Advertising trends 2026: Cinema and epic storytelling craft the best ads of the year ahead

Ads specifically tailored to how you behave? AI-generated commercials? In 2026, advertising looks more Minority Report than Mad Men. This futuristic outlook takes into account the rapidly changing nature of the creative industries, and how AI, VR, and AR are changing the game faster than you can say ’Super Bowl’.

However, while the way businesses advertise is evolving in line with tech development, the creative content of advertising is something entirely different. Audiences are looking back to nostalgic cinema, feeling cosy with animal critters, and responding positively to ads that tap into neglected social issues. There’s also a strong leaning towards sophisticated storytelling and creative aesthetics that mimic the very best of independent film (A24 has a lot to answer for).

The ads of 2026 have substance as well as gadgetry, with brands willing to take creative risks likely to be the winners in the year ahead. Read on to discover our complete advertising trend report for 2026, watch examples that are already setting the tone, and find tips and resources for creating your own creative campaigns.

Discover the biggest 2026 advertising trends in our essential trend report for the advertising industry and creative folk.

AI is making its mark in the advertising industry, but creative agencies are starting to utilize AI technology to free up time, as AI can perform tasks such as administration and analytics that would otherwise consume creative resources. Celebrating human creativity acknowledges the growing impact of human craft, artistry, and storytelling in advertising. 

Some brands are recognising people’s innate desire to create, even in and perhaps in reaction to an environment of digital automation. Apple’s ‘Great Ideas on Mac’ campaign was a great example of this brewing mood in 2025, and Crayola’s ‘Creative Acts of Color’, which encouraged anyone to submit creative artworks inspired by the colorfully crayoned drawing of a nine-year-old Texan girl, shows how creativity-themed campaigns are fantastic ways to engage audiences.

We’re also expecting to see more advertising campaigns that mimic high art aesthetics in 2026, following the lead of Lily Allen’s album and video artwork for seismic album West End Girl, as well as the influence of Emerald Fennell’s hyper-aesthetic take on Wuthering Heights, set to release in 2026.  

Creativity-themed campaigns tap into an audience’s desire for individuality, making artistic advertising resonate well with young audiences (Gen Z strives to discover uniqueness through online tribes), as well as creative professionals and creatively minded hobbyists of all ages. In 2026, you’ll see big brands trying to target these audiences, who may otherwise have favored independent brands.

Celebrating human creativity starts with an idea. You can use a moodboard template to pull together concepts, colors, and images for a creative campaign.

Be bold and experiment! This 2026 ad trend isn’t concerned with fitting in — if you have a unique idea that’s a bit off-the-wall, why not try it?

Creativity comes in many forms, with fresh takes on artistic ideas from luxury brand Hermes, which has crafted beautiful animations for social media, and Apple, which has turned the candid spotlight on creatives working in eclectic studio settings.

Experiential advertising will reach new heights with live advertising that not only coincides with events, such as music concerts, sports games, and cultural events, but also incorporates these live experiences into immersive social media advertising, making FOMO a thing of the past. 

But the biggest (potential) advertising event of the year remains to be seen — will Taylor Swift use her upcoming nuptials as a marketing masterclass to showcase her own powerhouse brand? Watch this Blank Space.

Going above and beyond is the name of the game for Ads go live. As an (extravagant) example, Airbnb built a complete 42-foot Polly Pocket home that visitors could actually stay in, which was documented live by the brand. So maybe this isn’t a trend for low budgets. 

While live advertising is a huge feat to pull off (in terms of expense, organization, and timing), there is an untapped captive audience on social media livestreaming, and the results can really pay off for brands willing to invest.

Even on a limited budget, you can still capture the spirit of live advertising with livestreaming, podcast interviews, or vlogs. Find your audience, identify the best time, and go live!

Many of the best live advertising events strike a balance between showbiz slickness and an authentic behind-the-scenes vibe. See the Instagram adverts for Dua Lipa’s recent tour, or the YouTube video that reveals the seriously intense work that went into making Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show a reality. Keep it real, but keep it entertaining, too!

Ads go live is a bold and immersive strategy that creates memories made for sharing on socials. Recent examples include a UK supermarket chain tapping singer Lewis CapALDI to perform a live supermarket gig, and Dua Lipa using Instagram behind-the-scenes and live footage to leverage tour momentum and boost album sales.

