Authenticity in the Age of AI
Why CMOs are going back-to-brand in 2026. January’s Winning for marketing leaders
When 500 European marketing leaders were asked to identify their top priority in 2026, it wasn’t AI. It was brand.
(Gen AI ranked #17 out of 20.)
What’s feeding the back-to-brand movement? Data shows that customers aren’t pining for more efficiency alone. They also crave authentic connection, empathy and trust — qualities that address their human problems and feed their human souls.
CMOs’ recommitment to brand is a recommitment to relationships. Brand provides the rationale for the kind of problem-solving, delightful marketing experiences that keep people close. Without them, loyalty falters. Customers leave you in an instant.
In this issue of Winning, we explore some of the tension points facing marketing leaders as they balance AI’s explosive influence with a quest for authenticity.
Boom Scroll
As AI booms, so does demand for authentic, high-value content on social media.
Spammy hashtag walls and generic AI filler are out, as social channels (and users) prefer real voices, real stories and better feed experiences.
- Australia’s nation-wide ban on social media for young people under age 16 took effect in December. And other countries are following suit to protect mental health.
- Insta FINALLY took a sledgehammer to hashtag walls. Hashtags now are limited to just five per post as the company shifts toward keyword-based AI indexing.
- LinkedIn laid out the content that will win in 2026: industry news with personal perspectives, high-value content, career stories and professional advice. In other words, substance.
The brand mandate is clear: Create content that’s more personal and more valuable to your communities.
Report from Vegas
AI topics dominate marketing conferences. Amid the tech talk, let’s not forget who’s most important.
InsureTech Connect drew 9,000 attendees to Las Vegas to talk about the future of the insurance industry. One topic dominated every stage, every slide, every panel and every conversation: AI. The same experience is playing out at marketing conferences in every sector.
The head of FINN’s insurance practice, Aidan McCann, came back inspired by the pace and scale of technological change. And also offered a few reality checks:
- AI tools can’t overcome organizational complexity or solve messy human problems. Marketing teams need top-to-bottom AI-transformation assistance.
- AI doesn’t care about your customers, but your customers do care how you make them feel. AI may predict behavior, but it can’t replicate trust. Customers still want to feel seen, supported and understood.
- People don’t want AI for AI’s sake. The case for the technology needs to start with the real-world human problems AI can solve.
Media Pulse
Speed alone isn’t strategy. How media teams can ensure brands show up right.
Automation is accelerating the pace of media. Creative volume is exploding. And media teams must move faster than ever. But speed alone isn’t strategy, notes Ashley Blais, FINN’s head of media. And AI can accelerate poor planning.
In an AI-driven landscape, media teams must uphold two guiding principles. They need to:
- Move from channel-based planning to systems thinking
- Ensure that the underlying brand and audience thinking holding any plan together is cohesive, strategic and sound.
Reality Remix
26 marketing & communications predictions for 2026
To kick off the new year, we’ve collected 26 FINN perspectives into The Tipping Point: 2026, the Year Reality Gets Remixed. Commentary covers guidance for marketing for AI operating systems, the quest for authenticity in a world of automated content and why brands need to work harder to build trust and connections.
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