As we begin the New Year, we spoke to industry leaders to reflect on the shifts that shaped 2025 and the forces expected to define 2026. For Dheeraj Sinha, Group CEO, FCB India and South Asia (now CEO, McCann), 2025 marked a shift from chasing attention to simplifying decisions through creative work.
According to Sinha, the defining creative shift in 2025 was clear. “2025 marked a shift from chasing attention to decision simplification. Globally, brands focused on reducing friction and cognitive load, making it easier for people to choose, buy, and engage in the moments that mattered.”
That thinking carries forward into 2026, where he identifies three forces shaping creative work.
Generative AI: from efficiency to effectiveness
AI will move beyond saving time and cost to driving better decisions, sharper creativity, and stronger outcomes. The real advantage will come from how intelligently brands apply AI, not from how quickly they adopt it.
The blur between short and long, today and tomorrow
The traditional divide between brand building and performance will continue to dissolve. Marketing will be expected to deliver impact now while simultaneously compounding brand value over time, with the same ideas doing both jobs.
Rapid organisational transformation is the new norm
Marketing organisations will need to continuously adapt their structure, skills, and ways of working. Agility won’t be a transformation project; it will become a permanent capability.
(As told to Neeta Nair)
