Advertising Trends & Best Practices for 2026

Advertising is evolving faster than ever, and this year our team is hyper-focused on being prepared for fast changes with solid, future-focused strategies — or as we like to say: Advertising for What’s Next. This is a defining moment for brands ready to lead, adapt, and think beyond what’s been done before. From the way people consume content and interact with ads, to where budgets are being spent and what metrics actually matter, the rules of the game are shifting. 

So we sat down with Tom Parsons, our own Media Strategy Expert, to talk trends, truth, and what really works. In this Q&A, Tom breaks down what advertisers should be paying attention to, what they can stop stressing over, and how to build campaigns that actually connect, convert, and stand out in a crowded world.

The 2026 Advertising Landscape

Q: As we head into 2026, what’s the biggest change advertisers should be paying attention to right now?
The evolution of media consumption is in full swing. Their future customers are diversifying their habits at a rapid pace, and they’ll need their Optimum Media account executives to help stay on that pulse because no matter what screen they’re watching, we likely have access for them.

Q: How has the way consumers engage with ads changed over the last few years — and what does that mean for brands in 2026?
I see two major changes. First, people are getting sick of ads that don’t entertain and treat customers like targets instead of valuable clientele. Second, we’re getting better at sniffing out AI in ads, but AI is also getting better at entertaining us. This means advertisers must enchant their buyers — not just ask them to buy — and there are now more ways to do that with video.

Q: Are there any long-standing advertising “rules” that no longer apply?

Vanity metrics are out. Clicks, likes, shares, and comments might tell you something interesting, but an advertiser who “keeps the receipts” of actual sales trend data will always outperform the click counter over the long term.

Crafting Messages That Actually Break Through

Q: What defines an effective advertising message in 2026 — especially in the first few seconds?

Advertisers have to immediately identify a pain point their customer has. You’ll earn more time to prove you can address that pain point if you do it right away. This has always been true, of course, but in a world with short attention spans, solving a problem they care about is paramount. 

Q: How important is authenticity in ad messaging today, and how can brands get it right?

Transparency about your business is critical for a big reason. It defines boundaries about what you do and don’t want, and the crazy reality psychologically is that you will not eliminate people outside your boundaries at all. They will opt in to your terms. Draw a line and they will want to cross it. Make what’s on the other side of that line something they aspire to and they will make choices that benefit you both.

Q: How can smaller or local businesses create messages that compete with much larger brands?

A challenger brand always has a message available to them that the top can’t use, and it resonates greatly with prospects. American DNA is full of a deep grit of the contender that goes much deeper than an “underdog” story. Most great films are built this way, and the local business message can resonate with future customers, letting them compete with larger companies. Learning to associate your company’s challenger mindset with the viewer’s self-identification can recruit leads in droves. 

Placement, Context & Media Mix

Q: How should advertisers think about media mix planning in 2026 across TV, streaming, mobile, and digital?

The approach is multifaceted, but there are three rules to start with: 1.) Ensure the budget covers enough of the full marketing funnel, not just the front and not just the end; 2.) With the front and middle, plant seeds to build familiarity, and at the end concentrate on short-term conversions; and 3.) Judge the mix as a whole by watching sales metrics, not vanity metrics.

Q: Why does where an ad appears matter just as much as what it says?

Paying attention to where the customer is in their buying journey tells you the focus of the messaging for that media better based on the rules I shared above. Certain media behave differently than each other. The message is the message, but the delivery truck matters.

Q: What role does mobile-first advertising play today compared to even a few years ago?

Mobile-first is only good when you know all three things are true: 1.) The customer you are reaching has at least some familiarity with you; 2.) The offer is compelling; and 3.) Converting to the next right action is clear and easy. Mobile device screens lack the psychological power that larger screens have to get people to act now. Checking your plan against these three rules will help you determine a mobile-first strategy correctly or know when to opt into a larger screen first, THEN mobile which has statistically shown a compounding effect.

Q: Are there any placements or channels you believe are currently undervalued?

Traditional cable television is a lead generating juggernaut, even in household-abbreviated markets. Based on set-top box data and current rate structures, to reach the same 1,000 people streaming does, cable network zones could typically be as little as 20% of the cost. If I’m budget conscious, I can’t sleep on the day-in-day-out value that cable offers me to reach my market.

Smarter Budgeting in a Competitive Market

Q: With budgets under more scrutiny, how can advertisers make their spend work harder in 2026?

