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How being weird can save branding in 2026

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By Bentzion Goldman

Design Director at Mother Design, Bentzion Goldman, feels identity design has become safe, sanitised and downright boring in the last 12 months. Let’s flip that in 2026, he argues, and make branding weird again.

his is the third year I’ve written about trends and predictions in branding. It usually goes like this: I review the year’s biggest identity design work, layer in my own observations, and provide a light roadmap for the year ahead.

But this year was different. Looking back at the biggest rebrands, what was most remarkable was how utterly unremarkable they were. What stood out was not how bad the brands were but rather their overwhelming okayness. A troubling trend became clear: the rise of safe, forgettable branding.

2025 was the year of Cracker Barrel, the year of HBO MAX / MAX / HBO MAX, and the year of MS NOW (née MSNBC). All branding efforts landed with, at best, a sigh and, at worst, public outrage. What’s more, some of the biggest changes were so subtle you may have barely noticed them: Amazon, Tripadvisor, Verizon, Walmart, Lyft, and OpenAI quietly tweaked their brand systems, even if some of those endeavours were billed as overhauls. Creative Boom even wrote a piece on how the quiet rebrand took over 2025.

Don’t get me wrong, on two accounts. I believe in the power of a masterful brand refresh that subtly tweaks its brand elements, artfully balancing heritage with progress. And there was beautiful, innovative branding released this year. But something deeper emerged when looking at brands with the highest visibility. You might recall the ‘blanding’ era of the 2010s. I think we’ve hit a similar wall at this moment, but for altogether different reasons.

Everything is just okay

Earlier this year, I read James Poniewozik’s piece for The New York Times, The Comfortable Problem of Mid TV, which has stayed with me ever since finishing it. Poniewozik argues that we’ve entered an era in TV where everything is just … okay. He writes that a decade ago, we experienced an era of a lot of bad TV, but the risks and imagination required to make those shows also led to many standout series.

Now, the advent of high-pressure, high-budget streaming platforms and an associated low appetite for risk have resulted in a slew of shows that are beautifully shot, incredibly expensive, and yet—just okay. True creative risk-taking is exceedingly rare to find. Instead, we have a lot of the perfectly acceptable yet often emotionless middle ground.

I believe something similar is happening in the world of branding.

The enemy of a good brand used to be a bad brand: badly kerned typography, poorly chosen colours, and digital illiteracy. Today, the enemy of a good brand is no longer a bad brand, but one that is just okay.

The proliferation and democratisation of design software, along with an increasing awareness of design among the general public, have created an environment where even the smallest teams can produce competent branding. And let me be clear: this is a good thing. Design should be for everyone, and the ability for clients, beginners, and non-designers to create design work elevates the field for everyone. Per a Michael Bierut anecdote, the fact that we now have online trolling of rebrands means people care about branding!

But this new reality has also resulted in a sea of work that’s simply okay. Scroll through this year’s branding projects, and you’ll see a multitude of brands using the same tricks. Many of these identities have no technical fault, and yet they lack a certain emotional depth; the kind of spiritual centre that makes a brand truly resonate with its audience.

Striking a nerve

I think this exact feeling is the reason why the Cracker Barrel rebrand struck such a nerve with the general public. The original identity may have had technical shortcomings, but what the new brand gained in optimisation, it lost in emotional resonance. And now the pushback has created a heightened environment of fear where brands are now even more risk-averse, wary of becoming the next big branding flop torn apart in the comments.

In this new era of mid-branding, we need a new playbook. One that empowers designers to expand their aperture and dare to dream again.

So what’s the way forward? Allow me to advocate for the value of being weird in design.

Weird gets normalised

The simple truth is, people don’t know what they like until they see it. And until they like it, they might hate it. History is full of examples of art so novel in its time that it provoked outrage and even violence. The sans serif style of typography, now completely commonplace, was once considered so radical compared to the serif and ornamental styles of its era that people called it monstrous, ugly, and grotesque—a name that stuck.

In 1913, a ballet by Igor Stravinsky called The Rite of Spring was so innovative for its time, with its use of syncopation, dissonance, and sharp dance movements, that people hurled objects at the stage, cried, and even started fistfights in the audience. The police were called to calm the riot. And you thought the comments on Brand New were bad. Experimentation and transgression are vital for discovering new ideas and finding novel ways forward.

What’s remarkable is that these examples, once shocking innovations, are now normalised. The lesson is profound: people hate change, but, given time, change softens until it becomes the new normal. It is up to us designers to be the tastemakers and the future tellers. This is radical permission: it is a licence to look beyond familiar references and to challenge what we consider ‘good design’.

Image by Bentzion Goldman
Image by Bentzion Goldman

This idea is illustrated by industrial designer Raymond Loewy’s MAYA principle: Most Advanced Yet Acceptable. This urges designers to push things as far as possible, up to the point where they remain within the tolerance of user comfort. In other words, design something unoriginal, and it will feel predictable, yet design something too radical, and you could incite a riot in a ballet theatre. Our charge, as designers, is to find that sweet spot right on the bleeding edge of innovation.

Here are three brands from the past year that do exactly that.

How to do it

Cotton Design’s identity for Eternal Research is a retro-futuristic system featuring an engraving-inspired wordmark, eleven Victorian-inspired headline typefaces, generative ornamental patterns made with code, and a triangular piece of hardware called the Demon Box. The system defies easy categorisation, balancing minimalism and maximalism in a way that feels immersive and genuinely new.

