"If 2025 was a year for fashion marketers to test and learn, then 2026 is the time to put those lessons into practice. Last year saw marketers push boundaries in hopes of nabbing attention in a saturated marketplace as well as experiment with artificial intelligence. Both tactics were met with mixed responses, courting accolades (Gap's viral Katseye ad, brands working with OnlyFans stars) and controversy (American Eagle's much-discussed "Great Jeans" ad starring Sydney Sweeney and Valentino's AI-generated ad that was described as "disturbing")."
"Described by WGSN head of consumer forecasting Cassandra Napoli as the "year of great exhaustion," brands should head into 2026 with a renewed focus on what she calls "slow advertising." In practice, that looks like finding opportunities for in-person connection, striking an emotional chord with shoppers through entertainment and retaining a human touch - even in the age of AI."
2025 saw fashion marketers experiment aggressively with attention-grabbing tactics and artificial intelligence, yielding both viral successes and consumer backlash. Brands should enter 2026 embracing slow advertising focused on human connection, emotional entertainment, and preserving a human touch amid AI adoption. Creative risk-taking will continue, but campaigns must become more intentional to win attention, using methods like satirical mini-series, employee-generated off-the-cuff content, and unexpected in-person events. Marketers must balance entertaining consumers with deliberate communications on serious topics, staging experiences that foster real-world engagement while using technology to amplify, not replace, human-led storytelling.
Read at The Business of Fashion
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