Lexie Mand: The Future of Marketing – Six 2026 Trends Every Brand Should Know
By Lexie Mand, Delivery Lead, TAG
If you thought 2025 moved fast, buckle up. Marketing in 2026 is set to be a whirlwind.
The year ahead will not be about doing more. It will be about doing better, blending intelligent tech with genuine human connection. Because while AI might write your subject lines, it still cannot replace good old human instinct… yet.
Here is a sneak peek at what is ahead, and how to make sure your brand is not stuck on the sidelines.
AI becomes the engine room of marketing
AI is no longer the intern fetching coffee. It is running the show. In 2026, AI will be crafting, tweaking, and forecasting campaigns faster than you can even spell “automation”.
But just because you can automate everything does not mean you should. The trick is keeping your human tone intact because this is what really helps you stand out.
Start small: automate the repetitive bits, let AI help with testing and analysis, but make sure the creative spark still comes from you (or at least your copywriter).
From personalisation to “creepy accurate” individualisation
Remember when personalisation meant “Hi [First Name]” circa Mailchimp early 00s? Adorable.
By 2026, brands will know your preferences before you do. Every experience, from your inbox to your Instagram, will adapt to your mood, habits, and recent late-night scrolls. While this might sound terrifying as a consumer, for brands the challenge will be striking that fine line between personal and borderline psychic. Get it right and you’ll build loyalty. Get it wrong and you’ll send customers sprinting for the privacy settings.
From campaigns to communities
Let’s be honest. People are over brands shouting at them.
The next era of marketing is about connection, not noise. Brands that build real communities, spaces for shared values, humour and honesty, will thrive.
In other words: stop broadcasting and start belonging. Whether it is user-generated content or fan-led storytelling, the audience should be part of your world, not just a spectator.
Some brands we think are paving the way (spoiler alert: these are brands we manage):
MarTech gets smarter and less annoying
If your marketing tech stack currently looks like a tangled mess of tools you barely use, you are not alone.
2026 will be the year of simplification: integrated systems that talk to each other and actually make your job easier. Less toggling, fewer tabs, and more time for strategy (and coffee).
At TAG, we are helping clients ditch tool overload and focus on what matters: smarter automation, cleaner data, and creative work that moves the needle.
E-commerce: think global, feel local
E-commerce in 2026 is borderless, but the brands winning big will be those that feel local.
That means personalising not just your ads, but your entire shopping experience: local currency, relatable copy, regional nuance, and design that feels like it belongs. Virtual try-ons and 3D previews will become standard, not sci-fi.
If you are an Aussie brand, it is your time to shine. Global reach with local authenticity is the perfect export (we’re eagerly awaiting a USA tariffs update…).
Purpose without the preach
Sustainability statements and purpose-led campaigns are great unless they are hollow.
By 2026, consumers will have a built-in radar for insincerity. If you want to talk about impact, you need to show it. The brands winning here are the ones doing before declaring.
Purpose has to be proof, not PR. Make it real, make it measurable, and ideally, make it sound like it was written by a human, not a legal team.
Wrapping it all up
If 2026 had a motto, it would be this: smarter marketing, with more heart.
The brands leading the charge will not just be tech-savvy; they will be people-savvy. They will blend AI’s precision with human creativity, and they will do it with personality, not a pushy sales pitch.
At TAG, that is where we live: at the intersection of clever tech and genuine connection. Because marketing should make people feel something. Preferably something other than confusion.
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