Overlooked Shifts in Marketing Directions
In GWI’s “Connecting the dots 2026: 5 marketing trends you might be missing,” the research firm aimed to uncover some of the overlooked shifts happening this year and beyond. Using its large consumer data set, GWI crunched the numbers and gleaned some key trends and subtle nuances that some might be missing.
Understanding the consumer, and every level of that journey, is a primary goal of for many insights and market research professionals as they support their company’s strategic directions, marketing initiatives, and brand campaigns. Highlights of the GWI report include:
- AI is taking the marketing industry by storm, but it’s making insights generic and stereotypical. Advertisers and marketers are embracing AI tools, and it’s changing the game. While they value consumer insights to inform their work, there is also some friction in the process, with many saying that insights take too long or there’s too much data to distill properly. GWI notes, “Worse still, you may find your insights are becoming stereotypical or bland. While some of the best ideas come from unexpected or surprising insights, AI tools are striving to find the most expected, logical, and mainstream answers.” However, agentic AI processes may change the game further and benefit insights, bringing with it stronger and richer data points with both speed, quality and a deeper consumer understanding.
What to watch in 2026: Despite the rush to more generic marketing insights due to AI, GWI says there’s opportunity for those marketers and advertisers looking to really focus in and hone their targeting. By plugging reliable consumer insights directly into your AI tools, you can easily make that shift.
- More consumers are contradicting themselves, and there’s a big gap (and opportunity) between intent and behavior. “For advertisers and marketers, the gap between our views and behaviors is ripe with opportunity. Because even if our words and actions don’t match, the underlying sentiments and aspirations are still very powerful,” advises GWI. One such gap might be impulse versus planned purchases. But GWI asks, what if this distinction isn’t as clear as we once thought and our strategies are outdated? The lines seem to be blurring in that regard, creating opportunities for marketers.
What to watch in 2026: Given today’s global context, understanding this gap between intent and behavior matters more than ever. GWI asserts that against this backdrop, brands can’t control availability, but they can control influence. That means showing up in the right communities, being validated in the right conversations, and investing in the cultural and emotional pathways that shape real-world buying decisions. “It’s moving from short-term targeting to long-term trust building, recognizing the lines between impulse and planning are already blurred, and allowing latent demand to be activated at unplanned moments,” advises GWI in its report.
- Social media is far from dead—it’s the dominant media in our lives. Social media is alive and well, but it may be transforming and different across generations such as Gen Z, for example. The reasons people use social media may be changing over time as well.
What to watch in 2026: GWI observes, “Yes, social media may be a little less, well, ‘social’ than it used to be. But advertisers and marketers are ultimately chasing eyeballs and shares of attention. There’s plenty of opportunities in social media users posting less frequently and instead spending more time looking for something to captivate them. In short, the arena that is social is as strong, if not stronger, than it’s ever been, and should be a central feature in your 2026 plans.”
- The World Cup hype is serious—and 2026 fans aren’t who you think. The World Cup is arguably the biggest stage in sports, and with 2026 seeing the global soccer tournament being hosted by 16 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, it’s bigger than ever. The fans of 2026 are markedly different from those of tournaments past, notes GWI. They’re watching differently, eating differently, and connecting with brands in a way that defies the past marketing playbooks. From gaming communities to those catching up through social, this new generation of fans is rewriting the rules of engagement.
What to watch in 2026: The 2026 World Cup won’t just be defined by the players on the field—for those allocating ad spend, it will be by the fans reshaping what fandom means. From gamers to globetrotters to culture lovers, fandom has fragmented into micro-communities that engage on their own terms. Reaching them means finding the uncluttered space they show up in, and meeting them there.
- Gen Alpha’s turning sixteen, and it’s time to take them seriously as a defined generation. Born roughly between 2010 and 2024, the oldest Gen Alphas will reach their sweet sixteenth birthdays in 2026. GWI makes the case that too often, marketers pigeonhole this group with Gen Z: “When you ask people to describe this cohort, many paint a picture of tech-native (or tech-obsessed) kids who are comfortable and skilled at moving between online and IRL situations. You might also hear they’re environmentalists, they’re all aspiring creators, and they have short attention spans.” But is Gen Alpha really following directly in their predecessors’ footsteps? “Defining a generation shouldn’t ever be about identifying a rigid blueprint that every member fits exactly. Gen Alphas across the world will come in many different shades,” notes GWI.
What to watch in 2026: Keep an eye on Gen Alpha spending power, and decision-making power, which will only increase. GWI says, “This group is also more likely to describe themselves as digitally fluent, socially aware, open-minded, creative, and confident. So, your messaging needs to be both empowering and responsible; fuel their confidence, while respecting their age.”
Uncovering Trends Hiding in Plain Sight
GWI’s report uncovers new avenues in understanding consumers in 2026 and beyond. Sometimes, it seems the trend on the surface uncovers more subtle signals that could define success for both consumer insights executives and the marketers and brand building campaigns they support. The trends hiding in plain sight, as GWI puts it, can be key to catering to fast-changing audiences, shifting habits, and the strategies built to meet them. As GWI notes in its report, “To move beyond hunches and distinguish fact from myth, looking at what the data actually tells us is essential.”
Video: “AI + human insights: the marketing power couple,” courtesy of GWI.
