South Africa, Feb. 5 -- That is not necessarily a bad thing. But it is worth stating plainly: trends are usually lagging indicators. They surface patterns that are already underway and attempt to formalise them into something more digestible, and more marketable. By the time a trend is named, many brands are already acting on it.

This matters because blindly following trends rarely leads to differentiation. At best, it leads to parity. At worst, it pulls brands away from their strategy in pursuit of relevance that never quite lands.

Which is why the most important marketing "trend" heading into 2026 is not new technology or creative novelty. It is a renewed focus on execution across the full funnel.

The gap between knowing and doing

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