The pull of nostalgia marketing never truly wanes, but in 2026, we can expect to see even more nostalgic ads designed to tug at the heartstrings of cinema fans. Some of the most successful ads of 2024 leaned into this formula, competing with AI wizardry for a purely emotional connection with consumers. 

Last year saw Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reunite for ‘When Sally Met Hellmann’s’ (with Sydney Sweeney, she of many 2025 ad campaigns, in a blink-and-miss-it cameo that’s worth watching until the end), and in the UK, Keira Knightley revisits the Love Actually plotline for British supermarket chain Waitrose in a cosy, feel good ode to the Richard Curtis classic—a must-watch for 2000s romcom fans. 

We all have ‘comfort’ films we return to time and again (Sleepless in Seattle, anyone?). Nostalgic feel-good cinema in advertising highlights the factors that draw us back to these movie classics, whether it’s the cozy autumn feel of Love Story or the zany ’80s soundtrack of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 

They establish an emotional connection with the viewer that tracks back to childhood. Ads that reference movies from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s have the best chance of striking a chord with Millennial and Gen Z audiences.

It always helps to have Meg Ryan on hand, but if that’s not an option, recruit actors or willing friends and recreate your favorite iconic movie scenes. Just make sure the brand or product element of the ad feels like a natural, rather than forced, addition. 

Use warm filters on videos and avoid any AI wizardry for this nostalgic ad trend. It’s about recreating the authentic feel of the original film.

We love the cosy, heartwarming feel of some of these recent nostalgic ads, which mimic some of the best-loved scenes from romantic cinema.

It’s a fine balancing act to play for commercials that push a serious social message. You can come across as hollow, preachy, or, even worse, totally miss the mark and ruin your brand reputation in the process (Kendall Jenner and Pepsi, we’re looking at you).

However, when done right, advertising can have a significant social impact. Think of Dove’s iconic Real Beauty campaign, or Nike’s ‘Dream Crazy’ ad, which encouraged aspiring athletes to follow their dreams despite seemingly overwhelming obstacles. 

In an atmosphere of increasing social division, it feels like the right time for the advertising industry to step up. We’ve seen impactful attempts at this by organisation What’s Up With Hate, starring Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady in a direct, memorable commercial that aired during the Super Bowl, as well as other ads tackling thorny social issues like prejudice and toxic masculinity, some more directly and others in a more subtle way that interweaves message with watchable narrative.

In similarity to the Story-driven brand films trend for 2026, below, Ads as social statement rest on the strength of their narrative and message. It’s easy to come off as artificial, particularly in the context of an ad, but this can be avoided with honest, direct storytelling and opting for real people over actors or models. Build authenticity and rawness into your campaign, and it will resonate.

Keep the style of your social statement ads low-key and gritty for authentic realism. Polaroid images, home video styling, and candid portraits will tell the story better than a glossy advert.

Recent examples of socially driven ads focus on some of the most pressing issues in society, including male identity and discrimination. Department store John Lewis’ 2025 Christmas ad explores the unspoken dynamic of many father-son relationships, while actor Stephen Graham has addressed a similar theme for charity MANUP? in the wake of the success of the Netflix series Adolescence.

Using animals in advertising is a go-to for savvy marketers (who doesn’t love the Andrex puppy?), but in 2026, the cute factor will step up even further with campaigns built around animal mascots and heart-warming pet-centric narratives.

And the facts mirror the cuteness — 94 million American households own a pet, representing a majority 70% of the population, and responsiveness to ads when animals are involved follows suit. Social media post engagement rates increase by 63% when a pet is featured, and ads featuring dogs on YouTube receive more than 540% higher views than the average views on their brand’s channels. 

Over the past few years, we’ve seen some great animal-centric campaigns from Budweiser, Chevrolet, and Spruce, but the animal factor will only become stronger in advertising as more Americans become pet owners and veganism continues to gain popularity. 

Persuade your favorite pet (Frenchie, moggie, chameleon) to become an advertising star for the day! They say you should never work with children or animals, but when the results are this promising, it’s worth taking the risk. 

Did you know you can create animal noises using AI? SoundGen allows you to generate any sound in seconds from a simple AI prompt. Try farmyard noises, dog barks, or flocks of geese for the ultimate finishing touch to your animal-themed ad.

