Mediaworks Key Takeaways: Forrester 2026 Predictions for B2C Marketing, CX & Digital

Forrester’s 2026 Predictions Guide: B2C Marketing, CX & Digital reinforces many of the shifts Mediaworks is already seeing across media, performance marketing, and customer experience. The report makes it clear that the next phase of growth will be defined less by channel innovation and more by how responsibly and effectively brands deploy media, data, and technology. 

Here are our key takeaways from the report: 

1. Trust Will Directly Impact Media Performance 

Forrester positions trust as a commercial driver, not a brand metric. Consumers are increasingly intolerant of intrusive media, excessive personalisation, and opaque data usage. Media effectiveness in 2026 will depend on relevance, transparency, and value exchange. Audience strategy, creative messaging, and frequency control will be critical to maintaining performance while protecting brand trust. 

2. AI Will Raise the Performance Bar – and the Risk 

AI adoption across marketing, media optimisation, and CX is accelerating, but Forrester highlights the reputational risk of deploying AI without governance or customer-centric design. AI should be used to enhance planning, optimisation, insight, and personalisation across paid media and digital performance, not as a shortcut to reduce cost at the expense of experience. Strong strategy and human oversight will be essential. 

3. Privacy and Data Governance Become Strategic Media Concerns 

Forrester predicts increased scrutiny and legal exposure around AI-driven data usage, extending beyond cookies to how consumer data is interpreted and applied. Privacy-first media planning, first-party data activation, and compliant measurement frameworks are no longer optional. Brands that invest early in robust data foundations will be better positioned for sustainable growth. 

4. Media Spend Will Continue to Fragment 

As consumer attention shifts away from the open web towards entertainment-led platforms, Forrester anticipates further pressure on traditional display advertising models. Balanced, diversified media strategies across search, social, video, CTV, audio, and emerging formats will be essential. Planning for attention, context, and outcomes, rather than reach alone, will define media effectiveness. 

5. Offline Experiences Regain Importance 

Despite digital maturity, Forrester highlights growing consumer demand for real-world, physical brand interactions. Integrated media strategies that connect digital exposure to offline engagement will gain importance. Digital performance and brand experience should be planned together, not in isolation. 

6. CX Fatigue Will Punish Poor Personalisation 

Consumers are becoming more selective about engagement. Over-automation and poorly executed personalisation are contributing to CX fatigue. Smarter segmentation, journey-based planning, and insight-led personalisation will outperform volume-driven approaches. Media and CX must work together to reduce friction and improve relevance. 

What This Means for Brands in 2026 

Forrester’s predictions underline a clear direction: brands that align media, data, and technology around trust, value, and experience will outperform. Those focused purely on scale or automation risk diminishing returns. 

For Mediaworks, the priorities remain clear: 

• Performance-led media grounded in insight and accountability 

• Responsible, effective use of AI 

• Privacy-first data and measurement strategies 

• Integrated planning across digital and offline experiences 

If you’d like to discuss what these shifts mean for your media, digital, or customer experience strategy in 2026, a member of the Mediaworks Growth Team can help. We work with brands to translate insight into action, aligning media, data, and technology to drive sustainable performance. Get in touch to explore how your strategy can be positioned for the year ahead.

Contact: info@mediaworks.co.uk