5 trends that will shape marketing in 2026

Date: 07th January 2026, 10:00 AM
Location: Mumbai
As the marketing landscape continues to evolve, several emerging trends are set to reshape how brands connect with consumers. In an industry feature, Senthil Kumar Hariram, Founder and Managing Director, FTA Global, shared his perspective on the key forces that will influence marketing in 2026.
He highlighted that AI and LLM-driven discovery will continue to transform how brands are found, making relevance and contextual visibility more important than traditional reach-based strategies. Marketers will need to focus on creating structured and interconnected content ecosystems that align with how intelligent systems interpret information.
Senthil also pointed to the growing convergence of technology, data, and content. As consumer journeys become increasingly fragmented, brands must adopt integrated approaches that deliver consistent experiences across every touchpoint.
Another key trend is the shift towards first-party data and privacy-first marketing. Building trust through transparency and meaningful engagement will become essential as regulations evolve and consumers become more conscious of how their data is used.
According to him, the brands that succeed in 2026 will be those that move beyond siloed execution and build agile marketing systems capable of adapting to changing consumer behaviour and technological advancements.
Read the full article here: Link
