2025 was the year marketers got distracted.

Focus beats frenzy

The biggest distraction of 2025 was the abundance of choice. It's like being in a restaurant, and there are too many things to choose from. This has been the same for marketers in 2025. Too much choice. 

There are too many tools. Too many dashboards. Too many ‘small’ tests that quietly absorbed time and money.

Marketers got stuck in what looked like productivity but wasn’t: constant activity instead of meaningful progress.

In 2026, focus is going to become your superpower. Decide what matters. Put real weight behind it. Cut the rest from your schedule. 

That means:

• Picking fewer channels and doing them well

• Creating a small number of strong, distinctive assets instead of dozens of forgettable ones

• Saying no to pilots that have no strategic value

Momentum comes from having a clear idea of where you're going. Honestly, you'll thank us for it.

Brand drives demand – honestly, it’s not optional

Like many before them, many marketing teams unintentionally drifted into short-termism this year. Pressured by targets, excited by new AI optimisation tools (we know, it's easy to get hooked), tempted by hyper-performance messaging, many campaigns ended up heavily focusing on bottom-funnel activity.

The problem? Brands only grow when people remember them before they need them.

In 2026, the brands that strip back to strong, consistent, recognisable brand building and then layer activation on top, will outperform those who rely solely on chasing signals or algorithms.

So the reset is simple: Protect your brand-building budget.
Guard it. Champion it. Measure it properly. And make sure your creative is distinctive enough to stay in mind.

Measure what matters, not what’s easy

I lose count of how many times I say this, but this year has seen an explosion in data. But more data hasn't led to greater understanding.

Last-click metrics have been overused. Vanity KPIs snuck into presentations and reports. Marketers have reported on 'engagement' because it was available, not because it proved anything that drove a meaningful result for their brand.

In 2026, measurement needs to become more grown-up:

• Attention metrics will matter more

• Incrementality testing becomes essential

• Brand tracking returns to the forefront

• MMM and econometrics become accessible to more teams (and this might be where AI can help with some of the heavy lifting)

But the biggest reset is this: pick five metrics that genuinely show progress towards things that matter to your organisation and ignore the rest. You’ll get better decisions and easier to write reports!

AI should simplify, not complicate

AI was both the biggest gift and the biggest distraction of the last two years. Many teams tried to use everything, everywhere, all at once. The result was often inconsistent, questionable creative quality, and endless conversations about tools rather than outcomes.

In 2026, the most effective marketers will treat AI like plumbing: essential, powerful, but not the star of the show.

That looks like:

• Standardising AI use in workflows

• Ensuring brand voice remains human-led

• Using AI for scale and speed, not strategy

• Focusing on fewer, high-quality tools rather than a chaotic tech stack

If AI isn’t making your life easier, it’s not being used correctly.

Your media mix does not need novelty

We see far too many brands spend too widely this year. They've been dabbling everywhere but committing to results nowhere. 

A good 2026 reset includes:

• Refocus on proven, scalable channels like OOH, BVOD, radio/audio, and paid social (if they are right for your audiences)

• Treating new formats as supporting players, not main events

• Understanding where your audience actually spends time - not where hype says they do (don't get me started on this one!)

Get the basics right, and your experiments suddenly become far more effective.

Better briefs result in better work

One of the biggest frustrations for agencies this year (and for internal teams) was the rising number of incomplete or unclear briefs.

A solid 2026 brief needs:

• A single, clear objective.

• A tight definition of the problem.

• The truths about the audience, not the stereotypes

• Real constraints (budget, timing, assets, approvals)

• What success looks like – and how it will be measured

Better briefs save weeks of time, improve creative quality, reduce rework and create happier teams on both sides.

You can find out more about how to write a good brief, here.

Consistency will outperform complexity

If there’s one unmistakable pattern from this year, it’s this: the brands that stayed consistent grew; the ones that kept reinventing themselves slowed down.

In 2026, commit to:

• A clear brand

• A recognisable design system

• A repeatable content structure

• A stable and consistent tone of voice

People remember what they see and hear often, not what they see once (as brilliant as that once might be!).

Consistency builds mental availability. Consistency builds trust. Consistency builds sales.

What this all means for 2026

Next year won’t be easier. Regulation will tighten (for those in the HFSS space, it will be significant). AI will accelerate. Attention will fragment. Budgets will be scrutinised. Teams will be asked to do more with less (again!).

But here’s the good news: clarity does cut through chaos.

If you focus on fewer priorities, protect your long-term brand-building budgets, strip back your measurement to the things that matter, use AI intelligently and bring proper thinking back to your media mix, 2026 can be quieter, calmer and far more effective than the year you’re leaving behind.

The brands that win next year won’t be the loudest or the most experimental. They’ll be the ones with the clearest strategy, the strongest creative and the confidence to ignore distractions.

2026 will reward marketers who stay focused. That can be you!