If you’ve been wondering what the trends for marketing 2026 really are, I’ve got you. Here are the actual things shaping how people buy, how they connect, and how brands earn trust.

The trends for marketing 2026 revolve around one big theme: people are tired. Tired, overwhelmed, overstimulated, and allergic to anything fake. And honestly? Same.

Let’s break down what’s coming — and what you, as a business owner, can start doing right now.

AI is everywhere… So humanity is the new luxury

AI exploded in 2025, and in 2026 it’s basically the third main character in every marketing team’s group chat. And don’t get me wrong: AI is great for your business. It saves time, gives ideas, supports creativity, and helps you stop staring at your cursor like it’s personally attacking you.

But the more AI-generated content floods the internet, the more people crave something that feels… human. Warm. Slightly chaotic. A little unhinged in a charming way. Basically everything your brand already is.

Your audience wants YOU: your voice, your quirks, your personality, your “omg love itttttt” energy. If you lean too hard into automation, you risk sounding like everyone else. But if you use AI to support your voice (not replace it), you’ll stand out. And that’s one of the biggest trends for marketing 2026 worth paying attention to.

In 2026, the winning formula is simple: AI as your assistant. You as the secret sauce.

People are anxious, exhausted, and craving safety

2025 was… a lot. Everyone’s nervous system is fried. People want comfort. They want safety. They want brands that feel like humans, not conversion machines.

This year, ethical marketing is crucial.

People will choose brands that:

speak clearly
speak kindly
skip the manipulation
and genuinely try to help

Brands that bully, pressure, or shame their audience? They’re done. Buried. Fossilized. Goodbye forever.

One of the biggest trends for marketing 2026 is softness, realness & marketing that feels like a safe place instead of a trapdoor.

Specificity wins (Because everyone’s brain is tired)

Remember when people used to research things? LOL.

Thanks to AI, people expect instant, tailored answers. Which means vague messaging is officially over. If your content “speaks to everyone,” it lands with no one (for real this time).

The strongest trends for marketing 2026 revolve around brands niching down, talking to very specific people, solving very specific problems, and using very specific language.

We’re done being subtle. We’re done being “broad.” We’re done being polite and palatable.

Your audience wants the exact answer to the exact problem they’re having. And they want it now.

This is also why specific, personality-packed copy works so well — because the right people immediately recognize themselves in your words. And the wrong people? They peace out. Which is great, because they were never your people anyway.

Design is taking a back seat to realness

Let’s all collectively admit something: perfect, polished, aesthetically curated content is giving… 2022 Instagram influencer.

People are tired of perfection. They want real life. Messy. Chaotic. “I wrote this at 11PM in my Hello Kitty pajamas” vibes.

One of the core trends for marketing 2026 is “low-effort aesthetic, high-effort value.”

Think:

unfiltered photos
unscripted talking videos
messy carousels
screenshots
notes app confessions
vibes over visuals

Design still matters, but not the way it used to. A pretty feed can’t save boring content. And a messy one won’t hurt you if the message is good.

Honestly? It’s a great year to be human.

AI SEO is your new BFF

Another huge shift: search behavior is changing. People are typing full, complex questions into AI systems rather than Google.

And here’s the fun twist… AI doesn’t just pull randomly from the internet. It pulls from the clearest, most well-structured, most helpful content it can find.

So if you want ChatGPT, Gemini, and every other AI assistant to reference your work and recommend you when someone searches for the exact thing you do, your content needs to be AI-optimized.

Which basically means:

Be ridiculously clear about what you offer
Answer specific questions directly
Use natural, human-sounding phrasing (AI tools love that)
Make your website easy to scan
Put your niche and your expertise front and center

If your content is fuzzy, vague, or aesthetically cute but structurally confusing, AI tools simply won’t know what to do with you. But if your content is clear and specific, those tools can say: “Hey, here’s someone who actually does that. Want their email?”

Personality-packed content is now a requirement

People scroll past bland content like it’s spam. Your audience wants content that sounds like an actual human: witty, fun, sarcastic, a little spicy, a little feral.

If your content could be written by anyone, congratulations: no one will remember you. This is why your voice works so well, and why everything in your brand blueprint aligns perfectly with trends for marketing 2026.

Humor, warmth, clarity, and a little mischief? Always in style.

So… What should you actually do in 2026?

Here’s your quick checklist:

Use AI, but don’t sound like AI.
Get painfully specific with your messaging.
Prioritize human connection.
Make people feel safe, seen, and supported.
Ditch perfection. Embrace realness.
Give your audience what they need fast.
Keep your voice bold, fun, and unmistakably yours.

And above all: stay human.

Because the biggest trend for marketing 2026 is this: People want people.

Not robots. Not micro-optimized funnels. Not emotionally manipulative sales tactics. Just humans communicating like humans. And that’s exactly what you do best.

Pssst… Want more “2026 survival kits”?

I drop tips, behind‑the‑scenes & hot takes over on Instagram. Come hang out → @lavenderswriting

Marketing Trends for 2026: What’s Actually Working (and What We’re Leaving Behind)