5 Predictions for 2026

 By Rob Blake, MD EMEA, Channel Factory

2026 is shaping up to be a year of real change in how brands use technology, context, and creativity to drive growth. The shifts we’re seeing across suitability, AI, video, and consumer behaviour are signals of how the next wave of effective marketing will actually work. What matters now is how brands apply these shifts with intention, clarity, and accountability.

Here are five shifts I believe will define the year ahead, and what they mean for marketers who want to stay ahead of the curve:

1. Suitability becomes a growth strategy

For years, suitability sat in the shadow of brand safety. It was viewed as something defensive. In 2026, that changes. Suitability will become one of the most strategic levers available to marketers.

Brands will continue moving away from blunt exclusion lists and more and more, start embracing the positive environments, communities, and conversations that actively build trust. AI will help advertisers read tone and sentiment with far more nuance, giving them clarity not just on where not to appear, but where presence actually drives performance.

And after years of over-blocking, we’ll see a correction. Avoid too much, and you lose reach, diversity, culture, and connection. Lean into suitability, and you increase all four.

Suitability will strengthen and grow reputation in 2026.

2. The funnel finally catches up with reality

The journey from “I like this” to “I bought this” has compressed. Discovery, evaluation, and decision-making now blend into a handful of interactions. Most of the heavy lifting happens long before a shopper hits the conversion moment.

In 2026, the brands that win will be the ones that start curating relevance. This means showing up earlier in the journey, with creative and context that match audience intent. It means building memory long before customers reach the messy middle, the critical point where consideration and soon after decision happens. And it means treating full-funnel planning as table stakes, not an ambition.

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3. AI becomes useful (because humans stay in charge)

AI is no longer a shiny new toy. It’s becoming infrastructure and the next phase will be defined by better application.

In 2026, the most successful marketers will be the ones who use AI to scale relevance, not replace human strategy. Humans will set intention. Models will accelerate execution.

And with energy consumption and data ethics moving centre stage, conscious AI adoption will become a competitive differentiator. The smart question is no longer “What can AI do?” but “What should AI do?”

AI that works with people, not instead of them, will shape the next wave of marketing effectiveness.

4. TV becomes a context battleground

The idea of ‘second screen’ viewing is outdated. People now move seamlessly between devices, platforms, and formats, and expect cultural moments on their own terms. That’s why YouTube is now the UK’s second most-watched streaming service on TV sets.

In 2026, the battle won’t be for reach. It’ll be for relevance. AI-powered buying will make impressions easier to find. But intentional placement of the right creative in the right contextual environment will be the differentiator. Brands that use context to connect, not just data to target, will win on CTV.

5. Creators shift from influence to infrastructure

The creator economy has matured and has now become a performance engine. By 2026, creators will be treated less as one-off partnerships and more as programmable, scalable components of media strategy, especially on platforms like YouTube where discovery and commerce blend seamlessly.

Authenticity will still come from a creator’s voice, but will also come from precise contextual alignment: the right message landing in the right environment, to an audience in the right mindset.

AI will accelerate this shift, helping marketers rapidly analyse, optimise, and personalise creator content at scale, without losing transparency or suitability.

Where this leaves us for 2026

2026 will reward brands that make conscious, intelligent choices about where they show up, how they connect, and what they allow AI to influence.

Suitability will be a growth lever. The funnel will move faster. AI will get smarter. Video will get more contextual. And creators will become part of the media architecture.

 The future belongs to marketers who combine intention with intelligence, and show up where it truly matters.

If you want to turn these shifts into real performance and show up where it matters in 2026, Channel Factory can help you build strategies grounded in suitability, relevance and context.

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