,andAIhasthepotentialtospeeduptheconsiderationphaseasconsumersuseLLMsforproduct

comparisonandproblemsolving.

Andofcourse,there’savirtuouscircle.Brandperceptionaids

visibilityinsearch(andviceversa).AIgainsconfidenceinyourbrandasanentitybydrawingfrompresscoverage,user-generated

content,socialmedia,videoandyourwidercommunity.Butdespitethesenetworkeffects,challengerbrandsthatmovequicklyand

createuniquecontentcanstillgainafoothold.

Thisraisesthequestionforeverybrandofhowmuchtheycurrentlyrelyonpaidororganicsearch,andwhethertheymightbeexposedifthesechannelsarefurtherdisruptedbyAI.

Thereareparallelsherewithoneofthecentraldebatesofthedigitaladvertisingera–brandvs.performance.Optimisationandshort-termsalesshouldnotundercutabrand’sattempttogrowdemand.◼

4.Contentisnotanumbersgame

Contextiskingacrosssearchandsocialin2026.

Themedialandscapeisevermorefragmented,contentmore

copious.GenerativeAIhasbeenamixedblessinginthisregard,withaproportionofmarketersandpublishersusingthepowerofLLMstospinoutmoreandmorestuff.

Therationale,apartfromthrowingmoreatthewall,isthatsemanticsearchisnowgoodenoughtoworkthroughallyourwebcontent,understandit,thensliceanddiceitforthesearcher(seetrend6:

GEO).Ifyouarearetailer,whypresentaneatlistofproductfeatureswhenyoucouldjustasquicklygenerateaveryrich500-wordyarnaboutprovenanceandcraftsmanship?

Thebloatrace

Previousinterneterashaveseenwebpagesbloatedwithkeyword

stuffingandadmonetisation.Socialmedia,too,feelsbloated.Brandshavetraditionallyshownupwithasalesmessageoneveryplatform.Toomanymarketersareoccupiedby‘posting’ratherthan

understandingcommunities.

ThechallengeoftheAIageisstilltoprioritisetheuserandkeepthingsstreamline.

CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

Thesmartesthaverealisedthatshoutingloudestandmostoftenisnotasustainablewaytobreakthroughthenoisewithowned

content.‘Attentionatallcosts’isnomatchfortrueauthorityoverthesubjectmatter.Sowhatdoesthatactuallylooklike?

CreatewhatAIcan’t

Buildingtheprofilesoftrusted,internalexpertscanhelpcutthroughacrosscontentandsocial.AscansharingprimarydataandinsightsforwhichAIcanonlyciteyourbrand.

Aimfortopicauthority

Thelongtailofconversationalsearchrewardscontentthatanswersrealuserquestions.

Google’squeryfan-outtechniqueworksby“breakingdownyour

questionintosubtopicsandissuingamultitudeofqueries

simultaneouslyonyourbehalf”.Thetaskthen,formarketers,isto

buildtopicalauthoritybyunderstandingthetypesofquestionsusersareasking.Contentmustbewell-structuredanddirectlyanswer

thesequestionsifbrandsaretoearncitations.

Associalbecomesmoresearch-driven,too,thefocusisondeliveringforyourcoreaudience.MetanowallowsuserstoshapetheirReelsfeedbyaddingorremovingtopics(‘YourAlgorithm’).Yourcontent

CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

“needstomakeitobviouswhereitfits,”

saysCTIHeadofSocial

EimileKerrigan

.“Tryingtobeeverythingforeveryonehasneverworkedbrilliantly,butnowitactivelyworksagainstyou.”

Haveclearrolesforeachplatform

Presenceonlymattersifitaddsvalue.Bewhereyourcustomersare,butonlyiftheywantyoutobe.Andonlyifyouhavetheresourcestoturnupinawaythatbestrepresentsyourbrand.

Redefinewhatreachlookslike

Viewsandclicksmeannothingunlesstheyarequalified.Reachingmillionsofusersisuselessifthesepeoplearenotcurrently,oreverwillbe,inthemarketforyourproduct.◼

CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

5.“I’dliketothankmyagent”

Theagenticboomisunderway,nowisthetimetoexperiment.

Theagenticrevolutionisuponus.Andforanyonewithimposter

syndrome,LinkedInhasbeenanunforgivingplacewhereself-

proclaimed‘growthhackers’boastofruthlesslyorchestratedcontentorsalesworkflowsthatarebothefficientandeffective(“just

comment‘agent’ifyouwanttoknowhowIdoit”).

Inreality,mostcompanieshaven’tgotstuckin...yet.

AccordingtoChiefmartecandMartechTribe’s

2025survey

,justunderaquarterofrespondentshavedeployedagentsintoproduction.

Anotherthirdwereinthelimitedproductionphase,andanotherthirdintheexperimentationphase.

