How will marketing look this year? How can we achieve better results than in 2025 under today’s economic conditions and in a context where AI is everywhere?
The answers were provided during the webinar “What’s the Difference in Marketing Between 2025 and 2026?”, delivered by Cristian China-Birta, CEO of Kooperativa 2.0 and a blogger with over 20 years of experience. He employs a friendly and productive strategy to stay informed about developments across various industries in Romania. He offers consulting hours on a “Pay What You Think It’s Worth” model. Through this, he has exceeded 200 hours of consulting with managers and marketing professionals and discovered the marketing trends for this year.
This is how marketing in 2026 is taking shape!
Organic reach is decreasing more and more
The total number of unique users who have seen a post has been declining for several years. It was 0.6% on Facebook last year in Romania.
In this context, you may be tempted to publish content that attracts many likes, views, and higher reach (vanity metrics), but which does not necessarily bring you the right audience. It can even block your access to the right audience, especially as reach continues to decline.
The solution? Be selective in your communication: do not try to reach “as many people as possible,” but rather “the people who matter.” Use first-party data—your own user data from social media insights, Analytics, and newsletter reports.
And as this becomes essential for survival, another reality is already setting in.
First-party data is becoming a critical resource for brand stability in the coming years.
Google Ads are becoming more and more expensive: they were over 30% more costly last yea. But declining reach is not the only problem brands are facing.
Content itself no longer converts
No matter how brilliantly it is created, content no longer converts if it is not accompanied by something “technical” that explains how something is done.
To understand why, we need to look at the wider context.
There is more and more AI-generated content on the market. Much of it looks the same. Try this exercise: for how many pieces of content you saw last week, would you guarantee they were created by humans and not by AI?
It is difficult to estimate, but the trend is clear:
More content → weaker content → lower attention → posts no longer convert → costs increase.
Everything looks the same. Personal brands look alike. The world is oversaturated and tired of AI-generated content.
Users try to separate authentic content from AI-generated content and begin to doubt even original content, which may be of lower quality. In practice, people are developing a psychological defense mechanism against AI content, and younger generations show extreme digital fatigue. On average, in recent years, social media consumption in Romania has declined
This shift in perception also changes how people relate to AI itself.
AI produces a lot of content, but for others. This is how many users perceive it, feeling that AI is a competitor.
As user behavior changes, platforms react.
Social media platforms have introduced algorithms that detect AI-generated content and penalize it.
What does this mean for brands going forward??
Human-centric content remains the foundation
Brands are built with authenticity.
The manager/leader builds an authentic brand image through direct involvement, time, and energy dedicated to the project they believe in. Brand building cannot be fully outsourced to agencies or teams.
Use AI only as support for documentation, structure, and efficiency—not as a replacement for strategic thinking and human creativity.
Once authenticity becomes the goal, the next step is choosing the right formats.
On LinkedIn, this is the order of posts that convert best:
- Text has the best reach. Newsletters also perform very well.
- Image
- Video (although video is expected to reach the top position, people still do not upload enough video content). Video remains important to show authenticity. People want to see who you are, how you speak, and what energy you convey. Be pragmatic—video does not need to be perfect. Make sure it is good enough and don’t keep it to yourself: post consistently and, if you have a video you like, publish it on several social platforms.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube: Reels, Shorts
Instagram: carousels perform well
But even the best content formats fail without consistency.
How often should we post on social media?
Adopt digital hygiene and post at least once a week on your accounts so you are not excluded from acquisition. To stay visible to algorithms:
- Facebook & LinkedIn – minimum 3 posts/week
- TikTok – minimum 1/day
- Instagram – minimum 37 posts/month
Yet visibility alone is not enough if your website is not prepared for the future.
Web content adapted for AI
Regarding SEO, the challenge in 2026 is to ensure that your website articles are optimized for AI or Search Generative Optimization—such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews.
You can do this through clear structure, bullet points, EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness), optimization for Bing, and structured data (Schema Markup).
But data is not only technical—it is also human.
Analyze your user data and sociological/anthropological studies
Anthropological studies show changes in perception and consumption. Young people are so tired of social media that they offer themselves “treatonomics”—they go directly to their favorite brands.
First-party data will also be very important—behavioral data from newsletters and databases.
All of this leads to a hard truth.
Marketing in 2026 means:
- Money
- Time
- Nerves
In 2026, the main cost in marketing will be time. There will be less money, and we will need to invest much more time.
What does it mean to dedicate more time to marketing?
You learn what to do.
You apply what you learn.
So how do you act when budgets are limited?
Solutions without money: authentic content, 1:1 marketing, and persistence.
With money: ads and influencer collaborations.
And this is where personal communication becomes critical.
How to do 1:1 marketing
When you want to sell something or contact someone who can help you in business, pay attention to how you express yourself. Avoid generic messages such as:
“Hello, I saw you have a very interesting profile…”
You have a much better chance of success if you research the person first.
Example:
“Hi, Chinezu! I hope I’m not catching you at a rugby match you like or over a craft beer. I’m sorry I missed Shift Happens, your event, and I’d love to connect…”
The difference is clear. This is the principle of reciprocity by Robert Cialdini: attention generates attention.
People respond positively when they feel someone invested time to understand them.
The lesson for 2026: invest more in the quality of interactions than in their number.
Influencer marketing will grow. There are over 50,000 influencers in Romania, offering a human-centric approach.
Conclusion
In 2026, we should use AI in a mature way—only to simplify administrative work. Authenticity is what will bring results. Building relationships, communities, and relying on your own data will help you reach the right audience as reach continues to decline.
At the end, I leave you with this campaign from Dove – Sketches – as a model of authenticity.
What trends do you think will define marketing in 2026? Which of them are you already testing and seeing results from? Write your answer in the comments.