After reviewing more than 50 industry sources from Deloitte, Google and other leading research firms, Franco’s digital team identified the trends that will shape marketing in 2026. What we found was both validating and surprising.
Here’s what’s in and what’s out as we prepare for the rest of the year ahead:
OUT: Perfection. IN: The Human Glitch.
Audiences are fatigued by polished, AI-generated content. Trust is now built through humanity: visible stutters, unscripted moments and scenes that previously would have been edited out.
For years, the standard practice was to remove every “um” and polish everything to a shine. Now those imperfections serve as proof of life. The laugh and the outtake are more valuable than the scripted line.
Over the past two years, AI has enabled teams to create 10 times more content than before. But that volume has come at a cost. The content is thinner, engagement is lower and over-polished work now reads as untrustworthy.
OUT: AI as the Storyteller. IN: AI as the Architect.
The most effective teams are moving AI to the back end, using it as an architect rather than a front-facing storyteller. The goal is efficiency behind the scenes so human stories can take center stage.
This means using AI for workflow tasks like keyword analysis, search console data processing and report building rather than content generation.
OUT: “Just Trust Us.” IN: Show the Receipts.
Brand trust is weak. Audiences want detailed explainers, transparency and proof of concept. Content that builds trust through data and specificity outperforms content that relies on legacy and reputation alone.
The days of vague pledges are over. Changing a profile picture during Pride or Green Week without substantive action behind it no longer resonates. Audiences want verifiable benefits, not virtue signaling.
What works is getting into the specifics: explaining value in authentic terms with real examples from real work.
OUT: Assuming Your Audience Stayed the Same. IN: Recognizing the Consumer Base Has Shifted.
Gen Z now represents about 30% of all consumers, with spending power projected to reach $12 trillion globally . This shift affects more than consumer brands. It impacts nonprofits, B2B, events and donor behavior.
These audiences expect immediacy. They want tangible rewards and instant gratification. Nonprofit organizations are returning to T-shirts and swag because that immediacy resonates. Long-term messaging like “here’s how your dollar goes further” is less effective with younger decision-makers.
They’re also searching differently. About 24% of search now happens on social platforms like TikTok and YouTube rather than traditional search engines. That means brand discovery is happening in feeds, not search results. If your content strategy is still built around Google alone, you’re missing where this audience looks.
OUT: One Polished Asset. IN: Hook and Bridge Strategy.
Production value matters less when the goal is stopping the scroll. A spontaneous, low-production clip (like an unscripted moment before a panel discussion) can serve as the hook that drives traffic to polished long-form content where credibility and trust are built.
For events and webinars, this means capturing raw footage alongside the final product. That behind-the-scenes clip of a speaker moments before going on stage becomes the hook. The full video becomes the substance.
Nostalgia is also performing well. Research from Deloitte shows that remixing past content increases brand likability by up to 20%. Younger audiences aren’t just consuming content. They’re remixing it and creating their own interpretations of brand IP. The opportunity is in providing raw materials for your community to build their own narratives rather than controlling every frame.
OUT: Brand Channels Only. IN: Employee Advocacy.
Humanizing the B2B voice through employees is a top priority for 2026. The trend is toward “edutainment” – professional content that sheds the corporate tone, embraces personality and teaches something useful. This style is performing particularly well on LinkedIn.
Employee advocacy outperforms brand content because it feels authentic coming from a person rather than a logo. People buy from people.
OUT: Public Feeds Only. IN: The Retreat to Private Communities.
Conversations are moving to DMs, Discord, broadcast channels and apps like Nextdoor. These micro-communities are growing, but automated listening tools have not kept pace.
This creates both a challenge and an opportunity. Automated listening tools haven’t caught up to these spaces yet, which means brands need to be sleuths again, like the old days of PR. That means identifying subject matter experts within these communities who can provide insights or finding ways to participate directly in relevant Slack channels, Discord servers and private groups.
Customer service in DMs has also become a high-stakes touchpoint. For some brands, social media now represents a significant share of customer service interactions.
OUT: Short Keywords. IN: Conversational Search and AI Optimization.
Search strategy is shifting from bidding on keywords to training AI with authoritative content. Search queries have evolved from short phrases to full questions.
A recent example from our own Search Console: “what is the best marketing agency for measuring AI visibility.” That type of conversational query would not have appeared two years ago. This is the new reality of generative engine optimization.
The 2026 Action Checklist
Stop polishing every asset.
Stop writing just for keywords.
Stop making vague pledges. Specificity wins in 2026.
Start optimizing for conversational AI and generative search.
Start giving influencers and communities the raw materials to create authentic content.
Start using AI for back-end efficiency: workflow, reporting and analysis.
Continue prioritizing accessibility. Alt text and captions serve both human audiences and the AI crawlers analyzing your content.
The through line: Audiences want specific, relevant, authentic content. They want proof, not promises. They want humans, not polished corporate facades. And they’re finding it in new places: private communities, DMs, AI-powered search and short-form social.
The brands that win in 2026 will be the ones that stop trying to look perfect and start showing up in real ways.
Lexi Trimpe is a Director of Digital + AI at Franco. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
