Future Ready: 5 Forces Shaping Marketing in 2026 Home Resources Future Ready: 5 Forces Shaping Marketing in 2026 Future Ready: 5 Forces Shaping Marketing in 2026 By Andrea Martens, CEO, ADMA At the recent Compadres Campfire Outlook 2026, I joined leaders across sectors to look beyond the immediate and toward the shape of things to come. The session reinforced a simple truth: the most resilient and successful organisations are those who practise foresight—not just strategy. Here are five forces marketers can’t afford to ignore as we look toward FY26: ________________________________________ 1. Strategic Foresight Is a Must-Have Capability Future-ready organisations are built on three capacities: Detecting change early, Responding strategically, and Adapting rapidly. Scenario planning is essential—not to predict the future, but to prepare for multiple possible ones. 2. Generative AI Moves From Hype to Agent GenAI is shifting from content creation to autonomous decision-making. Marketing functions—from campaign design to customer experience—will increasingly be powered by AI copilots and multimodal tools. But with this comes increased scrutiny, as ethical AI and transparency become regulatory imperatives. 3. Regulation Is Rising—Marketers Must Lead With tighter rules around privacy, pricing transparency, greenwashing, and AI governance, marketing leaders must be ahead of compliance curves. At ADMA, we’re helping the industry meet these new obligations responsibly—and confidently. 4. Economic Signals Are Mixed—But Opportunity Beckons While cost-of-living pressures persist, consumer confidence is set to improve with lower inflation and rate cuts. Older Australians are leading discretionary spend. Brands who segment smartly and deliver value will thrive. 5. Brand Building Is More Important Than Ever Performance marketing has become table stakes. In an AI-democratised world, brand differentiation is the real ROI. We must balance short-term performance with long-term brand health to grow enduring value. _______________________________________ Final thought: The future isn't set. But it does favour the prepared. At ADMA, we’re committed to building capability, resilience and ethical leadership in marketing. Let’s keep shaping what’s next—together. 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Article 26th Mar 2018 Restoring the decay in trust and truth In January, ADMA made a submission in response to the Attorney-General Department’s Privacy Act Review Discussion Paper. Article 27th Feb 2018 8 mins Only urgency and action will prioritise CX in 2018 The attention we have placed on Customer Experience (or CX) in the last three years has changed the marketing industry, and its professionals, forever. This experience-led approach demands a new mindset from those trying to navigate the channels and technologies that underpin today’s consumer behaviour. Article 16th Feb 2018 6 mins Long-term vs short-term marketing campaigns Short-termism is one of the biggest traps CEOs and CMOs have fallen into in the digital age. It produces strategies that deliver results that satisfy the half-yearly reporting cycle rather than the long-term. Article 13th Feb 2018 15 mins Analysts with soft skills in high demand, says IAPA research Businesses continue to harness the power of data to derive insights and inform strategies. This has increased demand for analytics professionals at both entry and managerial levels and pushed up salaries, according to the newly released IAPA Skills & Salary Survey 2017. Article 09th Feb 2018 Notifiable Data Breaches Response Plan This resource, available to members, provides organisations with a plan for possible data breaches, in accordance with the new Notifiable Data Breaches regulations. Load More
Article 09th Apr 2018 How does a brand become a “cult” brand? The leadership of our agency, after studying the characteristics of brands that built cult-like followings, wrote a book called The Fix to explain what they discovered.
Article 26th Mar 2018 Restoring the decay in trust and truth In January, ADMA made a submission in response to the Attorney-General Department’s Privacy Act Review Discussion Paper.
Article 27th Feb 2018 8 mins Only urgency and action will prioritise CX in 2018 The attention we have placed on Customer Experience (or CX) in the last three years has changed the marketing industry, and its professionals, forever. This experience-led approach demands a new mindset from those trying to navigate the channels and technologies that underpin today’s consumer behaviour.
Article 16th Feb 2018 6 mins Long-term vs short-term marketing campaigns Short-termism is one of the biggest traps CEOs and CMOs have fallen into in the digital age. It produces strategies that deliver results that satisfy the half-yearly reporting cycle rather than the long-term.
Article 13th Feb 2018 15 mins Analysts with soft skills in high demand, says IAPA research Businesses continue to harness the power of data to derive insights and inform strategies. This has increased demand for analytics professionals at both entry and managerial levels and pushed up salaries, according to the newly released IAPA Skills & Salary Survey 2017.
Article 09th Feb 2018 Notifiable Data Breaches Response Plan This resource, available to members, provides organisations with a plan for possible data breaches, in accordance with the new Notifiable Data Breaches regulations.