Ads featuring Animal antics can be whimsical, witty, or tear-jerking. Budweiser’s ‘First Delivery’ campaign manages to tick many of the boxes, seeing a young, aspiring cart horse make a noble mission to join the herd.

The power of storytelling never truly dims, but in 2026, we anticipate that creative narratives will continue to dominate content for video advertising and social media reels. Drawing inspiration from contemporary cinema, these immersive ad campaigns subtly integrate sales messaging into stories, and are as much an exercise in crafting brand atmosphere as they are in boosting brand engagement.

Story-driven brand films are currently gaining traction in fashion and fragrance, but by 2026, we anticipate this trend will expand to other industries. 

Miu Miu’s recent fragrance campaign starring Emma Corrin has a definite Wes Anderson influence, leading the viewer through quaintly surreal set pieces. Meanwhile, perfume brand Ffern enlists British actor Charlie Cooper for a ‘Wild Goose Chase’ ad that takes him on a whimsical search for autumn. 

‘A Tale As Old as Websites’ takes storytelling into tech territory with Barry Keoghan spreading the word (and laptops) liberally around the Irish landscape for Squarespace. 

At the heart of Story-driven brand films is a compelling narrative that leads the viewer through a sequence of scenes from A to B, with the call-to-action cleverly disguised as the natural conclusion. The screenwriting is centric, but it also helps if the cinematography is beautiful as well! 

No film studio to hand? No problem. You can use an AI video generator to create immersive stories on any theme you can imagine without a Hollywood budget to hand.

Story-driven brand films tend to be longer than standard reels or ads, and these recent examples demonstrate how time is necessary to allow a story to unfold. But don’t be in doubt, you’ll want to stay along for the ride.

Arguably the biggest advertising story of 2025 was ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’, the advertising campaign commissioned by denim brand American Eagle that to say misfired would be an understatement. But was the fallout balanced out by the publicity of this epic ‘anti-ad’?

Both American Eagle and Sydney Sweeney made global headlines, and viral content continued to circulate for months afterward. It sparked a cultural debate (did AE intentionally capitalize on the opportunity, or was it a naive oversight?), but the less-reported story was American Eagle’s financial boost following the viral campaign. The company’s total net revenue in the second quarter of 2025 was $1.28 billion, considered the second-highest Q2 revenue ever recorded for the company.

It also further solidified Sweeney’s movie star status, cementing her position on the Hollywood A-List after the Euphoria years. She casually brushed off the post-ad drama, stating, “I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans.” Mic drop…or fuel to the fire, you decide.

Other anti-advertising efforts (intentional or otherwise) in 2025 didn’t go so well. E.L.F. Cosmetics partnered with comedian Matt Rife for a disastrous skit in which he joked about domestic violence, and Meta’s creepy AI companions were accused of interacting inappropriately with minors by the Wall Street Journal, leading the company to revise how the promotional characters were developed.

In 2026, we can expect more bold brands to experiment with ‘anti-advertising’, where the message or campaign content is intentionally designed to stir controversy or trigger a viral online discussion. It’s a risky strategy, and not for the faint-hearted, but it’s also a clever technique for bringing neglected brands back into the commercial spotlight.

Where it works

This tricky ad trend is not for the faint-hearted, and generally only big brands can afford to take the plunge with Anti-advertising, given the risk of fallout. When it works, anti-advertising is about tapping into the just-right mood at the just-right moment, generating maximum discussion and potential for going viral. Market research and analytic assessment are crucial for getting this trend spot on…and even then, there’s no guarantee it won’t backfire.

How to try it

Feeling courageous? Court controversy with an ad that provokes discussion, but steer away from topics that are discriminatory or downright mean (there’s no need to stoop that low, people).

Pro tip

Have a decent lawyer on speed dial.

Examples

Well, American Eagle is the ultimate, taking the baton from Pepsi’s ‘Live for Now’ monstrosity. In 2026, let’s see what other anti-advertising campaigns take the internet by storm…

AI is here to stay, but the attitude towards its use in creative output is shifting. A year ago, creatives might have been nervous about AI usurping their role within agencies, but now we are starting to see more advertising professionals and marketers actively utilise AI to achieve exceptionally creative results. 

