In partnership with Spotler.
As we settle into 2026, the marketing landscape continues to evolve at pace. While AI dominates many conversations, the opportunity for marketers will be understanding when technology helps and when human judgement matters most.
Our partners at Spotler have just published their comprehensive guide to marketing in 2026, packed with research-backed insights for every marketer to consider. Here are some key takeaways that caught our attention.
Email Marketing Gets More Human (Not Less)
One of the most surprising findings from Spotler’s research is a clear swing towards media-rich emails over simple text-based ones. Their Great British Split Test revealed that whilst AI tools like ChatGPT excel at generating text, they struggle with email design and coding.
What this means for marketers: Media-rich emails are becoming a stronger indicator of human effort and attention. As more brands rely on AI for basic text generation, those investing in proper email design and personalisation are standing out more than ever.
The lesson here isn’t to avoid AI entirely, but to understand where human creativity still has the biggest impact. Email design, visual storytelling, and the overall customer experience remain firmly in human hands.
Content Strategy in the Age of AI Search
With 800 million ChatGPT queries happening daily (compared to 16.4 billion traditional Google searches), it’s clear that AI search is growing rapidly. However, traditional SEO strategies aren’t dead yet.
The key insight: AI tools may summarise your content, but the queries still come from humans. This means understanding the language your customers actually use remains critical. Rather than optimising for AI tools, focus on creating content that answers real human questions in the way people actually ask them.
Spotler’s research suggests that while you need to ensure your content is discoverable by AI, maintaining your unique brand voice will remain valuable throughout the customer research journey.
Design Trends That Actually Matter
Pinterest Predicts has an 88% accuracy rate over the past six years, making their 2026 aesthetic predictions worth serious attention. Their research shows that design trends on Pinterest last nearly twice as long as trends elsewhere online.
For marketers, this presents a real opportunity. Getting on board with emerging visual trends early could help you stand out. The brands that succeed are those who spot trends at stage two (when a big brand takes the risk and reaps rewards) rather than stage three or four (when everyone’s already copying it).
The takeaway: Distinctive design matters more than ever in a world where AI can generate similar text content. Visual differentiation is becoming a crucial competitive advantage.
Three Things That Haven’t Changed
Despite all the innovation, Spotler’s analysis reinforces some marketing fundamentals that remain as important as ever:
1. Balance Your Marketing Priorities The eternal tension between lead generation and sales enablement isn’t going anywhere. Both working together with thinking beyond immediate wins to build the foundations that will drive leads 6, 9, and 12 months ahead.
2. Target the Right People, Not Everyone No matter how brilliant your product or service is, it might not be for everybody. Working out exactly who your product serves is still the foundation of effective marketing. Once you know that, channel strategy becomes much clearer.
3. Email Remains the Reliable Workhorse While new channels emerge regularly (remember Clubhouse?), email reaches nearly every age cohort equally. Unlike social platforms with specific demographic profiles, email remains universally accessible.
Why This Matters for Marketers
These insights are particularly relevant for those marketers juggling multiple priorities with limited resources. The key is understanding where to invest human effort for maximum impact and where technology can genuinely help streamline your work.
Marketing success in 2026 might not necessarily depend on the most advanced AI tools, but the understanding of how to blend technology with human insight will be powerful.
Read the Full Guide
This overview captures just a few highlights from Spotler’s comprehensive 2026 marketing guide. For deeper insights into email testing results, aesthetic trends, multichannel strategies, and practical implementation advice, read the complete guide here: Looking Ahead for 2026: A Marketer’s Guide to the Year Ahead.
For more details on our partner, visit the Spotler website.
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