Mother Design, which I must confess I work for, released branding for Fhirst, a prebiotic soda line that burst onto the market this year. The packaging system draws on the joyful design of early 2000s soda branding, featuring a reverse-contrast script wordmark, an animal mascot for each flavour (the dolphin is my personal favourite), Papyrus as a supporting typeface, and gradients, bubbles, and starbursts galore. It’s a more-is-more system that could easily fall off the rails, but never does, thanks to careful selection and use of brand elements. Instead, the brand radiates pure joy; I have yet to see someone scroll through the project without smiling.

The final project is Clue Perfumery, with design and art directed by Caleb Vanden Boom. Its script logo is beautifully weird, with extreme contrast and bottom-heavy curves that feel both refined and expressive. The brand’s editorial tone is elevated by wildly imaginative art direction: perfume bottles photographed in fish tanks, large-scale butter sculptures, and, most recently, a limited-edition scented stone sculpture shaped like an apple. Clue is one of those brands where the connective tissue isn’t a single idea, but rather good taste and boundless creativity. The eclectic choices work in harmony, resulting in a brand that is lush, unexpected, and engaging.

A Victorian-inspired triangular musical instrument, soda mascots featuring dolphins and eagles, and a perfume bottle covered in butter: these are the kinds of daring choices that push boundaries and yield designs with emotional resonance. These brands are not weird for the sake of it; rather, the unexpected choices are deeply connected to who they are as a brand. The designers involved in their creation reject the safe route, opting instead to question, to research, and to play.

Feeling optimistic

I have every reason to be optimistic for the year ahead in design. We have more tools at our disposal than ever, which means bigger challenges and bigger rewards. I think we will see many brands that make us scroll quickly past without batting an eyelash. But through the sameness, the smartest, most creative, and weirdest brands will find a way to stand out and create inspiring, innovative work.

And for the designers among us, this framework gives us permission to step outside our peripheries and dig deeper for inspiration. In our age of automation and algorithms, designers have the privilege of interrupting the churn of predictable sameness with the uniquely human elements of taste and unexpectedness. Everything is possible, because what is bizarre, weird—even grotesque—today is merely normal tomorrow. So, my biggest hope for the year ahead is precisely this: let’s dream again.

Feature image credit: Bentzion Goldman

By Bentzion Goldman

Design Director at Mother Design. motherdesign.com

Sourced from Creative Boom

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3 Simple Ways To Make LinkedIn Work For You In 2026

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By William Arruda

It’s a new year, which makes it the perfect time to update your LinkedIn profile and communications strategy to make sure it is current, relevant to your goals, and compelling to the people who are checking you out. The world of work continues to evolve, and your LinkedIn profile and networking strategy must position you for success.

Align Your LinkedIn Strategy With Two Critical Forces

Two important areas to consider while evolving your LinkedIn strategy are humanity and AI. As tech gets integrated into every aspect of business, your humanity is what helps you stand out and build meaningful relationships. That means your profile must show that you are clear, human, generous, empathic, and grounded in real experience, all the things AI and technology are not.

At the same time, you need to showcase your skill and interest in AI. AI will impact virtually every role. Make it clear that you’re using AI thoughtfully and are committed to proactively developing AI skills to remain ahead of the curve. This can show up in how you describe your work, the content you share, and the tools or approaches you reference in your profile.

The goal is not to do more on LinkedIn, but to do the right things well. Follow this these three steps:

1. Update Your LinkedIn Profile

A lot happens in a year, so if you haven’t been updating your profile regularly, it’s time to make it current and compelling.

Your LinkedIn Headshot

Your headshot makes you real in the virtual world. It allows people to connect with you on a human level. It should convey the real you and be at least current enough for someone to be able to find you in a crowded coffee shop. If you changed your headshot recently, you probably won’t need to update it if it meets these criteria.

Your LinkedIn Headline

Your headline’s job is to make you relevant and confirm for viewers that you are the person they are looking for, or a person they should get to know. LinkedIn gives you 220 characters for your Headline. Use as many as needed to captivate viewers and encourage them to read on. Your LinkedIn headline has three important functions:

  • It makes you relevant. Your current title, role, and company make you relevant.
  • It helps you get found. Use your headline for search optimization. Include in it all the keywords you want to be associated with, and those people will use to search for you.
  • It allows you to showcase something interesting about you that makes the viewer want to learn more. Consider including why you do what you do, how you do what you do, or the results you achieve when you do it. You could also share your passion or life purpose.

Your LinkedIn About

Your About allows you to introduce yourself, tell your story, and make a branded first impression. Because of the power of LinkedIn and how search results are presented in Google, it will likely be your first impression. When you’re thoughtful in crafting your About, it helps you:

  • Differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace
  • Attract opportunities that align with your goals
  • Build trust and real human connection with others

Your About is also a natural place to convey your thoughts about AI and the role it plays in your work.

Your LinkedIn Featured Section

Because many people keep their Featured section blank, it is an opportunity for you to stand out and showcase your passions, purpose, and accomplishments. Your Featured section sits near the top of your profile, between your About and Activity sections. That means more people will see it. This section is designed to showcase multimedia. Include images and video to enhance your story and make your profile richer and more interesting. Consider including:

  • Your Brand introduction. Create a brief 60-second video, that highlights your interests, accomplishments and fun facts about you.
  • Your Success Stories. Share one or two pieces of content or stories that highlight your superpowers and differentiators.
  • Your Intellectual Property. Use it to convey your proprietary process, framework, or system, like your three-step formula for crafting click-worthy headlines for social media posts.

