At the risk of stating the obvious, next year will be a turning point for the marketing industry, especially in B2B. Change is accelerating, and it’s creating new urgency around how marketers balance efficiency, effectiveness, and execution. 

 In 2025, many marketers came to terms with the reality that traditional advertising, as we know it, is no longer enough. While these models historically worked on their own, in 2026, marketers plan to place their bets on a different balance, combining foundational basics like customer loyalty and brand building with new technology like AI to stay competitive and drive sustainable growth. In 2026, it will be as much about rediscovery as it is about reinvention.    

That shift is already visible where marketers say they plan to invest. According to a recent Madison Logic survey, in collaboration with Harris Poll, which polled more than 300 B2B marketing decision-makers, nearly half of (45%) expect to prioritize customer experience [CX] and retention next year. This is followed closely by AI-driven performance (44%) and brand building and long-term differentiation [43%].   

Together, these bets suggest a move away from unnecessary experimentation and toward strategies that reestablish trust, loyalty and relevance at scale for today’s modern buyer.    

What stands out to me is not just the renewed focus on and investment in fundamentals, but how those fundamentals are being integrated across organizations. If 2025 was about experimenting with AI for simple tasks, 2026 will be the year that marketers begin using AI for real work. AI is quickly becoming part of the infrastructure that marketers rely on to help execute proven strategies more authentically and intelligently. In practice, AI is less about replacing existing approaches and more about strengthening them.    

It’s important to note that we won’t see change for change’s sake. What we will see is AI increasingly being used as a catalyst that accelerates learning and reduces unnecessary friction between insight and execution. 

Historically, creativity in B2B was an afterthought to performance metrics and efficiency. Now, with access to real-time intent signals, behavioral patterns, and performance data, marketers can test ideas faster, refine messaging more easily, and align creative more closely with where buyers are in their journey.    

What AI will not replace, however, is the human judgement needed to power and guide this technology. The survey data reinforces this point. Only 29% of B2B marketing decision-makers say they plan to prioritize creative and content innovation. On the surface, this might suggest creativity is losing its importance but it’s not. Creative work is being embedded into systems designed to scale relevance and efficiency. Without purposeful and thoughtful oversight from humans, that can quickly lead to generic, cookie cutter output. With it, AI becomes a useful tool that helps reinforce clarity and strengthen brand identity across a multi-channel strategy.    

At the heart of this balancing act sits customer loyalty. One-third of respondents say CX will be the key differentiator for growth in 2026. Customer experience should not be defined by a single touchpoint, interaction, or campaign. It is shaped over time through consistent communication, real-time responses and value-driven messaging across the entire buyer's journey. And while AI can help anticipate the needs of buyers and personalize engagement, marketers still have to decide what kind of experience best aligns with their brand’s values and audience expectations which will of course vary depending on where a buyer is in the funnel.    

Emerging technologies are another major contributor to change in the industry. Nearly half [45%] of respondents identify AI-powered search as a primary trend influencing the future of marketing. As discovery becomes further influenced by algorithms, trust and reputation become harder to earn and easier to lose. Brands are no longer competing for attention or impressions. They are competing for loyalty and confidence in fast-moving environments often shaped by forces and factors outside their control.    

More than half of respondents [55%] expect AI to significantly reshape how marketing strategies are developed and executed in 2026. Automation can scale impact, but only if marketers make decisions with context, empathy and strategic intent. If not, you risk personalization becoming noise and performance becoming inauthentic. This is where human judgement is key. As AI becomes more complex, marketers are increasingly responsible for setting priorities, defining success and ensuring technology supports a consistent and effective strategy.    

The future of marketing will not be defined by the latest and greatest technology or tool. It will be shaped by how people use the technology or tool. The brands that succeed in 2026 will be those who treat AI as an enabler, not a replacement for strategic thinking. When technology scales what already works and is complimented by humans providing direction and meaning, marketing becomes more effective and more purposeful.    

In 2026, sustainable growth will not come from choosing new tactics over traditional ones. It will come from blending them. Rediscovering fundamentals like customer experience and brand building while reinventing how these fundamentals are delivered through modern technology. That balance, more than any single tactic or platform, will define the next phase of marketing.