Today we bring you the first of our traditional end of year peeks into what next year may hold for key sectors, beginning with the PR and marketing world. 2025 was undoubtedly a year dominated by AI, as well as an ongoing trend of mega-mergers and ever-swelling media giants leaving indies wondering if they might be next. So will we see more of the same in 2026? Or is something new waiting to jump out of the blocks and surprise us all? Here’s what some key figures had to say…
Lucy Pritchard, managing partner, Dentsu Creative Manchester
If 2025 was all about the AI hype, then 2026 is the year we actually figure out how to use it properly. At Dentsu Creative, we believe that AI isn’t here to kill creativity – it’s here to take care of the boring, repetitive stuff that slows us down. The magic of creativity still comes from people: real experiences, cultural context, and those little nuances no algorithm can ever truly nail.
Audiences are likely to get tired of everything looking too polished and perfect and with stats on loneliness and feeling disconnected at an all-time high we can’t forget the importance of realness, authenticity is going to matter more than ever. We expect brands will double down on social platforms and influencer partnerships, embedding themselves in culture and creating experiences that feel genuine and relatable. We’ve seen this shift building for a while, and it’s not slowing down – it’s speeding up.
Expect campaigns that lean into transparency, vulnerability, and storytelling rooted in human insight. In 2026, we’ll be focusing on building meaningful connections with our clients audiences.
Brad Hill, strategy director & co-founder, SUPERSONIC
In a shocking twist, the co-founder of an independent creative agency hopes 2026
might be a good year for independent creative agencies. (Please let it be a good year for independent creative agencies. Please.)
As more and more agencies are gobbled up, merged and discarded by holding companies it feels like the biggest loser in all this – other than the thousands of poor souls who are being made redundant during the process – might be the reason those agencies exist in the first place…creativity.
Nothing kills creativity quite like a corporation.
And with AI providing a shortcut to average, my hope is that there’s an opportunity for indies to emerge as the home of unbridled, ‘could we?’, ‘should we?’ creativity. And that we can collectively convince clients to see the value in it.
The sort of creativity the great Bill Bernbach inspired our industry to embrace. So even if the agency that bears his name dies, I hope his legacy lives on in the agencies on the outside.
Ben Bateson, creative director & Co-Founder, SUPERSONIC
No surprises, it will be the year of AI AI and AI. But I also think this plays even more into needing great ideas to fuel it.
And we can’t forget the spark that starts it all. And that’s us. And that’s ideas.
Let’s not dismiss the power of the brain to come up with ideas. That is where we win. That’s what makes agencies different.
Rick Guttridge, CEO Smoking Gun
Get set for a paradox of a year ahead.
Shrinking budgets yet greater demands. Innovation expected but less appetite for risk. New skills required but reduced investment in people.
History suggests that pressure on budgets often forces a short term bias towards performance marketing. But the undeniable rise of AI in consumer discovery places brand strength and visibility right at the centre of any effective marketing communications plan.
Another seemingly immovable force of recent years, the rise and rise of influencer marketing, however our own research of inhouse marketers suggests a polarisation in the budget levels to be spent there next year. One reason being a lack of clarity on how to measure performance if it‘s not affiliate-led activity.
The long and short of it (IYKYK) is enhanced demand for ROI. Agencies that can provide measurement and effectiveness frameworks will stand out among the sea of sameness, whether that’s a return on investment or return on interest.
If that cocktail of uncertainty wasn’t enough, following the blood bath of M&A activity at the top of the market, expect a flurry of start-ups right across the marketing mix and a surge in availability of high quality candidates for those able to employ.
Yet, I worry for the next generation. Employment law and tax changes make hiring a young gun more prohibitive than ever – given the rising cost versus lack of experience. Non-graduate apprenticeships may prove more popular than ever. Do we risk a return of the 2008/9 post-crash recruitment freeze with the longer tail impact of a lack of managers further down the line?
One thing’s for sure, Winter is coming – yet the North’s resilience, collaborative and innovative mindset need to stay steadfast to prevent a total freeze.
Rob Shaw, CEO, HUB
I’m currently finalising our budgets for 2026 – reviewing expected client work, predicted new business wins and the costs of running a full-service agency. Overall, I remain optimistic for the year ahead as an independent.
I’m certain AI will continue to be discussed and debated at length, but I think next year will see smart agencies demonstrate the tangible applications of what the technology has to offer. The debate of ‘will this change the way we work?’ is concluded and the reality now is to show how these new tools and technologies can benefit the work delivered for clients every day.
I think the challenges for the network agency groups will continue well into 2026, but I don’t expect these to last in the long term. Their operating models and new structures will eventually settle, and at that point they will once again be a force to be reckoned with for smaller groups and independent agencies. However, I do expect the well-structured independents to take advantage of the opportunities this turmoil presents across 2026.
My final prediction for 2026 is the continued adoption and growth of addressable streaming TV platforms like ITVX. I expect their integration into the marketing mix and increased measurability will grow as more savvy advertisers and media planners understand the technical aspects of the platforms and how to use them to best effect both creatively and in terms of audience data and insights.
Sara Donnelly, founder & director, Beyond Echo PR
As part of my LinkedIn newsletter series, I’ve been speaking with marketers, founders and leaders, and one theme keeps coming up time and again – the shift from content volume to content value.
Nobody, least of all AI search, cares about high-volume, low-value, bland content. And this is fast becoming the defining factor in whether a brand can hold its own in an AI-driven world.
Next year, the agencies that win won’t be the ones churning out endless ‘white noise’ blogs – they’ll be the ones helping clients to matter; helping them to stand for something real and purposeful.
Original thinking, earned credibility, proprietary insights and real opinions are what cut through an AI-led landscape.
That means creating data, insights and viewpoints that journalists, stakeholders and AI systems actually want to reference.
Yes, we still need to optimise for algorithms, but in 2026, brands will also need to build meaning for humans. It’s much more than simply organising your website so machines can spot you; it’s about making your brand memorable enough to stick.
I believe this is where PR will really come into its own. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) may surface a brand, but earned media and strong storytelling is what makes people care. 2026 will be about joining all of these elements together for maximum impact.
As such, I think we’ll see a clear move away from content generation for the sake of it, towards content as a commercial asset. That means less chasing clicks and backlinks, and more building authority that signals, to people and to AI, what you believe and why it matters.
Behrooz Saeed, strategy director, Tall
The current trend of mega-mergers is creating a massive opportunity for independents in 2026. As the holding companies spend the next 18 months disentangling conflicting P&Ls and merging tech stacks, they will inevitably slow down.
2026 will be the year of the “Specialist Sprinter”. Clients are already tired of paying for overhead they don’t use. They will move away from bloated, inflexible retainers in favor of nimble, project-based specialist teams that can execute “idea to live” in days, not months.
We also expect AI to finally move from a “shiny toy” to a silent utility. It won’t be a line item on a pitch deck anymore; it will just be the plumbing. The agencies that win won’t be the ones shouting about their AI tools, but the ones using them quietly to free up senior talent for high-level strategy and creative impact.