With AI video generators becoming more nuanced and sophisticated, it’s possible to bring even your most specific ideas to life. AI-generated ads will become more prevalent in 2026, with ad agencies utilizing a combination of AI and manual creative to develop campaigns that surpass the norm. 

By incorporating AI elements into a manually shot video, brands can strike a good balance between AI and human creativity. If brands go for all-out AI, the results can be mixed. As an example, Coca-Cola released its completely AI-generated Christmas ad for 2025, which featured animated penguins and hedgehogs; however, the ad also sparked controversy due to its artificiality. But with AI, there’s always going to be buzz, both good and bad—the Coca-Cola ad has also been the most talked-about ad on social media for the holiday season.

Utilize an AI video generator like VideoGen to create entirely unique AI content for social media videos and ads, or employ ImageGen for generating static content for posters, banners, and billboards.

Balance out AI-generated wizardry with your own unique ideas. It’s about using AI as a creative tool, rather than letting the tech take the lead.

AI artist Sybille Saint Louvent is a specialist in creating unique fictional campaigns for famous fashion houses, but this year, Gucci actually commissioned official AI content from the creative. Could this mark a turning point for brands to have the confidence to use entirely AI-generated content? Watch this space.

Being reactive to events as and when they happen is a great technique for boosting a brand’s memorability, and in some cases, savvy brands can even turn a rainy day or misfortune into an opportunity to shine. This has been the case recently with Lime Bikes, who opportunistically reacted to a London Tube strike by presenting billboards with the message “Good Service on All Limes”, reminding stressed commuters that even if trains weren’t available, Lime bikes were.

However, the gold star goes to the Astronomer marketing team, who responded to the viral video of their CEO entangled in a Coldplay kiss cam fiasco by serving a sarcastic dose of sass in the form of Gwyneth Paltrow, who was hired as a temporary spokesperson for the brand. Slam dunk.

In 2026, as real-time analytics become more sophisticated and AI plays a growing part in identifying patterns and events, it will become easier for brands to have these opportunistic reactions. While this is currently easier to achieve on social media, we can expect to start seeing these Clever activations on other advertising media as well, such as interactive billboards.

Where it works

This is an advertising trend that revolves around close analysis of current events and timely social patterns. With that in mind, these reactive campaigns work best when events are anticipated (such as a train strike), and artwork is prepared in advance, ready for when analytics indicate it’s time to push the button. 

How to try it

Clever activations gain even more memorability through interactive elements, such as deodorant brand Axe’s bus stop arcade games. You can build playable games, quizzes, and personalization features (see below) into campaigns to really capitalize on the timely opportunity.  

Pro tip

Sometimes bad things happen to good brands, but that doesn’t mean you can’t turn tragedy into opportunity. Take a leaf out of Astronomer’s book — tongue-in-cheek humor and fast reaction times can go a long way to repairing brand damage.

Examples:

The best recent examples of Clever activations react swiftly (and wittily) to live events, cultural moments and context, such as identifying where an audience might be idle for a while (bus stops a case in point).

Tailoring ads to individuals might not be a completely new idea, but ad targeting has mostly been limited to understanding what consumers search for and where they visit across the web. In the near future, advertising will be able to reach specific individuals based on a much wider range of factors, such as behavioural patterns and social interactions, and combine these with real-time data, such as current events and even the weather, to create ads that are fully customized and relevant to the target viewer. It may sound like science fiction, but with the development of AI technology, it’s well within reach. 

Personalization is the next frontier of futuristic advertising. We’re talking about videos, images, and text, such as calls to action, that can change in real-time in response to user data. The result? Conversion rates are maximized, plus higher long-term engagement with consumers. It’s about people feeling seen by brands, which equates to stronger brand relationships over time. 

Uber-personalization is not so much an ad trend as an advertising overhaul. Once the technology catches up, personalization will completely transform the way advertising is created, targeted, and consumed. It will work best for brands that already offer personalized services for customers, whether it’s bespoke fitness tech or tailored vacations, with the ads able to target these customers more effectively than ever before.

Watch this space for personalization tech built around AI models, but you can already see the foundation of this in action through social media algorithms and tailored search content. 

Even without the tech, you can still work personalization into an ad strategy. Using analytics and social media tracking helps you see your audience in micro-detail, with data such as demographics, geography, and age informing future campaigns.