Recalibrating Google spend is a critical one. Cost per lead and cost per acquisition fluctuate sometimes out of control, and pay per click tends to recruit a price-conscious buyer. If you are the more expensive option because you offer a better product or service, you’ll lose that buyer even though you got the click. There are better ways than the end of the funnel alone to build belief you are worth that higher price.

Q: What advice do you give businesses that feel they need bigger budgets to see better results?

They aren’t wrong for believing that, but the reality is that they need to do what they can with what they have, where they are. Keep investing what you DO grow with back into the strategy, and it WILL grow. I’d also advise patience. Changing people’s minds to buy from you isn’t an overnight proposition for most verticals for a variety of reasons the businesses can’t change. 

Q: How important is testing and optimization when building efficient ad campaigns?

Depending on how you test, it’s important, but not ultimate. If you know who you are to a customer that cares, the only test you need for now is sales. Efficiency buying sounds right when you are small, but the big brands don’t want you to know effectiveness is the real Holy Grail of marketing. Large brands spend billions more in favor of effectiveness than efficiency. This is ignored too often by smaller companies.

Q: What metrics should advertisers focus on — and which ones matter less than they think?

When you execute a multimedia campaign, you’ll want to compare sales to the same time period last year. Time after time, advertisers’ Google Analytics show massive increases in sessions, engagement rate, and form fills from nearly every category, including paid search and paid social. We’re talking 75% increases in direct traffic, organic search, and direct searches for mature businesses, and over 300% increases in the same metrics for businesses new to our media options. Every business is different, but advertisers should be using sales and margins to adjust and improve return on ad spend (ROAS).

Tom’s Best Practices for Planning in 2026

Q: If an advertiser is still planning their 2026 strategy right now, where should they start?

Solidify that you still have a message that promotes the highest promise that you can keep with a customer that it matters to. If not, focus on that. All else has to get in line with this first.

Q: What should businesses be doing today to prepare for what’s coming next year?

The announcement that Instagram is planning to compete with YouTube for social attention on the larger screens is something to look at. If your social proofing is already strong in social media, investing in more short-form video strategies could be a game changer to save up for.

Q: How can advertisers stay ahead of trends without chasing every new platform or tactic?

Video first strategy always wins. If a platform has video, it should be the priority. Nothing changes behaviors in any place in the funnel like video does. Adapt to new platforms, but keep video influence your focus and the new trends won’t pass you by.

Q: What separates advertisers who consistently see ROI from those who struggle?

I’d like to say it’s Optimum Media alone, but it isn’t. It’s patience. Advertisers want to bypass the climb for the mountaintop experience. We can get them there faster than most, but patience with a well-crafted plan means it will take more time than you’d like. Search engine optimization is a good example. It could take up to 18 months to supplant top listings in organic search. But once you’re there, it’s also hard to supplant you. The winning advertiser knows this and plans for it in all media buys.

Looking at the Year Ahead

Q: What excites you most about the future of advertising?

People of all types are ready to throw their money at goods and services that they care about. This means as each platform and media option matures, advertisers who keep that truth at the front will enjoy the benefits of the adaptations and evolution in ad delivery taking place.

Q: If advertisers could make one mindset shift heading into 2026, what should it be?

Ask yourself over and over: “Can I get video into that option?” Film the company story in a long-form video and put it on your website. Make a YouTube channel and house everything you make there too. Highlight customers in testimonial videos. Make 15-second commercials and :30s for all kinds of TV to drive customers to other interactions further in the funnel. Use video in your email campaigns; make Reels, Stories, and TikToks. Due to this shift, you’d do well to consider hiring a full-time videographer who can shoot, edit, and adapt to all video platform formats with consistency of brand behavior. Bonus value if this person is excellent at storytelling. Ultimately, the permission structure that video enables for influence will drive massive consumer behavioral shifts.

In conclusion, as we push forward into a vast, ever-changing advertising landscape, one thing is clear: The brands that win won’t be the ones chasing every new trend, but the ones staying focused on strong messaging, smart placements, and tangible results. Tom’s insights remind us that great advertising isn’t about being louder, it’s about being more meaningful, more entertaining, and more effective. With the right strategy built around your business’s unique goals — not vanity metrics — you can build momentum that lasts. That’s what Advertising for What’s Next is all about: creating work that connects today, adapts tomorrow, and drives growth long after the campaign ends.

Tom Parsons is a Manager of Client Strategy at Optimum Media, and best-selling author of the new title: Lead or Bleed: The Proven Guide to Building Local Marketing Funnels and Getting Leads.