See all of Ogilvy's 2026 Predictions here

Marketing in 2026 faces an existential reckoning: adapt to the forces reshaping our industry, or surrender to irrelevance

The pressures facing companies big and small, global and local, are far from subtle. For marketers, the downstream effect is that boardrooms are losing faith in the practice’s ability to continually drive tangible business and growth outcomes. We’re in the midst of a generational transfer, where the stakeholders are quickly becoming younger and more diverse as older generations fade. AI is becoming ubiquitous, yet consumers aren’t fully on board yet.

As Ogilvy Consulting looks at the year ahead, we see a pivotal shift in how the winners are poised to respond: by adapting to resist the worst outcomes these forces threaten to impose.

Resisting marginalization in the C-suite. Resisting obsolescence as markets transform beneath them. Resisting commodification as AI floods channels with indistinguishable content.

This resistance begins with reckoning with marketing's decade-long obsession with "more." More data. More automation. More content. More reach. That pursuit of scale delivered efficiency, but it now risks undermining marketing's legitimacy. Generic volume must now give way to what demonstrably matters to consumers.

Here are Ogilvy Consulting's 2026 Predictions:

#1 - The Rise of the 'Impact-Driven' CEO (by Ashley Wood, Managing Director North America, Ogilvy Consulting)

What is it?
More than a title, it's years mastering digital, data, growth strategies. The era of simply pursuing "more" era is over. The Impact-Driven CMO is the non-negotiable force at the helm, orchestrating marketing levers for tangible customer and business impact. 

What do we expect?
Impact CMOs will transform marketing into the enterprise's most powerful revenue agent, ensuring every investment fuels continuous growth and strengthens customer relationships, bridging the gap between brand building and immediate ROI, making marketing's contribution undeniable.

Where are we now?
The challenge is no longer acquiring tools but wielding them. The CMO role is in evolution—from digital to data to growth strategy. Each phase built critical capabilities, often in silos. We're at crossroads where these strengths must converge under an impact-focused vision.

What is forcing us to look at it closer?
Boardroom patience has evaporated. There's an insatiable demand for immediate, measurable impact often clashing with the long-term nature of brand-building. Relentless internal pressure, persistent market headwinds, and accelerating technological disruption make the shift to an Impact-Driven CMO not just desirable, but critical.

Why does it matter?
This is marketing's defining moment. The Impact CMO bridges marketing activity and business results. Without this evolution, marketing risks being sidelined, unable to prove its worth. With it, marketing secures a seat at the table, driving customer loyalty, innovation, growth and revenue—not just cost.

#2 - The Succession Economy Transforms Small Business (By Michael Lombardi, Global Consulting Principal, Ogilvy Consulting)

What is it?
The small business landscape is radically transformed by The Succession Economy. This isn't just a shift in ownership; it's a generational re-imagining of Main Street, as tech-fluent, purpose-driven Millennials and Gen Z take the reins of established businesses and demand a fundamentally different kind of partnership from the brands that serve them. 

What do we expect?
Brands will need to abandon outdated, generic SMB strategies and become indispensable allies to Next-Gen Owners. Success requires tailored solutions that bridge legacy operations with modern demands, integrating tech, purpose, and flexibility. Brands that win will be those that help these new owners not just maintain but reimagine their businesses for the future.

Where are we now?
Brands often apply a one-size-fits-all approach when marketing to small business owners, failing to recognize the distinct complexities of inheriting an established business versus starting a new one. This overlooks their unique blend of tradition and innovation, and priorities like purpose, technology adoption, and work-life integration, leaving a significant understanding and support gap. 

What is forcing us to look closer?
The "Silver Tsunami" is here: millions of Boomer-owned businesses are transferring to Millennial and Gen Z owners. Ditching the corporate grind, these new owners are modernizing operations with AI, digital tools, and sustainable practices, actively seeking partners to navigate their ambitions. 

Why does it matter?
Brands have a massive, multi-trillion dollar, first-mover opportunity. Supporting "Next-Gen Owners" to digitize, optimize, and infuse purpose into inherited businesses forges unparalleled loyalty and competitive advantage. Ignoring this seismic shift misses a rapidly evolving, influential market valuing authentic partnership. New stewards rewrite local economies – and brands can lead the way.

#3 - The Authenticity Recession (By David Webster, Principal, Technology Practice at Ogilvy Consulting)

What is it?
As AI floods marketing with scalable perfection, brands face a consumer trust crisis where human imperfection becomes more valuable than algorithmic optimization – forcing a fundamental revaluation of what makes marketing effective.​

What do we expect?
We expect brands to shift from "content volume" to "content veracity" as the primary KPI. The winners will be those who build transparent, human-led creative systems that use AI as a tool while making their humanity provable – not just claimed.​

Where are we now?
Today marketing faces the "AI slop" and "workslop" backlash: 45% of Gen Z and 44% of Boomers oppose AI in advertising, major brands face rejection for AI campaigns, and Gartner places AI in the "Trough of Disillusionment." Meanwhile, platforms promising AI-free content are gaining loyalty.

What is forcing us to look closer?
Consumer distrust is accelerating at unprecedented speed across all demographics. Deepfakes, AI manipulation, and content homogenization have created a credibility vacuum. The more brands automate, the more audiences crave proof of human authorship.

Why does it matter?
Authenticity is becoming the new scarcity in an age of infinite content. Brands that learn to prove their humanity will command premium attention and trust. Those that chase efficiency over authenticity will become background noise – interchangeable and ignorable.