Financial marketing in 2026 won’t be short on capability. AI is helping us write faster. Platforms are helping us target smarter. Products are more accessible than ever.
And yet, as we look to some of the core themes for marketing in 2026, we’d like to posit (i.e., appropriate) a simple idea: “For every reaction, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.”
Progress always creates pressure. Pressure creates reaction. That means that many of the forces at the forefront of marketing today will have long-tail effects. Here are some of those predictions.
Artificial Intelligence Creates a Thirst for Real Intelligence
AI will continue to be at the forefront of financial marketing in 2026. Content generation, performance optimization, predictive personalization—it’s all at our fingertips. But if you look around at the dialogue across social media and even at your kitchen table, there’s a real hunger for human connection.
We have no doubt that AI will shape, change and transform the way financial marketers are executing and going to market – that theme has been well worn and documented. But we believe brands who can balance the productivity gains of AI with real authenticity, human connection and support are the ones who will win in not just driving brand engagement, but driving and maintaining real brand relationships.
The takeaway: Stay obsessed with AI – but don’t lose your focus on creating meaningful human experiences with your audience.
Mass Personalization Creates a Desire for Belonging
We can’t tell you how often our Investor Roundtables have yielded this insight: “Don’t just tell me you’re personalized. Show me.”
And that doesn’t mean adding a first name to an email subject line. AI-driven personalization will continue to be even more commonplace — and therefore hollow.
When every message is tailored, brands need to think bigger – they need to think in terms of identity.
Investors want to know “is this service built for me?” “Am I doing business with someone who thinks like me?” “Is this a community that reflects my values?”
The strongest financial brands will answer that question clearly.
The Takeaway: Stop thinking in terms of “personalization”, and start thinking in terms of “brand belonging” – building a narrative, identity, experience and service offering that reflects a distinct audience, set of values and genuine need state.
“Democratization” Creates a Need for Exclusivity
Alternatives! For everyone! Everywhere!
We’ve all seen the headlines: access to alternative assets is broader, smoother and more retail-friendly than ever.
The challenge with this storyline is that if everyone is talking about access, it stops being special.
Investment managers can’t forget that exclusivity has been the tip of the spear for alternatives for decades. And we can’t forget that investors – especially high-net-worth ones – want something you can’t get anywhere else.
With all the noise in the alternatives space, it becomes incumbent on asset managers to lean hard into some element of exclusivity. That might take the form of:
- A proprietary philosophy
- A unique asset class
- A clearly defined target investor the brand unapologetically serves—at the exclusion of others
The Takeaway: In a world of access, selectivity becomes essential. Don’t just jump into the pool of “alternatives for everyone” – instead, find a narrative that helps you stay differentiated.
When All is Said And Done
No trend ever sits in a vacuum. While financial firms should absolutely embrace anything from AI to alternatives, they need to keep an eye on the broader effects of these forces. Those who can maintain their authenticity and points of differentiation in the process will have their cake and eat it, too – they’ll have more scale, personalization and assets, but they’ll also have deeper brand engagement and long-term relationships that build sustainable value.
