Who Will We Be A Year From Now?

2025 was a year defined by uncertainty. A new U.S. administration, a cascade of global elections at the end of 2024, and the accelerating force of AI changed the motivations of consumers and businesses. This year, we entertained many more alternatives, scenarios, and “what ifs” than usual during planning. Many of our internal reviews evolved into investigations. What we saw was that, while the channels we work in didn’t change much, the way we present ourselves in them sure did. Generative AI added a whole new dimension to the way we connect online. 

This shift leads us to think that for people and brands, 2026 will be about identity.

We’ll still be online, still on phones, still using cameras and mics. Meanwhile, lenses have escalated into full AI environments. Outfits, backgrounds, and even people can now be generated on demand. Self-expression is shifting from enhancement to reinvention.

What this means for brands

Since the rise of the social web, organizations have steadily relinquished control of their brands. Audiences became participants. Influencers, creators, sponsored content, podcasts, and creator-led campaigns weren’t trends; they were the natural outcome of brands going from controlled to collaborative.

Now that dynamic is accelerating. Your customers, your critics, your fans suddenly have creation tools as powerful as yours. They can reinterpret, remix, restyle, or fully reinvent the brand on their own terms. AI has flattened the creative playing field.

In that world, identity becomes the center of gravity.

People who are constantly remixing their identities will expect brands they love to help them do it. Those brands will have to be just as malleable. Not a rigid identity, not a perfectly policed one, but a coherent, human one that can flex across contexts without losing itself. Think less in terms of a “brand bible” and more in terms of a wardrobe: a stable silhouette with adaptable expressions.

The brands that win won’t be the loudest or the earliest adopters of new tools. They’ll be the ones who understand how relationships shape identity over time.

So, the big question for 2026 is: if identity is now shared, fluid, and co-created, what should brands actually do?

How to Navigate 2026

If 2026 is the year of identity, success comes from clarity. A few principles cut through:

1. Get your identity in order.

People can reinvent themselves instantly online, so brands need a clear sense of who they are. Keep it simple, consistent, and easy to recognize across anything you do.

2. Stay flexible.

Audiences shift how they show up from one platform to the next — and they’ll reshape your brand along the way. Build an identity that can bend without breaking.

3. Create with intention.

Tools now make it possible to create anything. That’s exactly why choices matter. Set a few boundaries, focus on what you want to say, and make the work feel deliberate instead of automatic.

The one saving grace of uncertainty is that it forces a broad perspective. We’re grateful for all we've learned while navigating this year. But in 2026, we’re going to he happy to see a return to focus and execution. 

We’re certain about it.