Content Marketing Strategy | 2026 Trends | Colibri Digital Marketing

2026 is here! Are you ready for this year’s marketing magic? A new year presents many opportunities across businesses, especially in marketing. Staying ahead in the new year requires more than just creating content: it takes planning, informed decision-making, and a commitment to connecting with your audience in meaningful ways. Now is the time to revisit your content marketing strategy and harness the energy of new beginnings. A well-crafted plan will help you focus your resources, communicate your values, and generate results that are both measurable and meaningful, starting with the 2026 panorama.

How’s 2026 Looking From a Marketing Perspective

According to GWI, consumer expectations continue to rise this year, particularly around personalization, privacy, and authenticity (1). People are more digitally savvy, and they know when they’re being marketed to, which means your content marketing strategy needs to feel less like a pitch and more like a conversation.

Data privacy is becoming a trust issue, and as third-party cookies phase out, brands are focusing on zero-party data: information customers willingly share, such as surveys, quizzes, preferences, and interactions. According to GWI, 70% of consumers say they’re more likely to engage with brands that are transparent about how their data is used. Updated US privacy and FCC consent rules, effective from 2025, are reshaping direct marketing and automation, requiring explicit, written permission for many automated outreach flows (2). In response, US marketers are doubling down on first‑party data, permission‑based personalization, and compliant lifecycle journeys that still deliver hyper‑targeted experiences.

On the influencer marketing side, we are seeing some advances in the regulatory space, as countries are holding better practices for influencers: in China they are required to have verified professional credentials before speaking on complex subjects like finance, law, medicine, or education; and the EU is also expected to introduce broader regulations, moving influencer marketing more clearly into the realm of formal oversight, like Spain has done (3).

5 Key Marketing Trends to Watch in 2026

Every year, GWI launches a trends report based on its research with individuals and marketing professionals, presenting the trends for the new year (4). According to them, these are the five 2026 trends to watch: 

1. AI Isn’t Optional. It’s Expected, But It’s Making Insights Stereotypical

AI tools are now embedded across marketing workflows and e-commerce, accelerating research, planning, and execution. According to GWI, “84% of the advertisers and marketers we recently surveyed in the US said they were using AI professionally (4). ChatGPT topped the table, with Gemini and Copilot in close pursuit”, and adoption will only increase in 2026.

However, as AI becomes more central, there’s a growing risk of over-reliance on generic, web-scraped data. This leads to insights that are overly broad, stereotypical, and disconnected from real audiences. The opportunity for marketers lies in combining AI’s speed with high-quality, structured consumer data and human judgment. In 2026, competitive advantage will come from using AI not just to move faster, but to think more precisely and make better-informed decisions at scale.

IA is also permeating search. SEO is evolving into “AI Engine Optimization” (GEO/AEO), where brands build deep, entity‑rich content libraries that conversational AI systems can trust and summarize, instead of just targeting classic keyword rankings (5). AI‑driven search is also more multimodal, combining text, image, and video, which favors brands with consistent, structured content across formats.

AI works best when it complements, not replaces, human creativity. Use it to enhance your workflows, not define them.

2. Sport Audiences are Changing: Digital First and Culturally-Driven

This year, we have two major sports events to consider and leverage for your seasonal content: the Olympic Winter Games and the FIFA World Cup. However, according to Dentsu, consumer interest is expanding far beyond traditional sports and entertainment as “40% of consumers globally watched a sports docuseries in the last month, making this format a powerful way to engage women, Gen Z, and audiences in emerging markets who are less engaged with traditional sports programming” (6). Dentsu also highlights that athletes are becoming influencers and that “fans connect more with athletes who share who they are off the field, not just what they do on it” (7).

With the 2026 World Cup hosted across North America, global attention will be high, but the audience is far more complex than traditional sports marketing assumptions suggest. GWI identifies multiple fan types, from highly engaged gamers who live the tournament across digital worlds to mobile-first viewers who consume highlights in short bursts to culturally curious spectators drawn to the event’s global significance rather than the sport itself. This fragmentation means mass messaging will be less effective. Brands that succeed will tailor experiences to specific communities, meet audiences in digital and mobile environments, and connect through culture rather than just competition.

