how we plan for 2026

One of the reasons – perhaps the only one – why marketers don’t really look forward to the New Year is this: it always comes with a full review of the past year and intense preparation for the next. Planning marketing strategy, activities, and budgets is a demanding process – both physically and mentally. That’s why this period is often associated with discomfort rather than excitement.

We revisit the past, analyze achievements and mistakes, draw conclusions, and try to answer questions that grow more complex every year: What is our goal? Where do we want to go? And how will we get there? In an environment where even planning one month ahead can be difficult, building an annual strategy has become a serious challenge.

An unstable social, economic, and political background, rapid technological acceleration, and fast-changing consumer behavior create a reality in which strategic decisions rely less on long-term forecasts and more on the ability to adapt.

With this context in mind, at the end of 2025 we asked marketers how they were preparing for the new year: what expectations they had for their businesses, what they were betting on—or not—and how they saw the role of marketing in today’s unstable environment.

The goal of this article is to summarize expectations for 2026—not only in terms of activities, but also strategic decision-making—and to answer a key question: How does marketing behave when the desire for growth and the feeling of crisis coexist at the same time?

 

methodology

To answer these questions, we interviewed 14 mid – and senior-level marketers active in the industry. We summarized their perspectives and present them here as research insights.

The study is based on qualitative research methodology and focuses on analyzing respondents’ views, experiences, and perceived trends.

 

optimism against a crisis backdrop

At first glance, marketers’ mood for 2026 is optimistic – most respondents expect business performance to improve. However, the main factors that could hinder the execution of marketing strategies are, according to the majority, the country’s economic situation and political instability.

Here we see an interesting paradox: expectations of improvement and optimism coexist with a strong sense of crisis.

In this context, it is also symbolic that half of the respondents are entering 2026 with an increased marketing budget compared to the previous year. This is a conscious investment – seeing the risks clearly, yet still choosing to bet on growth.

 

brand as a tool for navigating instability

Brand is one of the most frequently used words in marketing – sometimes correctly, or incorrectly. Put simply, a brand is the association that first comes to mind when we think of a company, product, or service. For example, if I say cognac, which brand did you just think of?

Today, in a large market where similar businesses and products emerge every day, brand is no longer just a selected identity. It is one of the most complex and strategic resources of modern business. When used correctly, it can provide direction even in competitive, unstable, or crisis-driven environments.

When we asked marketers how they plan to deal with instability, they told us that in 2026 their focus will be more on strengthening the brand, scenario planning, and expanding consumer markets – rather than on lowering or raising prices.

Honestly, this answer was encouraging. In similar situations, companies often default to price-based tactics—margin cuts, discounts, quick tactical moves. Yet not a single respondent named price manipulation as a core strategy for 2026. Of course, such decisions will still appear in real market conditions, but within the scope of this research, it is a meaningful signal: the role of brand is gradually increasing and moving to a more strategic level of management.

 

the marketer’s new role

Our observation is clear: in 2026, the role of the marketer is expanding and evolving. Marketers are moving closer to the role of business strategists and further away from being “just” campaign managers.

Their responsibility is no longer limited to channel selection, budget allocation, or KPI delivery. Marketers are increasingly involved in decisions that define business growth: how a company withstands market volatility, how it maintains consumer trust, and how it preserves growth potential in unstable conditions.

As a result, marketing becomes a deeper part of overall business strategy – not merely an executional tool.

With greater responsibility comes greater influence. The marketer’s voice will be heard more clearly in strategic discussions, because they stand at the intersection of consumer and business, observing how both sides change simultaneously.

 

industry’s key anxieties: fragmentation and short-termism

When asked about their biggest concerns, marketers did not point to rapid technological development or AI. Instead, the main anxieties relate to growing media and audience fragmentation, a lack of diversity within the industry, and an excessive focus on short-term results.

This highlights a systemic issue: channels are multiplying, attention is fragmenting, and maintaining strategic focus is becoming increasingly difficult. At the same time, the demand for immediate results undermines the development and execution of long-term goals.

 

AI: an enhancer, not a replacement

As mentioned earlier, artificial intelligence is not perceived as the primary threat to the marketing industry. On the contrary, marketers see it as a tool that simplifies and accelerates everyday processes – working with large volumes of text, copywriting, competitive analysis, and market assessment.

Most marketers do not expect AI to fully replace them in the near future. Strategic thinking, intuition, and the ability to read context remain human responsibilities. From this perspective, AI is more of a partner than a threat – it enhances marketers’ capabilities, but decision-making remains firmly human-centered.

 

channels, trust, and influence

When it comes to media channel selection, social media and influencer/creator marketing clearly dominate – and this is no coincidence. In a low-trust environment, brands are increasingly looking not just for channels, but for people who already have relationships, authority, and influence with their audiences.

Sources of trust are gradually shifting: from platforms to people, from advertising to personal recommendations. For consumers, it matters less where they see a brand and more who they hear it from.

In 2026, this trend will only strengthen. For brands, visibility alone will no longer be enough – what will matter is who represents their voice and in what context.

 

in summary

2026 is not shaping up to be a hopeless year – but it won’t be an easy one either, for marketers or for professionals in any field. It will be a year where optimism and anxiety coexist; where the desire for growth constantly clashes with an unstable reality; and where fast decisions often overpower long-term vision.

The clearest insight from working on this article is this: strategic brand management is gaining greater importance and influence within marketing. In unpredictable or crisis-driven environments, brand becomes the anchor—something companies can strengthen to maintain stability.

Perhaps this is the key lesson of 2025:

When the environment is unstable, marketing’s power lies not in noise, but in thinking;
not in speed, but in direction;
not only in results, but in the values those results are built upon.

So yes—we don’t know exactly what 2026 will bring. But if companies maintain their focus on understanding marketing’s role and strengthening their brands, marketers’ optimism may very well prove justified.