In Praise of Change. 2026: An Outlook.
We’re barely three months into the new year, and one thing is perfectly clear: the world is changing more rapidly than ever before. Taking stock of what’s piqued our curiosity and interests, here’s a snapshot of five trends that appear to be making headlines.
1: In The Age of AI, Brands Will Need to Bare Their Soul.
As we progress further into the age of AI, the emotional levers and ties of brands are being democratized by systems that feed on data. Brands are meant to be homogenized.
Those at the helm who rely on AI as its “brand” proxy risk AI becoming their brand architect and steward. Doing so means severing or minimizing a brand’s soul and its belief system, leading down a path to indistinguishability.
There’s a powerful case study to solve for that: brand creed.
With strategic implementation, your beliefs, values, and commitments brought to life, creed shapes and activates a brand’s identity. Bold and emotive, when operationalized across every part of your organization, it defines every aspect of your brand’s behaviors and communications. Strategically, it’s what elevates you in a crowded marketplace. Conviction can’t be counterfeited.
2: “Trust briefs” are new creative briefs.
Extracting the “true brand self,” by way of authenticity, has been in play for the last few years. The precursor to brand soul, this trend is perfectly timed.
As AI culls trustworthy sources, brands are shifting from awareness focused on short‑term demand gen (solve this problem, now) to what’s being called authority‑first marketing. A concept whose merit lies in building durable credibility through POV, proof, and presence over time: in our reading, podcast listening, and leadership events, there is talk of moving from creative briefs to “trust briefs” that orchestrate how a brand earns belief across touchpoints. Edelman Trust Barometer is a good source here.
If you want to add trust to your brief, we suggest these two points.
- Define how brand soul, creed, and a consistent experience = the pillars of trust.
- In the “reasons to believe” section of your existing brief, add examples whose evidence is irrefutable and well-known
3: Brand identity will shed its two-dimensional template
When people are heard and understood, they put a vibe out into the world that people can feel or relate to. Which may be the genesis of the expression, “I feel you.” In the brand world, the idea of being relatable brings connection. In 2026, brands will become more felt. Their design systems, being part of a living, breathing brand, create the opportunity for a brand’s visual identity to come to life with experiences and a design system that can be “felt” across a range of contexts.
Fueled by motion, texture, and sound, which could easily become branded assets, much like fonts and color palettes, brands will be expressing themselves with more dimensionality.
Creatives and strategists often talk about how brands feel or behave — this can easily track back to brand soul — leaving briefs room to push the boundaries of brand identity. With so many incredible AI tools like Adobe, for example, a brand’s soul and sole differentiation can come from a more dimensionalized identity.
4: “Cut And Run”: The Rise of Independent Agencies
Consolidation across advertising and PR agencies has seen the displacement of thousands of people. WPP reported that it globally trimmed its headcount across agencies, displacing 7,000 people, roughly a 6.3% cut. Highly networked, super-talented, and collaborative by nature, agency veterans are seizing the moment to turn lemons into lemonade. Capitalizing on clients’ needs for thoughtful, agile, low-overhead, tech-savvy creators and problem solvers is gaining traction.
Moreover, the share of US ad dollars has been shrinking, with estimates showing that WPP, Omnicom, Publicis, IPG, Dentsu, and Havas dropping under 30% in 2025. And just last week, WPP’s newly appointed CEO, Cindy Rose, told the press, as she unveiled the organization’s $676 million annual cost-cutting plan, “We are no longer a holding company.” Small is looking more and more like the new “big.”
5: Human-led vs. AI-generated: brands and the “human element.”
AI has entered the conversation. If you watched the Super Bowl, more than 20% of the ads were about AI. The New York Times, AdWeek, and TechCrunch reported that 15 of the 66 Super Bowl ads were about AI.
While it’s the way of the world, AI is only as good as the craftspeople operating with it. Moreover, in the mad dash to adopt, embed, and implement AI, brands and organizations are realizing they need agency partners. So much so, the industry conversation is coming back to what feels human, lived, and imperfect.
Dove’s “real beauty” campaign seems eerily prescient in its brand strategy and execution. For more than a decade, Dove has rejected artifice, steamrolled over barriers, and created anti-synthetic campaign work. Baring their brand’s soul in everything they do, they are a case study in remaining true to their roots.
That said, let AI be a tool for building your brand, but not its arbiter, creator, strategist, or savior. As journalist Allen Saunders (1899–1986) penned, “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” Plan on staying human; that’s the connection people have with brands they love, admire, and live with.
Written By: David Kessler
Starfish is a branding and creative communications agency that ignites powerful customer connections through the discipline of brand experience.
David Kessler
Starfish CEO | Global Marketing Executive | Brand Strategist
