Forecasts from dentsu and WARC point to a year defined less by incremental channel shifts and more by a fundamental reordering of how brands create growth, plan media and manage technology.

At the same time, AI’s influence is expanding, but not in the reductive ways once feared. While AI-driven search is changing how information is discovered, driving the rise of generative engine optimisation, evidence suggests it is not destroying traffic or creativity.

Digital will account for nearly 70% of global ad spend, led by retail media, online video and social, with programmatic now the default buying layer. Traditional channels continue to grow modestly, reinforcing the need for integration rather than substitution.

Cultural attention is fragmenting and broadening. Global events such as the World Cup and Olympics will boost engagement, but growth is also coming from docuseries, anime, gaming and creator-led ecosystems. Creator marketing and influencer investment are accelerating, particularly in the UK, but effectiveness remains uneven.

Taken together, the signals point to 2026 as a year where complexity becomes permanent. Winning brands will be those that treat media as a strategic system, embrace AI with discipline, invest in talent that connects data, creativity and commerce, and balance experimentation with rigorous standards of quality and trust.

Campaigns of the week

HEINZ has introduced the HEINZ Dipper, a fry box designed with a built-in ketchup compartment to make dipping easier while on the move.

Creative studio Squad has developed a brand campaign for holiday company Eurocamp designed to broaden the brand’s appeal and reach a younger audience across multiple European markets.

Seara has launched Mind Player, a technology-led brand activation that explores how gamers can eat without pausing gameplay. The initiative uses brain-controlled gameplay to free players’ hands while they interact with on-screen characters.

Agencies and accounts

The Public Relations and Communications Association has appointed Sprint Partners as its first growth and new business partner.

HomeEquity Bank has appointed Lifelong Crush as its agency of record, tasking the independent agency with supporting the bank’s continued growth in Canada’s reverse mortgage market.

broadhead has been appointed agency of record by Zinpro Corporation, taking responsibility for the company’s global, North America and pet business marketing activity.

Partnerships and acquistions

WPP Media has retained its integrated media mandate for Reckitt India and expanded the partnership with the addition of an e-commerce media remit.

VCCP has moved to strengthen its Asia-Pacific presence with the acquisition of Singapore-based independent agencies GOVT and its digital sister agency Ministry.

VIOOH has formed a strategic partnership with Dolphin OOH to widen programmatic access to premium digital out of home inventory across the United States.

Other major news of the week

Havas Switzerland has launched Havas Play, Havas’ network dedicated to activating consumer passions, building playgrounds to connect communities to Swiss brands.

VML has appointed Joe Petyan as chief executive officer of VML UK, placing him in charge of the agency’s creative, data and technology capabilities in one of its key markets.

Bob Koigi is the editor-in-chief of Marketing Report

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