{"id":14094,"date":"2026-02-20T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=14094"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:11:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T12:11:01","slug":"marketing-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/in\/blog\/marketing-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"Marketing Trends: 3 Things to Know for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We surveyed thousands of marketing leaders<\/a> about today\u2019s marketing trends. What did we find? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketers ranked artificial intelligence<\/a> (AI) implementation as both their number one priority and number one headache \u2014 highlighting its pivotal role as both a beacon of promise and a daunting challenge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What\u2019s top of mind for marketers?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

We asked more than 4,800 marketers about how they’re using new data and AI tools. Read up on the latest trends today in our new State of Marketing report.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tFind out now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t
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Key takeaways from our new State of Marketing report<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To some, the words \u201cnew era\u201d mean big ideas and fresh innovations. To others, it means unanswered questions, uncharted territory, and unsolved challenges. No matter which camp you find yourself in, we\u2019re all trying to build better relationships that move our business forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We surveyed marketers about how they are tackling this new era. The results found in our new State of Marketing report<\/a> reveal trends that are impacting marketers \u2014 emerging AI, data unification, and personalisation tools \u2014 and the challenges they face to continue to create customer connections in a new era<\/a>. Let\u2019s take a look at highlights from the report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Successful AI implementation leads 2026 marketing trends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a difference between AI implementation and successful<\/em> AI implementation. In our survey, only 34% of marketers are completely satisfied with their efforts to reap the value of AI. Even fewer are fully satisfied with their attempts at unifying customer data to improve the customer experience. The two go hand in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike other marketing trends and technologies, AI isn\u2019t a standalone tool. It can touch and impact almost every aspect of a marketing strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking to build better personalisation? Predictive AI can forecast customer behaviour and trends, allowing businesses to anticipate needs and tailor their strategies accordingly. Curious about how to create engaging content quickly? Generative AI<\/a> generates various types of content at scale based on data analysis and natural language processing algorithms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our report found that 71% of marketers plan to use both predictive and generative AI within the next 18 months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While marketers are embracing AI, they\u2019re also considering associated risks \u2014 data risks in particular. Marketers are focused on making AI successful<\/a> with the right data but are concerned about its integrity, protection, and customer trust as adoption ramps up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it’s not just data that keeps marketers on their toes. One in four team leads is worried about generative AI replacing human workers. However, unlocking AI\u2019s full potential requires a strategic fusion of human expertise and cutting-edge technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What better AI means for marketers <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Predictive insights, segmentation, and content generation is just the beginning when it comes to better AI. But don\u2019t let the magnitude of AI scare you away \u2014 or worse, jump in without a vision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start small and focus on solving a specific, well-defined problem that aligns with your organisation’s goals and capabilities. Gradually scale up<\/a> as you gain experience and insights from initial deployments. There\u2019s power in experimentation \u2014 as long as it\u2019s followed by implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Trustworthy data powers genuine customer connection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More than two thirds (68%) of customers<\/a> said advances in AI make it more important for companies to be trustworthy. And 98% of marketers say trustworthy data is more important in times of change. Marketers who prioritise trustworthy data may just have a head start in the new era. Trustworthy data is free from errors, biases, or manipulation, and adheres to established standards and best practices for data collection, storage, and usage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Access to this data builds better external and internal relationships. Externally, it allows you to build better connections with your customers, and a foundation built on trust and fulfilled expectations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have a clean set of data, you know you\u2019re making decisions based on accurate, up-to-date information. It allows you to personalise messages and put the customer first in marketing decisions, knowing that you\u2019ve got a complete picture of their journey and preferences. Personalisation isn\u2019t just one of the hot marketing trends today \u2014 it\u2019s the expectation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internally, marketers are using trustworthy data to track and assign value to accounts and move sales forward through approaches like account-based marketing, which require close marketing and sales team collaboration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our survey found that marketers use an average of nine different tactics across the customer experience to collect this data, with customer service data, transactional data, mobile apps, website registration\/account creation, and loyalty programs topping the list. It\u2019s clear that there\u2019s no shortage of data. Putting that data to work<\/em> is the challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As third-party cookies are deprecated and AI continues to develop, marketers are trying to bring that data together into a holistic understanding of customers. But how important is data if you can\u2019t act on it when you need it? More than half of marketers can get real-time data, but they need technical assistance to activate it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What better data means for marketers <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The right data is the backbone to actionable customer profiles, analytics, and decision-making \u2014 actionable<\/em> as the key differentiator. Centralised data management platforms that aggregate and harmonise data from various sources in real-time are that much more critical as marketers navigate new marketing trends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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