2. Define Your LinkedIn Networking Strategy

In 2026, effective networking is about relevance and relationships, not volume. With over 1.3 billion members, LinkedIn is a powerful place for networking. Your goal, though, is not to connect with all 1.3 billion professionals. It’s to identify your community and be visible to them. As the new year begins:

  • Get your network up-to-date. Look back through your calendar and emails and send connection requests to the people you have met in the past year.
  • Decide on your strategy for adding new connections as you meet people. Also, do searches to connect with other like-minded peers so you can build a community for mutual support.
  • Put plans in place to grow your network. Consider adding your LinkedIn profile to your email signature, and create a slide to include in presentations you deliver to encourage participants to reach out and connect.

3. Commit To A LinkedIn Visibility Plan

Once your profile and network are aligned, visibility is what brings your personal brand to life. Strong brands are visible and available to the people they seek to impact, influence, and impress. The best way to do that is to share value as your primary thought leadership priority. There’s a lot of noise in the world of social media, and LinkedIn is no exception. To stand out, commit to the three Cs of social media communications plans:

  • Consistent. Strong brands are known for something, not 100 things. Know your topic, message, and POV and stick with it.
  • Constant. Choose a cadence and commit to it. You may choose to post a couple of times a month, weekly, or even daily. Whatever you choose, treat it as you would any other important item on your to-do list.
  • Critical. Not critical in the sense of being judgmental. Critical meaning it is not content that is nice to have. It’s meaningful and valuable to your audience and essential for their success.

One way to achieve the three Cs of effective visibility is with a LinkedIn Newsletter. It’s a powerful way to stay engaged with the people who are interested in what you have to say, and the LinkedIn Newsletter platform makes it easy for you to create, share and promote your newsletter to followers and connections. It allows you to build familiarity and trust over time without having to start from scratch each time you post.

Make LinkedIn An Ongoing Habit Instead Of A One-Time Update

Your LinkedIn profile serves many roles in helping you build your personal brand and achieve your career goals. To maximize its impact, commit to keeping your profile up to date and staying engaged with your network. LinkedIn works when you work it, so adopt the habit of interacting on LinkedIn regularly and create more opportunities that are aligned with your goals.

Feature image credit: Getty

By William Arruda

Find William Arruda on LinkedIn. Visit William’s website.

Sourced from Forbes

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IQ tests are trending again, and MyIQ is part of the digital shift

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Sourced from Hollywood Life

MyIQ is changing how digital culture engages with intelligence. In 2025, cognitive testing has become part of personal branding.

In an internet culture saturated with curated personas, micro-trends, and influencer-led introspection, the return of something as structured as an IQ test might seem unlikely. Yet across celebrity media and personal platforms, tools like MyIQ are emerging as unexpected instruments for self-exploration – where intelligence is no longer a fixed metric, but a story users actively shape.

The rise of social diagnostics

The shift is visible in the way testing has entered mainstream conversation. Once hidden behind institutional gates, cognitive testing is now finding traction in interviews, livestreams, and online commentary. What was once private and formal now functions as a kind of open diary.

The trend reflects a desire for clarity without rigidity. Where traditional tests emphasized evaluation, MyIQ functions more like an exploratory tool. It’s an adaptive IQ test, along with related diagnostics on personality, emotional regulation, and behavioural patterns, that aims to offer users a general framework for understanding their thought patterns – and how that thinking shows up in daily life. It’s not just about cognitive scoring; it’s about understanding response patterns, emotional tendencies, and relationship behaviour in a format that’s data-driven but not prescriptive.

Part of MyIQ’s resonance lies in its broader ecosystem. Beyond the headline IQ score, users often explore the platform’s 90-question personality test, 120-question relationship quiz, and specialized modules covering procrastination, decision-making, attention focus, and burnout. These assessments aren’t positioned as diagnoses but as tools for behavioural insight. For a generation fluent in digital self-curation, this approach feels less like an evaluation and more like a vocabulary.

Among Gen Z and younger millennials, the appeal often links to autonomy. Unlike algorithmic content filters that box users into simplified categories, MyIQ creates space for interpretation. It highlights possible tendencies rather than fixed traits, giving users a sense of recurring patterns without collapsing identity into a single narrative. The emphasis on reviews, not labels, is key: feedback frames the insight, but the user makes meaning.

The social layer adds further depth. The value, it seems, lies not in the performance of intellect, but in the shared language of cognitive experience.

Cognitive testing as cultural content

This broader shift in the perception of intelligence is partly generational. For decades, IQ was framed as a private, academic, or institutional concern – rarely discussed outside of school reports or clinical contexts. Now, that paradigm is loosening. Platforms like MyIQ are turning cognitive self-assessment into something that feels public, narrative, and socially legible.

It also aligns with the changing nature of content. In the age of screenshot storytelling, diagnostic reports become conversation starters. Charts and visual feedback offer not just clarity but shareability. In this context, the idea of a ‘test’ takes on a new meaning – it no longer ends with a result, but begins with one. That result can be reinterpreted, re-shared, and re-narrated as the user’s context shifts.

According to user commentary and MyIQ reviews, this flexibility is central to the platform’s traction. It provides open-ended feedback in an observational rather than corrective tone – allowing users to revisit results over time without feeling pinned down. That makes the platform more companion than judge, especially in a digital culture wary of overstatement.

Whether the current visibility will last remains to be seen. But what’s clear in 2025 is this: millions are engaging with IQ tests not to prove intelligence, but to map it. For creators, audiences, and anyone navigating the blur between performance and authenticity, MyIQ offers something unusual – a moment of internal structure in an external world built on flux.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider.

