January 8, 2026 | Vol 113
The 10 Digital Marketing Trends Shaping What’s Next
There’s no shortage of strong articles being published, but value doesn’t come from the link alone—it comes from understanding what actually matters and how to apply it. Instead of asking you to read another long-form piece and interpret it on your own, I’m breaking it down in an interview-style format. By pulling the key questions and answers directly from the article, this approach is designed to help you absorb the most relevant insights faster and more clearly—so you can decide what’s worth your attention, your time, and your next move.
Greg Jarboe is president of SEO-PR, which he co-founded in 2003. Their digital marketing agency has won awards for generating results for a variety of clients.
Q&A INTERVIEW WITH GREG JARBOE
Author of “The Top 10 Digital Marketing Trends For 2026”
Published 12/31/2025 in Search Engine Journal.
Jim:
Greg, in your article you open by saying the industry is moving from “experimentation” to “execution.” What does that mean for 2026?
Greg Jarboe:
In recent years, marketers have focused on whether new tools and tactics could work — generative AI, the decline of cookies, retail media networks, shoppable video, immersive experiences. For 2026, the question isn’t “Can we do it?” but “Are we doing it well?” This shift emphasizes turning strategy into real outcomes across data, media, and creativity.
Jim:
Your first trend focuses on search. How is conversational search rewriting SEO?
Greg Jarboe:
Search is evolving beyond classic keyword queries to conversational queries that deliver answers directly in the engine — rather than clicks to a site. Platforms like Google and Bing’s generative interfaces are changing what visibility means. Marketers should optimize for intent, structure content for conversational and multimodal search, and measure success in ways that go beyond clicks.
Jim:
You also talk about a “video-commerce boom.” What’s happening there?
Greg Jarboe:
Video is now transactional, not just engaging. Short-form, live, and interactive video formats are driving commerce. A study cited in the article found that 86% of advertisers are using or planning to use generative AI for video ad production, and AI-generated video ads are expected to make up about 40% of all video ads by 2026.
Jim:
On the data side, what is the “privacy-first data revolution” you reference?
Greg Jarboe:
With the end of third-party cookies, increased regulation, and higher consumer privacy expectations, first-party data, consent-based profiling, and strong data architecture become central competitive assets. Brands must build a robust internal data foundation or face weakened optimization and measurement capabilities.
Jim:
Retail media networks are also listed as a major trend. What should marketers know?
Greg Jarboe:
Retail media networks (RMNs) — once niche — are becoming mainstream. They combine rich first-party purchase data with premium placements, allowing brands to tie exposure and conversions directly to specific products. RMN spend is projected to be significant enough that brands should integrate RMN planning into their full-funnel media strategy.
Jim:
What’s changing in influencer and creator strategies?
Greg Jarboe:
Influencer marketing is evolving from transactional sponsorships to co-creation. Creators are becoming strategic partners involved in product ideation, campaign planning, and community engagement — not just channels for distribution.
Jim:
You emphasize “community + authenticity.” How does that influence branding?
Greg Jarboe:
Audiences today want more than transactions; they want belonging and transparent engagement. That means investing in owned channels, user-generated content, and internal voices (from employees and leadership) to build authentic community interactions. Authenticity and community engagement become differentiators in a crowded landscape.
Jim:
AI is built into several trends. How should marketers think about it in 2026?
Greg Jarboe:
AI is no longer a peripheral tool — it becomes the operating system of marketing. It powers analytics, optimization, media buying, customer journeys, and workflow automation. Humans set strategy and guard brand integrity, while AI executes at scale.
Jim:
Attribution and measurement have been changing. What trend are you highlighting there?
Greg Jarboe:
With fragmentation, privacy changes, and platform walled gardens making traditional attribution less reliable, marketing mix modeling (MMM) regains prominence in measuring impact. Brands should invest in MMM infrastructure and align media, finance, and analytics teams around business outcomes, not just platform metrics.
Jim:
You also mention immersive experiences and gamification. What should brands be doing there?
Greg Jarboe:
Brands should go beyond static formats into interactive experiences like AR, VR, live gaming, and interactive formats. The focus should be on utility and tying engagement back to conversion metrics, not just “wow” moments.
Jim:
Finally, your 10th trend centers on the “human edge.” What’s the key takeaway?
Greg Jarboe:
Technology moves fast; people and culture are the lasting competitive advantage. Winning brands will invest in upskilling teams in data literacy, AI fluency, and cross-disciplinary execution. Without strong talent, strategies will struggle in implementation.
If this sparked a thought or raised a question, I’d welcome a conversation. Whether it’s how these ideas may impact your current marketing plans or what they could mean for you personally as you navigate change, let’s talk it through. No pressure, no pitch, just perspective and clarity.
Until next time - Expect to Win!
JIM
#xp2win
