5 content trends to watch in 2026
Hybrid formats, generative AI, native vertical content: a look at the trends reshaping brand content this year.
1. Hybrid formats. Live-action and CGI increasingly coexist within the same shot, with viewers no longer trying to tell them apart — the goal isn't realism anymore, it's impact.
2. Generative AI as a pre-production tool. It lets teams iterate on dozens of art directions in a matter of hours, before locking the final brief with the client.
3. Native vertical. Campaigns are no longer shot in 16:9 and cropped afterward — they're conceived from the storyboard stage for 9:16, with framing and pacing built for it.
4. FOOH as campaign teasing. More and more brands are using a FOOH capsule ahead of a product launch, even before the official campaign drops.
5. Transparency about the making. Showing the behind-the-scenes — making-of, before/after CGI — is becoming content in its own right, valued for its authenticity.
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