Predictions, Possibilities, a Few Wild Cards, and What to Watch Out For.

By: The &Barr Team

A new year is on the horizon, and as we close out 2025, &Barr is tossing its champagne glass, Greek wedding style, into the Predictions Yule Log Fire. While we’re all still roasting Pantone’s Color(less) of the Year, still waiting for our flying cars, and still wondering why our house of the future exists only in the breakfast nook of broken promises, we asked a few of our &Barrians for their top predictions and trends for 2026. Thankfully, none ventured into Nostradamus territory, though at least one made us tilt our heads with an audible “What?!?”, deserving of an interrobang punctuation mark. And if you know what that is, consider yourself elite.

Take a gander and see if you can guess which trend it was.

Jacqui Garcia – Associate Creative Director

There’s been a seismic shift in how we create. We all know it, even if some don’t fully embrace it yet. My prediction for 2026 centers on the “soul” factor. The idea that, with AI as a driving force, we’ll see a surge of independent studios founded by industry veterans across multiple entertainment fields. But the real story won’t be about the technology enabling them. It will be about the human vision that guides it.

As we’ve already seen, audiences possess a keen detector for soulless, algorithmically homogenized creative work. The standout trailblazers won’t be those who use AI to replace creativity, but those who use it successfully to amplify a distinct human voice.

In short, success will belong to those who embrace a fearless, human creative vision. We are the engine—AI is simply the fuel that helps us get where we want to go faster. We just need to keep in mind that the destination is, ultimately, entirely ours to choose.

Dominique Pancake – Associate Director of Social Media

In 2026, I predict we’ll see a shift toward serialized content on organic social. Platforms are increasingly recommending creators based on consistency, and viewers are simply more likely to re-engage when a video feels like it came from the same “world.” It’s the same reason we keep going back to our favorite comfort shows (mine will always be Real Housewives and Gossip Girl). Familiarity builds retention… and in the case of social algorithms, that familiarity is exactly what pulls people back in. The Cheese Store in Beverly Hills and Olivia Unplugged have both mastered this approach.

I also think we’ll see more “less obvious” brand content, where branding sits subtly in the background and the video feels like something you’d naturally find on your FYP. Like this Señorita Drinks video that reads like a regular lifestyle / influencer moment, or this Nutpods clip where someone is just making their morning coffee, you wouldn’t even realize it’s coming from a brand.

For my fun predictions: Trisha Paytas will get cast in the next season of The White Lotus, tall Uggs will make a comeback, and turning 30 might actually kill me (30, flirty, and t̶h̶r̶i̶v̶i̶n̶g̶  dying… amiright?).

Jack Polly – Senior Copywriter

In 2026, we’re going to see some huge, culturally unifying events—the World Cup, Winter Olympics, my 29^th birthday—deeply human moments that people across the globe are going to be watching with bated breath. Those events are putting human achievement center stage, and I believe that every brand has an opportunity to connect with their audiences with intimate, deeply personal stories.
Additionally, I expect travel and lifestyle inflation to start impacting the sort of experiences people search for, meaning local or more regional opportunities will be considered in addition to more far-out experiences. Call it the year of the staycation. This means that brands in the tourism and hospitality sector should look to keep local audiences engaged in addition to attracting locals as well as travelers (through the human-focused lens I’ve already mentioned).

Morgan Akenberger – Digital Marketing Specialist

Social media will be the new search engine in 2026 so adding keywords or on screen search terms will be essential for social teams. Authenticity is back leading to more UGC instead of influencer content. Brands that show humanity, and rely less on AI, will be more successful in 2026, users crave what feels real again. A new blind box item will be revealed replicating the craze of Labubu, Jonathan Bailey will remain sexiest man alive, and Jake Shane will be casted on Dancing with the Stars.

Kim Blaylock – Senior VP of Account Service & Strategy

I predict that agency/client partnerships will evolve dramatically in 2026 as we work to find new value propositions, as clients integrate AI into their workflow and handle some work that agencies have historically created. Clients will look to agencies even more for higher-level insights, strategies, and ideas that give them an edge against competitors and grow their business, as well as brand and umbrella campaign creation and stewardship.

Erin Gutknecht – VP, Public Relations

Public Relations professionals have become – and will continue to increase our service at a rapid pace as – original content creators, which is a necessary evolution from using traditional media or other communications intermediaries to reach a brand’s many and diverse publics. Our unique interactions across multiple business leaders of a brand allow us to provide information direct to end users straight from the source. People trust people, and we are the facilitators of dialogues among leaders and consumers. PR pros are experts at developing messaging that is clear, succinct, and impactful, and that authenticity and transparency are what consumers are craving. We will continue to utilize mutually beneficial relationships with professional journalists, podcasters, bloggers, and social media influencers to share their written and verbal content from experiences with brands, but the amount of opportunities for direct connections will grow exponentially.

Caitlin McManus – Associate Producer

I predict that in 2026 consumers could possibly see less AI adoption and more consumer cravings for authentic human campaigns. 2025 we saw a big push in the AI space and adoption of the AI platforms, and I think there will be a swing to genuine campaigns and human touches to advertising. I also think Mr. Potato Heads are going to make a comeback and perhaps Littlest Pet Shops.