Beyond the score: from self-testing to self-branding

Feature image credit: Adobe Stock

Sourced from Hollywood Life

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7 Winning Leadership Habits To Adopt In 2026

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By William Arruda

A new year presents an opportunity to adopt habits that enhance your personal brand and increase your success in 2026 and beyond. While goals often get most of the attention at the start of the year, habits are what shape outcomes. The habits outlined here focus on the human side of leadership. They’re based in neuroscience and have a positive impact on individuals, teams, and organizations. They’re not common to all leaders, but are core to those who understand the importance of being human in an age when technology is embedded in virtually every element of business.

Integrate These Essential Authentic Leadership Behaviours Into Your Work

As you read through the list below, identify the habits you want to add to your daily actions and the ones you’re already practicing that you want to strengthen or expand in 2026.

1. Acknowledging Others

91% of employees say that receiving recognition for their work motivates them to put in more effort. Authentic leaders know this, commit to expressing gratitude, and understand that thanking their people publicly is even more meaningful. Acknowledging others doesn’t have to be elaborate to be effective. Honest, thoughtful praise is among the most impactful actions leaders can take to motivate their staff.

2. Coaching

Authentic leaders understand that their people are talented and resilient. They know how to use coaching techniques like asking powerful questions (instead of providing answers), listening with the intent to understand, and driving toward progress. They are convinced that these techniques are much more powerful than providing answers and being directive.

3. Inspiring Fun to Work

Work is the play of adulthood. Adults find joy and meaning in activities that feel less like chores and more like engaging play, according to The New York Times. Authentic leaders believe that fun is not frivolous. They know that when work is entertaining and enjoyable, it increases engagement, retention, and progress. They integrate fun into team meetings and encourage activities that keep the positive vibe going, especially during challenging times.

4. Communicating Regularly

We’ve all experienced the delayed flight with no one from the airline telling us what’s going on. The lack of information is often more frustrating than the delay. A 2025 internal communications report found that 79% of employees say the quality of communication they get from leaders impacts how well they understand organizational goals, and 72% say this understanding affects their engagement at work. Authentic leaders commit to regular, honest communication to keep their people grounded and positive. Small check-ins, regular updates, and open-door policies are ways effective leaders encourage consistent, open, and honest communication.

5. Encouraging Development and Growth

Authentic leaders are lifelong learners, and they demonstrate it visibly. They’re also committed to the development of their people and make time to help them identify and pursue impactful learning opportunities to achieve their goals (even if those goals mean that someday they’ll lose them to a different role). They understand that the only way to stay ahead of change is to keep learning.

6. Celebrating Progress

Authentic leaders know that every small win deserves recognition. They understand that acknowledging progress is just as powerful as celebrating outcomes. They’re committed to mini moments of appreciation and see these celebratory moments as fuel for moving forward, enhancing team cohesion, and achieving big goals.

7. Asking For Feedback

Feedback is among the most valuable gifts you can give, and receive. In addition to providing thoughtful, constructive feedback to their people regularly (not just during performance reviews), authentic leaders see the value of seeking feedback from their manager, peers, and the members of their team. They integrate feedback opportunities into team activities like meetings, and they inspire those around them to do the same. By doing so, they create environments where learning and improvement are expected, supported, and safe.

Turn These Leadership Behaviours Into Habits And Watch Your Career Soar

Authentic leaders create human connections with their people by exhibiting skills, behaviours, and mindsets that increase engagement, inspire creativity, and create connection. Once you identify the behaviours that you’d like to focus on for 2026, document them and read them regularly so you’re reminded to turn them into habits. Turning these behaviours into daily habits will strengthen your leadership effectiveness and polish your personal brand in meaningful ways.

Feature image credit: Getty

By William Arruda

Find William Arruda on LinkedIn. Visit William’s website.

Sourced from Forbes

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Why doing nothing is good for creativity

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In an extract from his book Boost Your Creativity, Steve Brouwers argues why rest and relaxation are the creative’s best friend.

Today most people fill every spare moment with distractions.

Scroll. Swipe. Tap.

Mozart composed with astonishing speed, but that speed was likely made possible by long, quiet periods of internal processing – not visible ‘doing’.

It might feel like you’re doing nothing in these moments – but your brain is actually hard at work.

Doing nothing isn’t passive – it’s active recombination.

Creativity is the residue of time wasted

(Image credit: Boost Your Creativity, published by Luster) 

Beneath the surface, a network of regions called the Default Mode Network (DMN) lights up. This is your brain’s backstage crew, quietly preparing the next act of inspiration while the spotlight is off. The DMN is activated when you’re not focused on a specific task.

It thrives in the in-between spaces when you’re daydreaming, reflecting, thinking about the past or future, or imagining someone else’s thoughts. It’s the engine of empathy, memory, and mental time travel. Most importantly, it’s where creativity begins to simmer.

When you’re solving a clear-cut problem, your brain switches to a different mode: focused, logical, linear. But when you loosen your grip and let your attention wander, the DMN kicks in. That’s why your best ideas often sneak up on you when you least expect them: mid-shampoo, on the toilet, while doodling, or as you’re drifting off to sleep.

You’re not trying – and that’s the point.

The DMN connects ideas, stirs memories, and forms new patterns in those quiet moments when you’re not looking directly at the problem.

This is why some of the most powerful creative tools are the simplest: rest, reflection, movement, play, and purposeful pauses.

When you stop pushing your brain and let your mind wander, you’re not wasting time – you’re opening the door to insight.

This isn’t just theory. Creatives across several disciplines have noticed it too.

It appears that I have my best ideas just as I wake up. When my mind is not thinking about daily stuff yet and I am still lingering in that twilight zone of wondering.

Paul McCartney wrote Yellow Submarine in that twilight zone, as he was drifting off to sleep.