Contentandcustomerserviceasprovinggrounds

Whenitcomestousecases,contentproduction(69%)andcustomerservice(54%)wereoverwhelminglythemostpopular.Butmanyof

theotherusecasesinthesurveyhadbeenadoptedbyoverafifthofrespondents.

Mostofuswillhaveatleastexperimentedwithagentsfor

summarisingoroptimisingcopy,andotherswillhavegonefurther

withworkflowsthathelpwithcontentadaptationandposting.The

sameappliestosalesdevelopment(AISDRs),whereB2BmarketersareautomatingICPidentificationandoutreach.Agentforcehasbeeninthemarketsincelate2024andits

leadnurturingagent

cansendcustomisedoutreachemailsusingdataonrecord,followupwith

nudges,answerquestionsfromprospects(includingoff-topic)andhandthemofftosalesreps.

Wemaystillbeintheearlystagesoftheagenticrevolution,butthepotentialisobvious.What’sexcitingaboutagentsisnotjusttheir

capacitytotakeawayadmin(afterall,automationhasbeenaroundforalongwhile)buttheircontextualunderstandingofabusiness.

Knowledgemanagement

Withtherightgrounding,agentscansuperpowerknowledgemanagement,including:

CRMhistoryaroundcustomerenquiries;

responselibraries,andafeedbackloopthatimprovescommunicationandrecommendations;

andultimatelythesummarisationofeverythinggoingonintheorg,frommeetingstoprocesses.

23.3%

Marketerswithagentsinfullproductionusecases.(AI&DatainMarketingSurvey,ChiefmartecandMartechTribe)

Theagenticcaveat,however,isdata.Thisisafamiliarrefrainfor

marketers.Intheaforementionedsurvey,56%ofrespondentssaidpoordataqualitywasasignificantimplementationchallenge.

Ensuringtherightagentshaveaccesstotherightdataiswheresomeofthoselegacyissuesreartheirheads.

NoreplacementsforSaaSplatforms

Thoughagentictoolsareattractivebecausetheyoftenliveadjacenttothestack(andmarketerscansetthemupquickly),it’sclearthat

theydon’tcurrentlyreplaceSaaSplatformfunctionality.ScottBrinkerandFranRiemersmaintheir

FutureofMartechreport

highlightthatalargemajorityofusecases(85%)enhanceexistingmartech

functionality.Twooutoffiveagenticusecasesoffernewfunctionalityaltogether,andonly30%replaceexistingmartechfeatures.

Theseareprobablycomfortingstatisticsforthosewhoareyettoexploreagentic.Theyallowthemarketertothinklaterally,andtheydon’tyetencouragerootandbranchreplatforminginmartech(thesortthatgetsexpensiveandtimeconsuming).

Agentsofthecustomer

Butbeforeyougettoocomfortable,noticewehaven’ttouchedon

customeragents.Thesenewintermediariesmayupsettheapplecartforallofussoonenoughiftheyallowconsumerstodelegate

researchandpurchasingtoatrustyassistant.Therearemajor

doubts,though,aboutwhethershopperswillbetrulyhappymakingconsideredpurchasesoutsideofafine-tunedecommerceUI.As

such,wehaven’tplumpedfor‘chattocheckout’behaviourasa2027trendformarketers.However,AIcompaniescouldwelllaunchadsinthecomingyear,inwhichcasetheproofwillbeinthepudding.◼

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CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

6.GEO,AEO,LLMO?It’sallsemantics.

AIsearchunderstandshumansbetterthanever.AndSEOhastoadapt.

AIsearchhasalreadycroppeduptwiceinthisreport,inoursectionsonbrandandcontent.It’snosurprisethatsearchisofwide-ranginginteresttomarketers,givenitshistoricalimportance.

Thereareobviousfearsaboutfurtherdigitaldisintermediationfor

brands.AIOverviewsandanswerengineswilltellcustomersabout

thestrengthsandweaknessesofyourproductrighttherein‘positionzero’,andtheinformationwon’tnecessarilyoriginatefromyourowncontent.Theresultisadwindlingclickthroughrate.

Customersjustwantanswers

ThesemanticintelligenceofAIshouldhelpsearchersfindexactly

whattheyneed.Thisshouldn’tbeabigshocktomarketers,whohaveunderstoodforyearsthatdoingrightbytheircustomeristheroutetorankingwell(throughsiteperformance,architectureandhelpful

content).ThebetterAIgetsatunderstandinghumanintent,arguablythelessesotericSEObecomes.Thatdoesn’tmeanthedeathofthediscipline,justthatmarketerscannotsucceedwithoutdeep

knowledgeofconsumermotivations.

