Ogilvy has launched its ninth annual report into key communications trends and marketing challenges, revealing that communicators in 2026 are navigating two dominant, yet counterintuitive forces: the impact of AI content and agents, and the juxtaposing need for human connection.
The Futures report, titled 'The Human Premium' explores 14 key trends and their impact on brands, marketing, and consumer behaviour. It also includes advice for brands, organisations, and marketers looking to navigate changing consumer behaviours, from developing culturally resonant ideas through to tapping into human creators, and creator-led commerce as a core sales channel.
Ogilvy PR ANZ CEO, Richard Brett, said: "Creators are becoming the new dominant voices in culture as the purveyors of relatability and real connection, yet AI is flooding the internet with slop. That means audiences, whilst running towards platforms and new technologies, are at the same time increasingly assuming everything they see is synthetic. When everything can be faked, reality becomes a luxury.
“As a result, audiences are increasingly trading algorithmic feeds for serialised stories, corporate sounding messaging for creator-led commerce, and polished campaigns for participatory culture. They’re demanding substance - and the brands that fail to provide it will be left behind.”
Key trends examined in the report are divided into three chapters:
1. The New Rules of Realness
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Intention Seeking: After years of algorithmic overload, audiences are feeling hyper-alienated by the increasingly shallow nature of the infinite scroll. Instead, consumers are looking for more intentional, creative expression.
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Internet Intimacy: People are gravitating toward smaller, interest-driven communities as an antidote to the hostility and performative nature of large public feeds.
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Patina and Proof of Craft: As AI-generated content becomes increasingly indistinguishable from human-made work, audiences are seeking new signals of authenticity rooted in sensory experience and visible craft.
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The Human Algorithm: Human curators, editors, and niche tastemakers are becoming the most trusted filters in an automated digital ecosystem.
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Relationship Revolution: In an era dominated by a handful of monolithic social media platforms, a quiet revolution is gaining momentum: the dawn of a decentralised social internet.
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Little Fires Everywhere: "Little fires" - culturally resonant ideas that spark conversation - are replacing traditional big-bang marketing approaches.
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Asiamax: Younger Aussies are increasingly looking across Asia for inspiration, meaning, and identity, reshaping what influence looks like in the process.
Of these trends, Ogilvy Sydney Executive Creative Director, Bridget Jung, said: "When machines can do almost anything instantly and perfectly, humans are reaching for proof that something was made by someone. That's craft. That's sensory experience. And that's what machines cannot claim."
2. Trends In Creator Social
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Created by Humans, Run by Agents: AI is reshaping influencer marketing, particularly at the lower-funnel stage where commerce and conversion are the primary focus. However, human creators will remain essential for originality, trust, and relationship building, while AI supplements reach and operational performance.
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Serialised Influence: Audiences are shifting from short-form, transactional content to serialised formats they actively return to, providing brands with an opportunity to build sustained emotional connection and audience loyalty through long-term partnerships.
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Thumbs Up: Influencer investment is rising, but so is pressure to prove measurable ROI. Awareness metrics like reach and likes still do matter, but they won't tell the full performance story.
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Equity Partnerships: New business models are coming to the fore, where creators and brands are forming new, deeper alliances and partnerships.
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Private Social, Public Social: The trend for audiences to spend more time in private social groups, and then meet up in real life around passion points and fandoms
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Merchant Entertainers: Creators are evolving into merchant-entertainers, operating storefronts, hosting live shopping events and driving measurable revenue. Brands should look to invest in long-term partnerships and designing content that blends entertainment with shopping.
3. Say Hello To Agent Social
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#agentlife: The world of LLMs is rapidly evolving, moving beyond simple chatbots to autonomous agents capable of complex tasks and now social interaction. This creates both opportunity for brands, but also some dangers given the proliferation of agents and their ability to create convincing content - sometimes with malicious intent.
Richard said: "We've seen significant shifts in consumer behaviour and audience demands, both online and in the real world. But never have we seen such a movement towards real experience and human connection, juxtaposed with increasing AI use and technology engagement.
"Futures 9 highlights a range of trends that brands need to not just take note of, but act on. Those that don't may find themselves scrambling to understand these quantum movements at a time when remaining relevant has never been more important."
The full report can be found here.
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