Designer Massimo Vignelli explained that he gets his ideas while shaving, which he emphasises, is the reason why he doesn’t have a beard.

So remember: sometimes the best way to create is to stop creating – just for a moment – and let your backstage brain take over.

Isn’t it wonderful that some of your best works are created while you’re ‘not working’ at all?

This is an extract from Boost Your Creativity by Steve Brouwers, published by Luster and available now from all good bookstores.

Feature image credit: Boost Your Creativity, published by Luster

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Steve is a Belgian creative director, teacher, author and speaker with over 25 years experience in the media industry. In his inspiring talks, Steve shares his insights and experiences with audiences around the world. He is known for his candid stories about imposter syndrome and procrastination – topics that resonate deeply within the creative community. He is the author of Creatives on Creativity, published by Luster in 2021.

Sourced from Creative BLOQ

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How AI Is Ending Google’s Search Monopoly

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By Gene Marks

A couple of years ago I attended an excellent conference in Seattle by a well known firm that provides online search and marketing tools. They had a line up of top notch speakers who are experts in digital marketing from the largest corporations, brands and agencies in the country. The theme was Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to drive the most clicks to a website, ecommerce store or content page.

The conference was basically all about Google. Why? Because, even in 2025, Google controls 90 percent of search in the world. To get found you need to please the Google Gods. So what advice did the greatest and smartest people in the online marketing world have for conquering Google search? They all pretty much said the same thing: “beats me.”

No one knows. That’s because Google’s search algorithm is a secret more closely guarded than the recipe for Coke or U.S. nuclear launch codes. Everyone there was trying to figure out what Google was going to do next, where Google may change its algorithm and how these changes would affect traffic to their site.

AI is now changing that. AI is already starting to save small business owners like me from Google’s monopoly on search. And it’s doing so in three ways.

More Options

For starters it’s giving our potential customers more choices to find us. Yes, studies show that Google still dominates search. But already you can see ChatGPT and others like it begin to make headway.

So far, even if ChatGPT’s 1 billion messages per day were search-related, its total share of the search market would be less than 1 percent. Google saw approximately 373 times as many searches as ChatGPT in 2024 and Google searches actually grew in 2024 compared to 2023.

But things are changing. Gartner predicts that by 2026, traditional search volume will drop by about 25 percent, with AI chatbots and virtual agents capturing a growing share of user attention and behaviour Others project that AI-powered searches will grow annually by up to 35 percent starting in 2025, reaching an estimated 14 percent of search market share by 2028, with Google declining modestly to about an 86 percent share. I’m betting that decline will be more pronounced. But regardless it’s heading in the right direction.

I’ve tried Google AdWords and for a small business like mine it’s useless. My company sells customer relationship management software and the big players in this industry already have search results locked up. They spend more money than me. They buy up all the good keywords. People searching for products I sell won’t find me unless they click through to page 8 of their search results and no one does that. Of course, that doesn’t stop Google – the fox guarding the henhouse – from drawing down on my ad budget with their dubious claims of “impressions” and clicks. How can I even verify this? I can’t. They have the monopoly.

AI is solving this problem. As other chatbots take away search market share from Google I’ll be offered more ways for customers to find me. I predict that many small businesses – equally frustrated with the Google monopoly – will gravitate to these chatbots. ChatGPT and Perplexity have already announced their own browsers to compete with Chrome and collect data. Good for them. More competition means more choices and less costs for small businesses like mine.

Less Clicks, Better Clicks

Most have noticed that Google has introduced an “AI View” into their results where search answers are summarized. Some believe that this will result in fewer clicks on links to websites and they’re right. Smart marketing people, like Jason Rose – senior vice president of digital sales and marketing at HR firm Paychex believes that this will have greater benefits for small businesses like mine.

“People are reading the AI summary and kind of getting what they need and moving off,” he said. “But it’s not all doom and gloom because these visitors actually convert at a much higher rate.”

To date SEO has been all about getting visitors to your website. Websites are ranked based on their traffic. But how genuine is this traffic? In 2023, bots made up 49.60 percent of internet activity, almost catching up to human traffic, which was at 50.40 percent. Meanwhile we’re paying Google to send this nonsense to us. AI is fixing this too. It is changing the way people use the web for research, be it academia or shopping.

Rose is right. By reading an AI overview a visitor who clicks through to a website has given some thought to their action and is therefore a more qualified prospect, a better visitor. Google and others will likely charge more for this. I’ll pay. It’s worth it.

Content Creation Opportunities

To be included in an AI overview your content has to be relevant and useful. Unfortunately, a great deal of today’s content isn’t. At the Seattle conference I attended some of the sessions talked about SEO tricks and games you can play with content (keyword stuffing, hidden links, showing different content to search engines than what is shown to users) to get noticed by Google. AI will help to stop this. As it gets smarter it will be better able to root out this nonsense so that it’s displaying the best answers possible.

Which means that the best content will be included in AI overviews and the websites with the best answers will have a better chance of being found. No games. No tricks. Just good, valuable content. And not content generated by AI because AI will be able to figure that out too.

This will be an opportunity for quality content providers – writers, bloggers, creators, etc. – to step up their game and prove their value. The best ones will rise to the top, unburdened by the crawlers and spiders, that held them down. People worry that AI will replace content providers. It’s actually the opposite. It’s creating more opportunities for them.

“AI is reading the same content that the human would have and building summaries based off of that,” Rose said. “So again, you need great content. Content is still king.”

