"Most 2026 plans are already built on assumptions that no longer hold, not because the tactics are outdated, but because the world those tactics were designed for has been quietly disappearing while plans were agreed. The prevailing narrative still insists that more AI, more automation, more influencers and more spending across fewer platforms will somehow fix declining attention and trust, even as the evidence points in the opposite direction."
"Marketing is about to become one of the most geopolitically exposed functions in the business, yet marketing continues to be treated as a performance channel rather than a strategic risk surface that reflects power, dependency and narrative control. The Magnificent Seven - Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Tesla, Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Nvidia - are no longer neutral infrastructure providers and have not been for some time, operating instead under regulatory pressure,"
Most 2026 marketing plans rest on assumptions that no longer hold because the environment those tactics were designed for is disappearing. The prevailing prescription of more AI, automation, influencers and concentrated platform spend will not reverse eroding attention and trust. Marketing faces rising geopolitical exposure while remaining treated as a performance channel instead of a strategic risk surface that embodies power, dependency and narrative control. Major platform providers are operating under regulatory, national-security and shareholder pressures. Platforms will pursue aggressive monetisation and expand AI-generated ad inventory, requiring leaders to prioritize strategic discipline, internal alignment and direct customer relationships.
Read at City AM
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]