The Future 100’s hopes for 2026
As we kick off 2026, we asked members of The Media Leader’s Future 100 Club to share their aspirations for the year ahead.
From sustainability and trust to talent and collaboration, here’s what the industry’s rising stars are hoping for in 2026.
Colin Horan, strategic partner, FMCG, Bauer Media Outdoor
“My hope is that we truly rediscover the power of brand building. After years where performance marketing and short-term metrics have dominated planning, there are signs that things might be rebalancing with ISBA reporting that 37% of advertisers plan to increase their share of brand spend next year.
“This is reflected in the demand we’re already seeing in OOH for 2026, and based on some of the conversations I’ve had with our clients, I’m looking forward to seeing some truly outstanding work in the channel. I may be biased, but who doesn’t love to see a powerful poster.”
Lisa Boyles, head of go to market and media, giffgaff
“I would love for carbon measurement/reduction tactics to become the norm on media plans, and one step to get there would be to embed this as criteria for all categories in media awards – rather than its own category or bespoke awards. I’d also love to see the expansion of our Up To Good Fund for Media In Service of Nature.
“This is a simple commitment for brands, agencies and media owners to dedicate a small percentage of campaign spend towards UK nature recovery — our impact is greater the more partners come on board.”
Simon Akers, founder & partner, Archmon
“I hope for a recentering on the importance of talent. Hopefully not false hope, but the industry needs to wake up to the fact it is indeed the people who are a differentiator in their organisations.
“We have been sleepwalking all year (and prematurely) into the AI hype, and it has, I am sure of it, been used as a convenient motion for big cuts and changes amongst and structural and personnel change.
“But when we get past this tech driven mean that so many players will regress to, the ones who stand out will be the ones driven by and spotlight human craft and thinking, which is what makes this industry the great one it has traditionally been.”
Natalie Fox, head of client sales and new business, Guardian News & Media
“[I hope] that the industry rallies to show the proven value of advertising in publishing, and that advertisers rediscover their love of creativity in and strong formats in premium environments.
“We know quality publishers and news delivers reach, quality, effectiveness and talkability. and what brand doesn’t want that.”
Amanda Jayne Robertson, programmatic account director, Numodo Ltd
“As an industry, we notoriously like to declare ‘the year of something’ — does anyone remember ‘the year of mobile’ back in 2016? As we can all agree, it has very much been the ‘year of AI’ for the past few years.
“AI has been the buzzword of conferences, opinion pieces and presentations, all with good reason, but I feel like 2026 will start to bring a tangible shift. As an industry, we do have a tendency to heavily lean into a topic and prioritise it over everything. One area of focus for my team is sustainability.
“I went to a conference recently and sat through a session on AI and one burning question I had was ‘how will this impact sustainability?’ It is still unclear the true impact AI will have on energy usage and carbon emissions, however it is daunting how quickly AI is developing and evolving, and how little these questions come up or are being challenged.
“One of my great aspirations for our industry is that we find a balance between sustainability and AI next year within media planning and buying. So for 2026, rather than continuing ‘the year of AI’ tradition, I hope we move toward a mindset of meaningful balance between AI expansion and its broader impact on the planet.”
Selen Ozkan, head of CPG, EMEA, Uber Advertising
“Retail media is entering a new phase in 2026. No longer the shiny new toy, it has matured into a commercially dynamic channel, offering high-intent audiences and environments that closely mirror how people shop today.
“The biggest opportunities will come from engaging consumers in the micro-moments where choices are being made, not weeks or days beforehand, and aligning messaging, creative, and commerce to those moments. Retail media has an amazing opportunity to unlock more potential by embracing integrated budgets and unified measurement.
“Incrementality, transparent outcomes, and closer integration of media, commerce, and brand-building strategies will be critical. In this environment, the platforms and networks that provide signal-rich, contextually relevant opportunities will be best positioned to help brands drive immediate results and build lasting connections with consumers.”
Matt Wilké, head of commercial partnerships, Mediaplus
“My hope for 2026 is that we finally rebuild trust by simplifying how we talk about media. Less jargon, more clarity. Less defensive posture, more collaboration.
“I want to see an industry that treats measurement as a shared responsibility, and one that invests in training as seriously as it invests in technology. I hope 2026 is the year we choose coherence across channels, teams, and our collective sense of purpose.”
Caroline Ayling, marketing director, JAA
“A sprinkle of kindness — especially to our colleagues facing challenging conversations within networks that are sunsetting agencies and reducing headcount.
“A dash of innovation — clients want and need effective campaigns so I would love to see more great ideas and use of data coming to life through innovative, dynamic and exciting media executions.
“A glug of courage — if we’re looking for innovation then we also need brave clients ready to back brilliant media ideas.
“Reckon we’ll make a pretty tasty 2026 cake with that!”
Sarah Pettitt, senior group business director, UK & INTL, Seedtag
“My hope is that the industry continues to prioritise authenticity and transparency to ensure trust in advertising remains strong. As we enter 2026, quality journalism has never been more important yet more at risk.
“Brands advertising on quality news content benefit from higher perceived trust, yet many advertisers are abandoning it in pursuit of ‘zero-risk’ environments, weakening the institutions we need most. We know when used thoughtfully, AI enhances our ability to deliver relevance and personalisation at scale, however people are still craving connection, validation and trust, and quality context matters.
“With this in mind, I hope we see more focus on neuro-contextual approaches that match advertising with emotion, as well as interest and intent. We know that when ads match the emotion of the content, they’re better remembered and drive stronger brand outcomes. And data now shows this with 3.5× higher neural engagement and a 26% boost in emotional activation and alignment.”
Danny Holmes, consulting partner, media and agency, Experian Marketing Services
“My hope for 2026 is that the industry strikes the balance between the promise of first-party data and the reality of what it can deliver. As first-party strategies mature, marketers are recognising the gaps in scale, breadth and the ability to reach a genuinely diverse audience mix.
“Our recent research found that 85% of marketers plan to reinvigorate their third-party data strategies next year, which is a positive sign. For me, the real progress in 2026 will come from embracing high-quality, privacy-safe third-party data as a complementary asset rather than a competing one. Not all third-party datasets are created equal, and accuracy and transparency will be defining factors in performance.
“If the industry can move towards identity-agnostic connectivity, stronger match rates and scalable, verifiable insight, we’ll see smarter decision-making and the ability to reach audiences first-party data alone can’t.
“My hope is that 2026 becomes the year we set higher expectations for how data is connected, governed and applied, enabling marketers to confidently use credible, privacy-safe insight that genuinely fills those gaps.”
Tim Bond, associate director, media, Ipsos
“Work together more. Collaborating to find innovative and sustainable solutions to the problems facing the media industry – as there are more than a few out there!
“To name just one, tackling the challenge of misinformation, ensuring accuracy and truth, and reliable sources of information is something that we all have to come together to solve.”
Adam Scantlebury, head of technology, Mediahub
“I hope that agencies, publishers and the major LLM players lean into a genuinely responsible, collaborative approach forward for the industry.
“If we get that right, advertisers will continue to have access to premium, trustworthy environments to engage consumers, while publishers are properly rewarded for the quality journalism and content that underpins the whole ecosystem.”
Davina Barker, sales director, DCM
“That we see more creativity and celebration of the amazing creative work that is produced and makes a material difference to businesses.”