All of this is happening now. But we’re still early days. Google is still Google. ChatGPT and other chatbots are infants in the search world and still hallucinate too much. But you can easily see the future. And the future is a world where, thanks to AI, Google no longer monopolizes search. For a small business owner like me, that world can’t come soon enough.

Feature image credit: Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

By Gene Marks

Find Gene Marks on LinkedIn and X. Visit Gene’s website. Browse additional work.

Sourced from Forbes

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6 Forces Shaping Consumer Behaviour In 2026 And What They Mean For Business

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By Kate Hardcastle

At the close of 2025, a familiar story emerges from the data: consumers are living with contradiction, they want certainty from technology and comfort from humanity; they crave personalised routes to ease, yet they recoil when systems feel opaque, intrusive or overly engineered. This isn’t a phased fad. It’s a sustained behavioural shift that has defined the past few years and will define 2026. Across global studies, nearly every major insight framework points to the same underlying dynamic: people want progress, but they want it to feel like choice, not coercion.

This tension, between algorithmic convenience and human agency, frames the six forces below. Each already shows up in how people search, evaluate, buy, feel and remember. But in 2026, these forces will not just be trends; they will recalibrate value, trust, identity and the very purpose of brands.

1. The New Algorithmic Contract: Personalisation Demands Explanation

Last year, AI clearly moved from novelty to expectation. Hyper-personalisation ceased to be optional and became a competitive baseline, brands that failed here struggled to retain relevance. Studies suggest upwards of three-quarters of consumers now expect tailored experiences, yet a growing segment will only accept them with transparent choice and control.

Already, retailers like IKEA have pioneered AI-guided discovery that doesn’t just recommend, it enables co-creation. Their virtual room design tools let people experiment in real space before deciding, collapsing the gap between inspiration and execution.

At the same time, companies are embedding AI deeply into beauty journeys, offering personalised diagnostics and real-time product recommendations that feel less like automation and more like digital empathy.

The emerging insight here is clear: AI that replaces human judgement erodes trust; AI that enhances human choice builds it.

2. Unfiltered Authenticity: Because Polished Can Be Hollow

For the past decade, brand communication prized glossy perfection. But people are fatigued by imagery and messaging calibrated for algorithms rather than lived experience. Cultural patterns, from the shift away from fleeting micro-trends in fashion to the embrace of hyper-personal style, reveal a deeper longing for individuality, not conformity.

In experience design, this is visible in the way communities have rallied around offline gatherings, pop-ups and moments that feel un-curated and unscripted. Narrative frameworks that celebrate context over polish outperform formulaic storytelling, because they feel earned and recognisable.

3. Rewired Wellness: Relief, Function and Biological Agency

Wellness has shifted from future aspiration to present-tense utility. Across food, fitness, sleep science and emotional regulation, people are seeking interventions that deliver measurable relief now rather than a vague promises of “better later.” This is why trends such as enhanced sleep solutions, nervous-system support, and personalised nutritional approaches have traction: they speak directly to the lived experience of stress, fatigue and cognitive strain.

Concurrently, there’s a noticeable behavioural interest in biologically-oriented modalities that lie at the intersection of health, performance and longevity. Medically guided therapies such as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which alter appetite and glucose metabolism, have entered mainstream cultural awareness not just through clinical outcomes but through lifestyle dialogue.

Alongside these, NAD+ precursors and other metabolic support supplements are gaining attention for their potential roles in cellular energy and recovery pathways. These developments reflect a deeper consumer drive toward biological agency, the desire to understand and influence foundational aspects of well-being rather than merely treat symptoms. What comes next may be less about chasing perfection and more about expanding the language of everyday health with tools that are scientifically credible, accessible, and ethically framed.

The implication for brands is profound: wellness is no longer a nice-to-have aesthetic overlay. It’s a domain where science, behaviour and emotional security intersect, and where people expect transparent explanation, measurable outcomes, and responsible framing.

4. Value Reinterpreted: Confidence Over Accumulation

Economic pressure has not disappeared, but consumers are defining value in emotional and cognitive terms, not just monetary ones. This is why simplification matters as much as affordability.

Major consumer research underscores a split in behaviour: while people will pay more for alignment with their values, they still prioritise clear, tangible returns on spend.

In practice, this has elevated brands that make decisions easier, not just cheaper. For example, hospitality brands that tie premium experiences to restorative respite see disproportionate engagement because consumers feel they are not just buying a service, they are buying a pause from complexity.

Confidence, the sense that a purchase will do what it promises, is increasingly the card consumers are willing to spend.

5. The Experience Reset: Memory Beats Momentary Immediacy

The “experience economy” has evolved away from surface spectacle towards meaningful memory creation. People still want moments, but they want moments that truly matter, and memories that last past the social media post.

This shows up in how consumers allocate leisure spend, favouring premium culinary rituals, intentional travel segments, and culturally rich outings over mass entertainment or commoditised immersion. It is the difference between being transported and being performed to.

This shift matters because it reframes brand investment: it isn’t about being seen; it’s about being felt. Experiences that deepen emotional resonance, not just digital engagement, build the strongest brand loyalty.

6. Proof Over Promise: Sustainability as Verifiable Confidence

The language of sustainability is no longer enough. Across consumer research, people show clear expectations for evidence and not rhetoric. They want visibility, traceability, and material accountability.

In 2026, tools such as Digital Product Passports are emerging as the new currency of trust, giving consumers documented confidence that a brand’s claims are reflected in a product’s lifecycle.

People are willing to accept imperfection, as long as it is shared transparently. They want to buy smarter and greener.

This turns sustainability from a marketing asset into a decision heuristic, one that defines whether someone chooses, trusts, or advocates for a brand.