AIsearchshouldbenefitmarketersdoingthingstherightway.That’sthosewhoarebuildingtheirbrandreputationacrosstheinternet,notsimplychurningoutbland,keywordfocusedcontentoroutbidding

thecompetition.Ofcourse,asclicksarefalling,itwouldbefoolishtopredictthefutureofGoogle’smodel,butconsumerscertainlyseemtobeembracingAIOverviews.

TheGEOmindsetshift

Alotofthisisstillupfordebate,butfornow,there’sageneralconsensusintheindustrythatmarketersshould:

movefromkeywordstotopicauthority(understanduserquestionsandanswerthemwithqualitycontent);

trackAIshareofvoiceatatopiclevel;

buildtheentitythatisyourbrand–targetmentionsviathirdpartyvalidationinthepress,affiliates,socialmedia,reviewsetc;

earncitationsbyprovidingcomprehensivebrandinformation-gapsmayallowcompetitorstodefinepartofyouroffering;

createpagesthatarebothmachine-readableandhuman-

readable(schema+well-structured,interlinked,concisecontent);

remembertheessentials-technicalSEOhasn’tchangedandcontentshouldstillbeeasytoconsume;

prioritiseengagementoveremptytraffic-pursueamultichannelapproachincorporatingvideoandsocial;

craftcontentthatAIlikestorecommend-FAQs,freeinteractivetoolsandhow-toguides.◼

CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

7.Accessibilityrequires

engagement

InclusivedesigncannotbeabdicatedtoAI.

Manyaccessibilityissueshavebeentoooftenoverlookedindigitaldesign.AI,forgoodandbad,isnowpartofthisdebate.

That’sbecauseAItoolshave

emergedaspowerfulaidsfordisabledpeople,andfor

usabilityexperts.Yet,thereistheriskthatthesetoolscoulddeterinvestmentininclusivedesign,withthebeliefthattheonuscannowfallonnew

technology.AsUnescoputsit,‘

abdicatingengagement

’toAI,andperpetuating“the

perceptionofdigital

accessibilityasanaddedtask.”

TheseAItoolsforusersinclude:

computervisionandaudiodescriptionappsforthe

blindandpartiallysighted

(theRNIBreferencesthe

likesofBeMyEyes,SeeingAI,TapTapSee,andiDentifi);

livetranscriptionapps;

reading,writingand

comprehensionassistants,suchasMicrosoft’s

ImmersiveReaderorthesummarisationcapabilitiesofLLMs;

voiceinterfaces,andmore.

ForUXdesignandusertesting,thereareAI-poweredcompliancecheckers,anddeepresearchtools(includingthelikesofChatGPT)thatcanperformheuristicevaluationofwebsitepages.

Sucheasilyaccessibleinsight,buildingonWCAGguidelines,isa

boontodigitalinclusionifitisusedasoneelementofabaked-in

approachtoaccessibility.Butitisonlyoneelement,becausethoughitoffersscaleandinitialtime-savings,itcannotaccountfornuance,orofferadvicegroundedinpracticaltestingwithadiversesetof

users.

Realusersatthefore

Unescoalsopointstothelimitationsofsyntheticdata–an

applicationofAIthathaspotentialtospeedupmarketresearchandtesting.AswithallAIsystems,syntheticuserscan“reflectdominantpatternspresentintrainingdata”.Withouttestingwithrealusers,

thisbiascancalcify,preservingthestatusquo.ThemosteffectiveapproachwillremainabalanceofhumanexpertiseanddiscoverywithAItoolsinthemix.◼

CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

8.TheAI

efficiencytrap

Marketingshouldcreatenewvalue,notsimplyautomatearoundtheedges.

Foralongtime,someofthesharpestmindsinmarketinghave

opinedthatthedisciplineisrootedincreatingvalueforthecustomer.

FromPeterDruckerthroughtomodern-daywriterssuchasRory

SutherlandandHelenEdwards,therearemanythathavedecriedtheviewofmarketingasacostcentreandhavepointedoutthe

limitationsofmereoptimisation.

Thepeoplewant‘fasterhorses’

Withoutinnovation,marketerswouldbestucktryingtorepeatlastyear’sKPIs,tweakingthestrategyandbudgetinpursuitofgreaterefficiencyoreffectiveness,untiladisruptorridesintotown.Whattheyshouldbedoingisgoingafteruntappedcustomerneed,orcreatingnewlydesirableproducts,orboth.

Therearelotsofanalogiesthatapply,butprobablynonebetter

thantheapocryphalHenryFordquoteaboutthepeople“wantingfasterhorses”.

This‘70:30’debateabouttheroleofexperimentationinmarketingisnotquiteasoverwroughtassomeofthediscussionabout‘brandvs.performance’or‘shorttermvs.longterm’,butitlivesinthe

sameuniverse.