Personalized products foster a unique connection between the consumer and the brand, and we can expect advertising to follow suit soon. Consider the relationship users have with fitness technology, in particular. Apple has leaned into this with an emotional campaign, ‘Dear Apple’, which demonstrated how unique product characteristics tailored to individuals help people in crisis.

In 2026, advertising trends are about rediscovering the joy of pure creativity, with advanced tech facilitating the freedom for ad agencies to try unexpected strategies that might have been deemed too risky in the past. We can expect to see a significant shift in the advertising industry toward tailored ads that appeal to individual consumers, thereby boosting reach, impressions, and brand impact. And AI is playing a huge role in this ad evolution.

AI is set to dramatically shift how brands target consumers, with advertising soon able to react to nuanced data, such as behavioral patterns, time-sensitive events, and an individual’s past relationship with a brand. Imagine a social media post that features a personalized message just for you. Or a digital banner that reacts to the time of day or even the weather to create more effective, relevant advertising in a given time and place. 

In this context of tech-leading marketing, we’re also starting to see huge potential for creative growth within advertising. If you don’t have to create a generic campaign that appeals to everyone, you can afford to design something more interesting, even eccentric. Advertisers have always understood their audience, but how to reach them without sacrificing CTRs is another issue entirely. In 2026, AI-powered analytics is poised to change this, freeing up those off-the-wall ideas to take center stage. 

Many of the 2026 advertising trends we’ve spotted make a nod to this symbiotic dynamic of tech and creativity, with Uber-personalization outlining the future of how advertising reaches individuals, while Celebrating human creativity provides the human balance with high-art aesthetics and crafted narratives. And the power of social media to fuel the advertising conversation isn’t going anywhere—Anti-advertising looks at how controversial and even downright tone-deaf content can still bring agencies and brands surprising success, while Ads go live demonstrates how cultural events are becoming large-scale ad opportunities for savvy brands (and pop artists — the upcoming Taylor-Travis wedding, a possible case in point).

Based on consumer research and the most impactful projects released by the industry’s leading advertising agencies, we have confidence that these 10 advertising trends in 2026 will define the way commercials are created and engaged with by millions of global consumers.

A strong theme that emerges across almost all of these trends is the value of human creativity and the power of traditional storytelling, with these old crafts given a new lease of fantastical life through the use of fast-evolving AI and interactive technology. We’re returning to ancient ways of sharing powerful messages, but the way they appear and sound is altogether futuristic.

Discover answers about these 2026 ad trends, and start strategising for your own creative campaigns.

The biggest 2026 advertising trends lean into the power of storytelling and human creativity, against a backdrop of visual innovations in AI and interactive tech. Some of the most impactful ad trends will be AI-generated ads, Uber-personalisation, Story-driven brand films, and Celebrating human creativity.

Yes, AI is likely to have a major impact on advertising in 2026. Advanced generative AI will be able to offer personalized advertising that responds to individuals’ behavioral patterns and preferences in real time. Additionally, more brands will adopt AI for content creation, commissioning ads that utilize partial or complete AI-generated content.

Advertisements used to be mainly video spots for TV or posters for outdoor displays, but in 2026, the face of the industry has changed almost beyond recognition. Holistic campaigns need to work just as well on streaming services as they do on TikTok, and agencies may use supporting media, such as video, interactive landing pages, or static social posts, to create a seamless multi-channel campaign.

The meaning of advertising has evolved as well, now encompassing more diverse forms of marketing such as influencer marketing, Instagram ads, and YouTube reviews. The lines between advertising and marketing are becoming more fluid, with the two disciplines influencing and borrowing from one another as technology and online behavior develop.

Advertising has always been about the power of emotive storytelling, but amidst technological development, it can be challenging to remember that every story has a human soul. In 2026, AI will enable and facilitate human creativity, rather than replace it, and the most successful ads and brands are already demonstrating this balanced approach.

Before you start crafting your next campaign, brush up on these top graphic design trends for 2026, which will provide you with visual ideas to guide your ads in the right direction. Then, take your spark to the next level with AI-powered tools that harness your creativity:

There’s more! Marketing and creative folk won’t want to miss our edit of the latest video and motion trends for 2026, plus discover more about AI’s seismic impact on graphic design.