Where This Leaves Brands

After years of acceleration, 2026 is not a step change, it is a recalibration. Consumers no longer want fewer choices or more convenience; they want clarity, presence, agency and trust.

• Technologies that explain rather than obscure will outperform those that optimise without accountability.

• Wellness offerings grounded in measurable relief will displace those that trade on vague aspiration.

• Human-scale authenticity will outlast polished mimicry.

• Confidence in choice will outweigh price savings.

• Meaningful experiences will eclipse transactional engagement.

• Proof-enabled sustainability will be the hallmark of credibility.

The brands that lead this year won’t just be efficient or innovative. They will be emotionally intelligent, transparent by design, and relentlessly human in how they connect technology to lived life.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

By Kate Hardcastle

Find Kate Hardcastle on LinkedIn and X. Visit Kate’s website. Browse additional work.

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Seven Data-Driven Principles That Will Define B2B Marketing ROI In 2026

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By Paula Chiocchi

B2B marketers are swimming in data, yet many still struggle to connect that data to measurable business growth. At the same time, the martech landscape continues to expand, with more than 15,000 solutions now available worldwide.

When data lives in silos across customer relationship management (CRM) systems, automation platforms, analytics tools and identity solutions, it creates confusion instead of clarity. As the founder and CEO of a performance marketing agency specializing in B2B2C data, my perspective is that the B2B leaders outperforming peers in ROI aren’t collecting more data; they’re building smarter, connected ecosystems where insights continuously inform action.

Here are seven core data principles that will shape how we define and achieve marketing ROI in the year ahead:

1. Audit and reset your marketing data ecosystem.

Before you can improve outcomes, you must first understand your current data reality. According to Ascend2’s 2024 Data-Driven Marketing Survey, just 15% of respondents said their data is completely integrated. Although an increasing number of marketers are focusing on centralizing data and removing silos, the ongoing challenge of turning information into clarity remains significant.

Unifying data across systems gives organizations a single source of truth that eliminates conflicting records and fragmented customer views. When teams operate from the same accurate, integrated dataset, they are better positioned to spot trends, understand behaviours and make decisions with confidence. Data unification also strengthens collaboration across sales, marketing and operations—reducing friction and enabling faster, more aligned execution.

To get started with data unification, map every platform that stores or touches customer data—your CRM, customer data platform (CDP), marketing-automation platform and analytics stack—and identify redundancies or blind spots. This will be more than just a technical exercise; it will be a full-on operational reset.

2. Integrate for visibility.

Your first ROI breakthrough often doesn’t come from acquiring new data, but from unifying and activating what you already have. Integration turns data fragments into a single, actionable view of your audience. By connecting systems, you eliminate duplicate records, streamline reporting and enable predictive insight across the funnel.

When CRM and automation data align, marketing and sales gain the same visibility into buying signals. Integration also enables performance benchmarking, so you can track which channels or segments drive actual business impact. With this knowledge, marketers are better able to achieve end-to-end visibility, which is widely believed to lead to shorter sales cycles and higher marketing efficiency.

3. Enrich for relevance.

Our agency leaders know from experience that data enrichment ensures campaigns are guided by context and relevance, not guesswork. Integration drives completeness, but enrichment delivers precision. Static data quickly becomes outdated, especially in B2B, where job and company changes are constant. Adding verified contact, firmographic, social, domain or intent data enhances accuracy, reach and ROI.

You can enrich your data by enhancing existing customer or prospect records with new, verified information that provides deeper context—such as updated firmographics, job role changes, digital behaviours or intent signals. Enrichment is typically achieved by matching internal records against high-quality third-party data sources or identity graphs. This process fills gaps, corrects inaccuracies and adds new attributes so that segmentation and targeting are always based on the most current and complete view of your audience.

4. Accelerate the way you operationalize insights.

The gap between data collection and data action is where ROI is often lost. A recent survey found that 53% of marketers in North America view data analysis and insights as the top bottleneck in marketing cycles. You can operationalize insights by embedding analytics into workflows so teams can adapt campaigns, creative or audience segments in real time.

For example, analytics can be embedded directly into campaign workflows so teams receive automated alerts when key performance metrics shift—such as sudden increases in engagement from a specific audience segment or declines in conversion rates. These triggers can automatically prompt creative updates, audience refinements or budget reallocations, enabling teams to act in the moment rather than waiting for a reporting cycle.

5. Measure full-funnel impact.

Too many marketing dashboards still stop at lead volume. To prove true ROI, B2B organizations must measure across the entire funnel: awareness, engagement, opportunity creation and revenue contribution. Yet, an eMarketer article states that only 27% of marketers intend to adopt unified measurement platforms that provide end-to-end visibility into their data. Without unification, marketers work with disconnected systems that prevent their organizations from having one version of the truth linking awareness to conversion. In contrast, full-funnel measurement connects marketing activity directly to outcomes, giving leaders the confidence to invest where it matters most.

The importance of knowing what’s working and what isn’t brings up the topic of attribution. In B2B, sales rarely result from a single email or ad. More often, a prospect receives multiple touches—direct mail, programmatic impressions, an email—and only then do they convert. That’s why, for a more accurate view of ROI, it’s helpful to move away from last-touch attribution and embrace blended attribution that recognizes the full customer journey, rather than simply giving credit to the final click.

6. Prioritize trust and privacy (and account for bias) when embracing AI.

The rush to realize AI’s efficiency and performance advantages has put marketers face-to-face with issues such as bias and privacy. Regarding bias, AI models, especially those used in hyper-personalization, targeting and content generation, learn from the data they are fed. If that data reflects existing biases, the AI will as well.

