Brazil enters 2026 as the fastest growing market in advertising investments in the world. According to Dentsu's Global Ad Spend Forecasts, the advance is driven by two structural factors: the FIFA World Cup and the presidential elections. The study projects that global advertising investments will grow by 5.1% this year and exceed US$1 trillion, while Brazil stands out with an expansion of 9.1%.
The projection indicates a growth of 6.7% in 2026, concentrating almost 70% of all global advertising investment.In the face of this structural change, US Media, a company specialized in digital advertising, has mapped the movements that will require brands, as early as 2026, a less fragmented and more integrated performance between technology, advanced measurement and creativity.
The following are the top 6 trends highlighted by Bruno Belardo, VP of Sales at US Media.
1) AI ceases to be a concept and becomes a marketing infrastructure
After an initial cycle of experimentation, artificial intelligence takes center stage in marketing operations.In 2026, it remains one of the top priorities in the industry, with 45% of CMOs investing in its adoption to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of strategies.
For the specialist, the impact falls on four fronts:
- The most accurate and natural translation of "Personalização em escala real" is:
* **Personalization at scale**
However, depending on the context, you might also consider:
* **Large-scale personalization**
* **Personalization on a massive scale**: experiences and journeys 100% adapted to each user.
- Advanced predictive modeling: incremental measurement, demand forecasting, and less trial-and-error based decisions.
- Automated and intelligent CX: chatbots integrated into CRM, solving end to end and acting as a natural extension of marketing and sales.
“The maturity of text, images and video generation increases speed and scale, but brings new ethical challenges such as transparency, representativeness and limits of copyright”, comments the executive.
2) Retail Media consolidates retail as a media platform
Retail media is expected to grow 14.1% in 2026, preparing to overtake paid search by 2028 and consolidate as the third dominant digital avenue, alongside social and search.
For Belardo, the logic is simple: “The market becomes even more dependent on first-party data for segmentation, measurement and performance. Retail becomes not only a point of sale, but a complete media platform.”
3) CTV enters the advanced measurement phase
The migration from linear to digital TV intensifies and places connected TVs among the hottest segments of next year.In 2026, investment in CTV is expected to grow 9.5%, driven by increased consumption of streaming with advertising, according to Dentsu.
For the market, this represents the maturity that was missing to attract investments previously concentrated in open TV. According to the VP of US Media, the differential of 2026 will be the ability to measure impact/frequency, innovation in the CTV media plan (using more segmented options such as Vevo) and real contribution of campaigns aired in CTV environments and streaming.
4) The new logic of innovation is pragmatic
The era of brilliant“” loses relevance.From 2026, what gains traction are useful solutions, data-driven and to real consumer behavior.Belardo lists three pillars of innovation for the coming year: innovation that solves concrete problems, innovation that transforms data into action, not just reports, and that helps simplify operational bringing competitive advantage.“In a complex world, brands that simplify people's lives beat”, he reinforces.
5) Automated service evolves into complete experiences
Automated service matures and is no longer just screening. In 2026, chatbots begin to integrate: behavior history, CRM and end-to-end journeys. The challenge, according to Belardo, will be to balance technology and human sensitivity: “The human touch remains essential to generate trust. Automation does not replace this.”
6) GEO redefines the logic of content in an AI-driven world
With artificial intelligence taking a central role in information discovery and recommendation, a new strategic priority emerges: GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).
GEO guides brands to structure clear, accurate and reliable content that can be referenced by generative models when answering user questions.In a scenario of message saturation and attention fragmentation, visibility depends not only on SEO, but on the ability to build consistent ecosystems that connect creativity, data and technology.
“In 2026, GEO becomes a competitive differentiator: it is the new frontier to ensure presence, relevance and continuity in an environment where AI will increasingly mediate information and consumption journeys”, concludes the executive.