3. Gen Alpha is coming of age

In 2026, the oldest members of Gen Alpha turn sixteen, marking their transition into a meaningful consumer group. GWI’s research shows this generation is shaped by unique conditions: pandemic-era childhoods, early digital fluency, and highly involved millennial parents (4). While they are deeply comfortable online, they are also more mindful of screen time and value a balance between digital and physical experiences. Gen Alpha already influences household spending and, increasingly, makes purchases independently. For marketers, the key is resisting the urge to apply Gen Z assumptions. Engaging Gen Alpha will require age-appropriate messaging, responsible creativity, and a long-term view rooted in trust, empowerment, and authenticity.

4. Social Media Will Continue to Dominate Media Channel Consumption

GWI data shows that time spent on social platforms and short-form video exceeds the combined time spent on television, streaming services, and radio (4). However, how people use these platforms has changed. Posting less and consuming more, users now treat social media as an entertainment and discovery engine rather than a purely social space.

For marketers in 2026, success will depend less on encouraging interaction and more on earning attention,  creating content that fits naturally into feeds, aligns with platform-specific behaviors, and respects how audiences actually spend their time.

Short-form content continues to dominate attention spans. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts aren’t just for Gen Z. They’re becoming essential tools for education, storytelling, and brand visibility.

5. There is a Gap Between What Consumers Say They Intend to do and How They Actually Behave

Consumers are contradicting themselves. GWI’s research highlights a widening disconnect between what consumers say they intend to do and how they actually behave (4). People often express strong values around sustainability, privacy, and careful spending, yet their real-world actions don’t always align with those values. This contradiction isn’t a flaw in the data; it’s a signal. Many purchases, including high-consideration ones like travel, technology, and even cars, are driven by latent demand that surfaces unexpectedly, highlighting that “even when the purchase moment feels urgent or reactive, many buyers are still drawing on a reservoir of pre-existing brand awareness and lightly-held

preferences”. In 2026, marketers who rely solely on declared intent risk missing these moments. 

For Pablo Perez, Senior Marketing Research and Insights Manager at Google, this dichotomy is also the result of emotional fatigue in balancing the immediate rewards and new experiences with long-term well-being (8). In an article published by Think With Google, he states: “This shift is a rational response to a world where traditional life paths feel less guaranteed. For younger generations, especially, who have navigated relentless economic and social turbulence, saving for a far-off goal like a house deposit feels less realistic than spending on a trip that creates joy now.”

Understanding emotional triggers, cultural context, and long-term brand presence will be essential for influencing decisions when intent quietly turns into action. Truly understanding your value proposition and adapting it to how you impact your customers now will help your brand win.

Crafting a Content Marketing Strategy for the New Year

The trends shaping 2026 aren’t just abstract signals. They offer real guidance for how to build a content marketing strategy that works.

Here’s how to transform insight into intentional planning:

Start with Purpose, Not Platforms

Before jumping into channels or content, revisit your brand’s core purpose. What do you want to achieve this year, and why? Whether it’s growing brand awareness, increasing qualified leads, or deepening customer loyalty, your strategy should be grounded in SMART business goals.

Review Your Past Efforts and Learn From What You Have Already Done

Before planning ahead, look back. What worked in 2025? What didn’t? Which campaigns drove ROI, and which channels underperformed? Audit your analytics from the past year to understand your past results and make informed decisions. 

Invest in Brand Resilience 

With so much unpredictability, from economic shifts to cultural moments, flexibility is key. Build a content and campaign calendar that allows for responsiveness. Plan around key events (like the World Cup or Olympics), but leave room for real-time content and experimentation. Investing in brand resilience also means creating systems that support long-term health: investing in ethical marketing, nurturing loyal audiences, and staying attuned to shifts in consumer sentiment. Resilience also means preparing for change,  not fearing it.

Integrate Technology with Human Strategy:

AI can supercharge your marketing, but only when guided by a clear purpose. Let automation and AI handle what’s repeatable, and let your team focus on creativity, ethics, and relationships.  Ensure your tools are working for you,  not the other way around.

Marketing with Intention in 2026

As we step into 2026, the marketing landscape is more dynamic and more human than ever. AI is accelerating how we work, but audiences are asking for deeper meaning, emotional alignment, and authentic connection. It’s not about jumping on every trend. It’s about understanding the shifts behind them and using that insight to build a content marketing strategy that is clear, ethical, and effective.

We believe in marketing that matters,  and that means making decisions rooted in data, creativity, and care for the communities we serve. Ready to make 2026 your most impactful year yet? Schedule a free complementary session.