The Marketing Week Podcast How marketers can turbocharge performance in 2026
Jan 6, 2026
Niamh Carroll, a reporter on growth strategies, discusses how low GDP growth necessitates bold creative marketing approaches. Amrit Virdi explores AI's influence on social media, urging brands to adopt more human-centric content. Molly Innes highlights recruitment trends, indicating a recovery in senior hiring despite challenges for mid-level roles due to AI disruption. Josh Stephenson forecasts the transformative impact of agentic AI on consumer interactions and marketing strategies. Together, they provide insights into the changing landscape that marketers will navigate by 2026.
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Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Strategy Beats Macro Headwinds
- Economic forecasts predict weak UK growth in 2026, so strategy and creativity must drive results.
- Marketers should focus on incremental innovation and "sweating" existing assets to deliver growth.
Prioritise Incremental Wins
- Sweat existing assets: tweak promotions and distribution rather than relying on big new launches.
- Set realistic goals and use small wins to build internal confidence for bigger investments.
Marketing Should Lead Shared Growth
- Many marketers lack influence over price and distribution, yet these levers drive value in a tough market.
- Marketing's unique role is consumer foresight, so it can lead shared growth across the business.