And–don’trollyoureyes–AIhassuddenlymadetheseexistentialquestionsverymuchofthemoment.Becausethistechismeanttofreeupourtimetoapplyhigherorderthinkingmoreoften,

anddelegatetheoptimisationtothemachines.

ButthedangeristhatallourenergygoesintousingAIforefficiency,superchargingourshort-sightednessintoanuber-efficientsystemthatisincapableoftrulymovingtheneedle.◼

CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

9.Pilotsstartwithpeople

AIrolloutsmustconfrontthefearfactor.

We’vetalkedalotabouttheroleofhumansalongsideAI.Justasinthedigitaltransformationera,companyculturecansingle-handedlymakeorbreakanAIrollout.So,let’sgetintoitandtackleculture

headon.

Top-downmeetsbottom-up

Culturalissuescanbetop-down,bottom-up,oramixofboth.Theymayinclude:

anxietyabouttheimpactofAIonjobsecurity;

lackoftrust(“Doesthetoolmakeerrors?WillIbeblamed?Isiton‘myside’?AmItrulyempoweredtouseit?Isitfair?”);

lackoftraining;

andpoorcommunicationfromtheC-suite.

Theseissuescancontributetothepresenceof‘detractors’,

inadequategovernanceandastrategicvacuum,ultimatelyleadingtopoorAIimplementation.

Detractorsareeasytounderstandwithanytechthatbringsnew

workflows,especiallywhenspottoolsareintroducedfirstandnot

integratedwithexistingsystems.Usersneedcleardirection,

examplesofwhat‘good’lookslike,andengagingtraining.Whattheydon’tneedisalackofclarityfromleadership,whomaynotbe

entirelysureofthebestusecases.

GaugingAIreadiness

LeadersmustacknowledgethefearfactorfromDay1.Overcomingitrequireseducation.“Trainingteamstogether,startingwithfun

examplesandexercisesdesignedtoacclimatisepeopletoAI(thinkpromptengineeringappliedtoyourhobbies,forexample),canthenleadontoidentifyingopportunitiesintheworkplace,”

writes

CTI

DigitalCEOChrisBurgess.

ThisgaugingofAIreadinessisanimportantfirststepbeforeteamscanworktogethertoidentifybackendtasksforaugmentation.“ThismightbeginwithpromptingforsolutionsusingaRACEframework

(role,action,context,expectation),”saysBurgess,“beforeeventuallymovingontoothertoolssuchasAI-poweredworkflowautomationorwebandappbuilders(e.g.n8n,Lovable,Replit).”

Ahuman-centricapproach

Collaborationintheeducation/experimentationphaseisvital.

McKinsey

highlights

thevalueofincorporatingdiverseperspectivesearlyandoften.However,theconsultancyfoundthatlessthanhalf(48%)ofC-suiteemployeessaytheywouldinvolvenon-technical

employeesintheearlystagesofAIdevelopment.

Governanceshouldalsobeaccessibletoall,notwritteninlegalese,andwillevolveovertimeinordertoencouragetherightbehavioursinthebusiness.◼

10.AIlevelsthe

playingfield

Butlackofinternalexpertisecouldnixmid-market

revolution.

Wehavestruckatoneofcautiousoptimisminthisreport,butitJs

obvioustoallwhythemarkethasbeensobullishaboutAl.Use

GoogleJsNanoBananaProimagegenerator,topickjustoneexample,and

acertainquote

fromArthurC.Clarkecomestomind.

ThepromisethatAlholdsformarketersishuge,andthetechcouldarguablybeademocratisingforce,levellingtheplayingfieldfor

smallercompaniesshortonresources.

Paceandpotential

Al-poweredfeaturesbeingintegratedintomartechandSaaSproductsaregrowing–bothinnumberandsophistication.

Time-to-insightandbarrierstoproductionarefalling.SyntheticdataandagenticworkflowshavethepotentialtotipthescalestowardsagileandambitiouschallengerbrandswhoarenJtladenwith

CT2026Trends:MarketingintheAgeofAI

technicaldebtorafraidtokilltheirdarlings.

ShopifyJs

December(25release

servesasausefulyardstickto

understandhowAlmodelsarebeingincorporatedintoSaaSfor

insight,predictionandcontentgeneration.ThecommerceplatformJsvirtualassistantSidekickcannow:

·providestoreownerswithpersonalisedrecommendationsfor

optimisation(suggestingyournextA/Btestoremailautomation),

·generatecustomapps(e.g.askforonetocreatediscountcodes),

·bepromptedtomakedesignedits(tellithowtomodifyawebsitetheme,productphotosoremaillayout).

Forthosestoresshortoftraffic,anewShopifyapp,SimGym,createssyntheticpersonas,allowingsmallerretailerstosimulateshopper

behaviourandmoreconfidentlytestchanges.Thisisjustone

exampleof