In our continued study of trends shaping consumer behaviour and marketing in 2026, this week we’re looking at treat economics, or “treatenomics.” I’m not even sure if that’s a real world, but it’s what I’m choosing to call the intersection of current economics and consumers pursuit of small treats. Think of it as an extension of the pursuit of joy, which we looked at last week, … [Read more...]
Seeking positive moments of joy
This is a continuation in a series I've been publishing to my e-newsletter about top trends impacting 2026. You can catch up on the series here - and don't forget to subscribe for future tips! Marketing trends defining 2026 Trend #1: Long form content is back – seeking substance (April 12) https://preview.mailerlite.io/emails/webview/2042231/184540661591050205 Trend #2: … [Read more...]
Answer engine optimization: impact on SEO
SEO as we knew it has changed forever There’s a revolution happening in search right now. The way people are searching for information online has fundamentally changed. And it’s not just the impact of using AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude for search. It’s also AI being configured within search on Google. We’re witnessing a shift from traditional “search engines” to “answer … [Read more...]
Influencers are the new media
The creator economy is projected to exceed $200 billion in 2026. In a matter of a couple years, the creator economy has gone from being a side channel to a core media strategy. And we’re talking about a whole lot more than single platform influencers on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok. While there certainly still are single platform, or predominantly one platform … [Read more...]
Leveraging IRL: Why brands are taking it offline
Some time traveling history Remember back in May 2020, when the world shut down, and much of life shifted to online? Education went online. Work meetings were on Zoom. Conferences shifted to online platforms. Zoom was gloriously efficient for work meetings – tell me that I’m not the only one who enjoyed preparing lunch with my camera off and mic muted while someone rattled on … [Read more...]