AI governance requires marketers to perform ongoing auditing of their AI training data for representativeness and fairness. For example, actively check that data used for segmentation or targeting doesn’t unfairly disadvantage specific groups based on gender, race, age or location. When fairness and equity are prioritized, target audiences are more likely to trust the brand and remain loyal customers.

When it comes to privacy, many marketing systems that use AI are dependent on massive volumes of customer data, including highly personal information. AI governance provides the structure to comply with global regulations (such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and emerging AI-specific laws like the EU AI Act) while improving data quality and maintaining customer trust.

According to Gartner, responsible AI leadership builds trust with customers, employees and regulators. Further, LinkedIn reports that establishing trust with stakeholders is the key to B2B success.

7. Evolve continuously.

A connected data ecosystem is never done. Systems, standards and buyer behaviours evolve constantly. Marketers who treat their data environment as a living framework—auditing quarterly, updating integrations and refreshing sources—stay ready for what’s next. As I often tell clients, the most valuable database is a living one: dynamic, learning and aligned to business goals.

In 2026, the winners in B2B marketing won’t be those with the most data. They’ll be those who can make data work cohesively across every touchpoint. Clean, connected and continuously improving ecosystems will define the next generation of marketing ROI.

Feature image credit: Getty

By Paula Chiocchi

Paula Chiocchi is CEO of Outward Media, Inc., a provider of B2BC contacts, with email and digital IDs, that drive business growth. Read Paula Chiocchi’s full executive profile here. Find Paula Chiocchi on LinkedIn and X. Visit Paula’s website.

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Salesforce vs HubSpot: Which is the better business CRM?

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By Ritoban Mukherjee

Salesforce is the ultimate sales CRM. Marketing folks swear by HubSpot. Is one truly better than the other? ZDNET put them to the test.

The final verdict

Salesforce wins for enterprise complexity and customization power, but HubSpot still dominates ease-of-use and marketing integration. I’ve seen Salesforce effortlessly support massive organizations with complex needs, but I’ve also watched teams abandon it due to poor adoption. HubSpot gets teams moving quickly but hits walls when you need advanced customization or industry-specific workflows. It can also get pretty expensive once you start looking for advanced features

For most growing businesses, I recommend starting with HubSpot and evaluating Salesforce once you hit more than 50 employees or complex sales processes. The switching costs aren’t trivial, but neither is choosing wrong from the start and struggling with adoption for months.

Which CRM is better for SMBs?

HubSpot clearly wins for small businesses and startups. The free tier provides genuine value for teams up to five people, with a learning curve that’s accessible to new users. Small teams can become productive within days rather than weeks.

Salesforce’s complexity and pricing make it overkill for most small businesses. Unless you have very specific enterprise needs or complex integration requirements, the investment rarely pays off until you reach significant scale.

Can you migrate data between Salesforce and HubSpot?

Yes, but it requires planning and often professional help. Both platforms offer migration tools, but I’ve seen data integrity issues when companies rush the process. Contact records, deal history, and custom fields need careful mapping to avoid losses.

HubSpot’s import tools are more user-friendly for smaller datasets. Salesforce migrations often require technical assistance. Budget two to four weeks for a proper migration and consider hiring specialists for complex data structures or large volumes.

Which platform offers better customer support?

HubSpot has a significantly better support reputation based on my knowledge. Their chat support is responsive and the knowledge base actually helps solve problems. People have rarely waited more than a few minutes for assistance.

Salesforce support is notoriously frustrating, slow response times and representatives who often can’t solve complex issues. Enterprise customers get better support, but standard plans often leave you searching community forums for answers.

Feature image credit: Allison Murray/ZDNET

By Ritoban Mukherjee

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X Introduces “Certified Bangers,” a Monthly Ranking of Top Posts Based on Authentic Engagement

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Summary:

  • In a bid to surface standout content, X launches Certified Bangers program to recognize engaging posts monthly. Limited details revealed.
  • Certified Bangers represent posts with high engagement levels, not just follower count, with winners receiving visible badges. English-only launch.
  • X’s Certified Bangers program raises questions about transparency and impact, with details on weighting and benefits still unclear.

In a bid to surface standout content, X has launched a new program called Certified Bangers, which, each month, identifies posts that generate strong, authentic engagement and awards those creators with a visible badge on their profile. While the initiative is clear in its broad strokes, the company has released only limited details on its underlying mechanics.

According to an official Help Centre entry, Certified Bangers represent posts that have achieved high levels of “verified impressions, likes, bookmarks, reposts, and replies.” The description emphasizes that these are not strictly follower-based contests: any original post from a personal account in good standing is eligible so long as it complies with the platform’s policies. At launch, the feature is available in English only.

Industry coverage confirms that X’s newly launched @Bangers account published the first certified posts covering October and signalled that winning creators receive a “Certified Banger” badge for the relevant month. One report described how the initial list included five posts that displayed very strong bookmark and repost counts—a reflection of deeper engagement rather than simply headline-level impressions.

That said, several key details remain unclear. X has not publicly disclosed how each of the five engagement signals is weighted against the others. It also has not tied the badge to any specific monetization benefit, such as bonus payments or revenue sharing. Some creators featured in the first list have questioned what additional value the badge will bring beyond the recognition itself.

From a strategic standpoint, the Certified Bangers program fits into X’s wider effort to highlight content that encourages genuine interaction and builds a culture where engagement signals status. For creators, it suggests that visibility grows through posts that start conversations, earn reposts and bookmarks, and follow platform rules. For others watching, it raises questions about how transparent and fair the system will be, and what the badge will actually mean over time.

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