Marketing in 2026: From the race for reach to the battle for trust and efficiency.

In-depth Analysis and Contextualization

Marketing entered a rare inflection point in 2026, where almost all operational fundamentals are being rewritten simultaneously. On one hand, the consolidation of generative artificial intelligence as the standard work infrastructure; on the other, more skeptical consumers, more expensive channels, and a macroeconomy pressuring brands and professionals to prove, with numbers, every real invested. It’s no longer about adjusting digital tactics, but about rethinking how brands build trust, plan growth, and measure impact.[1][2]

The first major shift is the change in the axis of discovery: relevance no longer depends solely on traditional SEO and begins to revolve around AEO, search engine optimization — from link searches to search answers. With AI and voice assistants gaining global traction, the battle is now to be the final answer, not just another search result.[1][7] In parallel, the increase in CAC by around 20% in 2025 is pushing brands to exchange media volume for unknowns for deeper relationships with their active customer base, repositioning CRM, community, and LTV at the center of the strategy.[1]

In addition, recent reports point to five pillars that are defining digital marketing in 2026: trust as the main competitive asset; AI as a lever for human creativity, not a substitute; customer experience as the true identity of the brand; structured programs with creators instead of one-off campaigns; and a radical discipline of ROI, anchored in data and advanced modeling such as MMM.[2] It is the definitive shift from improvisation to deliberate brand architecture and growth.

Data, Cases and Examples

The rising cost of acquisition and saturation of paid channels have forced companies to revise their growth math. By 2025, the average CAC will have risen by about 20% across all sectors, putting particular pressure on digital businesses dependent on performance media.[1] This is driving a return to digital ‘face-to-face’ interaction: clusters, communities, loyalty programs, and proprietary content are gaining priority over simply buying reach. At the same time, with marketing budgets stagnating in the 7-8% revenue range, the demand for radical efficiency and incremental proof of value has become the rule, not the exception.[2]

In the field of AI, the paradox is clear: the more widespread automation becomes, the more valuable authentically human originality becomes.[2] Hybrid work models — human strategists defining theses, positioning, and tone, while AI performs testing, personalization, and variation at scale — are emerging as a competitive standard. It’s not about producing more pieces, but about ensuring consistency, emotion, and context in every interaction, something that machines still cannot replicate in depth.[2]

The transformation movement is also reaching the base of the pyramid. Digital entrepreneurship via marketplaces and social commerce, such as Mercado Livre and TikTok Shop, is gaining strength as a route to income replenishment in Brazil.[3] More than 500,000 new sellers joined just one of the main platforms in 2024, many without prior experience, and this wave is expected to intensify in 2026.[3] For this contingent, marketing ceases to be an abstract topic and becomes a survival skill: understanding funnel, margin, recurrence, and basic media management can define who transforms opportunity into a sustainable business.[3]

Consequences, Opportunities and Trends

For established brands, the main consequence is strategic: it is no longer possible to treat trust, data, and experience as isolated courses of action. In an environment marked by deepfakes, fake reviews, and information overload, trust becomes a business metric, with a direct impact on conversion and the decision cycle.[2][5] Transparency regarding the use of AI and data, public proof of authenticity, and consistency between promise and delivery become as relevant as share of voice. The reputational risk of tactical shortcuts in 2026 is too high to be ignored.

For marketing and growth professionals, the skills map is being reorganized. Skills in journey architecture, reading business data (not just media metrics), understanding attribution models and MMM, as well as the ability to orchestrate ecosystems with creators and communities instead of relying solely on purchased media, are gaining importance.[2] At the same time, those who know how to translate AI into concrete processes — assisted creation, dynamic segmentation, continuous testing, and support for the sales team — tend to capture a real competitive advantage.

Looking ahead to the coming months, three trends deserve close attention. First, the consolidation of AEO as a critical discipline in a world where users directly ask AI agents what to buy and from whom to buy.[1][7] Second, the professionalization of Brazilian digital entrepreneurship, with thousands of small businesses demanding simpler, more accessible and educational solutions in martech, analytics and CRM.[3] Third, the merging of marketing and finance, with CMOs being charged not only for leads and engagement, but for margin, payback and incremental value on the existing base.[2][9] In a scenario of budget constraints and technological abundance, the competitive advantage shifts to those who can combine systemic vision, data discipline and creative courage to break through the noise.