Latest Marketing & Advertising News
Global Ad Spend Forecast to Grow 9.1% to $1.3 Trillion in 2026
WARC forecasts global advertising expenditure reaching $1.3 trillion in 2026, a 9.1% increase, doubling since the pandemic with $150 per person. Digital platforms capture nearly 80% of growth, prompting shifts to systems planning, AI-influenced search, and creator marketing.
The Future of Media 2026 report highlights these trends reshaping traditional media strategies.
U.S. Ad Spend to Exceed $664 Billion with 9.4% Growth in 2026
Winterberry Group predicts U.S. ad expenditures topping $664.2 billion in 2026, up 9.4% from 2025, boosted by World Cup, Olympics, and elections. Digital channels grow 12%, led by CTV, social, video, and creators, while marketing data spend rises 8.7% to $33 billion.
Agentic AI transforms SEO toward zero-click and creative intelligence optimizes $144 billion in content spend.
AI Becomes Decision-Maker in 2026 Digital Marketing
AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews act as advisors, recommending brands based on omnipresent signals from websites, social, reviews, and forums. Zero-click search dominates, with Reddit ads providing validation AI references for trust and entity recognition.
Brands must adopt GEO for unified messaging across platforms to ensure consistent AI recommendations.
Digital Marketing Trends Emphasize Immediacy, Trust, and Collaborative Creativity
2026 trends focus on AI reshaping discovery, collaborative creativity via creators and UGC, reimagined nostalgia, and proven sustainability. Brands succeed by prioritizing experiences, aligning performance with creativity, and communicating clear value at every touchpoint.
Traditional SEO evolves to holistic strategies including images, video, and structured data for conversational search.
Content Marketing Shifts to LLM Optimization and Social SEO
Optimize content for LLMs like ChatGPT as 20% of Americans use AI for product searches; SEO extends to social media influencing 76% of purchases. UGC, EGC, short-form video (2x engagement), podcasts (5.8B listeners), and image search via Google Lens are key trends.
Success hinges on intent, relevance, and multi-format diversification over volume.
Disney Forms Enterprise Marketing Unit Led by Asad Ayaz
Disney appoints Asad Ayaz as Chief Marketing and Brand Officer to unify marketing across businesses for global brand consistency, reporting to CEO Bob Iger. This move aligns strategies amid industry shifts toward integrated operations.
Corporate Reputation Valued at $7 Trillion Asset Class
Burson study finds high reputational strength drives shareholder gains, while workplace practice gaps create financial risks for companies. Reputation emerges as critical in marketing strategies.
Dentsu Prioritizes Rebuilding International Business
Dentsu reports steady progress on business reset, reviewing underperformers, and exploring partnerships amid media scrutiny. International rebuilding remains top focus.
Coca-Cola Elevates Sanket Ray to Regional Leadership Role
Sanket Ray takes on Emerging Large Markets Lead, overseeing India, Southwest Asia, Greater China, Mongolia, Japan, and South Korea. Expansion builds on his prior responsibilities.
Bajaj Auto Reworks Media Mix for Chetak C25 Launch
Bajaj Auto launches Chetak C25 electric scooter, centering digital in reworked print, TV, and digital media strategy for EV marketing. Signals broader shift in automotive advertising.
AI Shrinks Agency Work, Strategy Seen as Savior
AI reduces agency tasks, pushing consulting as solution, though definitions and genuine change remain debated. Agencies adapt via strategy focus.
Sonal Verma Joins Arc Worldwide India as Managing Director
Sonal Verma appointed Managing Director at Arc Worldwide India, strengthening leadership in advertising and marketing. Latest executive move in sector.