The latest digital marketing trends – 2026

Dave’s summary of the digital marketing trends for 2026

Each year I create a summary of the latest trends. Here are the top digital marketing trends for 2026 on my Smart Insights site.

It covers the new techniques and opportunities to look forward to in the year ahead. โœจ ๐Ÿ”ฎ ๐Ÿ“ˆ ๐Ÿš€

Of course AI is the main game in town, but which aspects of AI should you be taking a look at from a strategic point-of-view? I cover 5 top-level use-cases of using AI to support marketing.

But AI isn’t the only game in town and I also look at the latest Gartner hype cycle, our updated Martech tools wheel and other opportunities to improve marketing across the Smart Insights RACE framework.

About

Welcome to my personal site where I blog about the latest developments in digital business to help students, professionals or lecturers using my books in their studies or careers.

Visit my mainย Smart Insights Digital Marketing Strategy site to download planning templates, strategy guides and daily updates on the latest developments.

I also write about assistive technology to help others teaching the visually impaired as part of my volunteering work for charity AbilityNet.

My latest books

Full details on Amazon:

Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice, 9th Edition, published 2025.

With Fiona Ellis-Chadwick and Majd AbedRabbo.

Used by: Undergraduate and post-graduate degree marketing students. Senior marketing professionals, e.g. marketing managers and directors.


Digital Marketing Excellence
6th edition

About Smart Insights

Dr Dave Chaffey is co-founder and Content Director of digital marketing advice site Smart Insights. We’re a publisher and learning platform that helps our 150,000 active members in over 100 countries plan, manage and optimize their digital marketing activities by applying the actionable advice in our planning templates, guides and interactive e-learning tools.

Free members can download our free templates and benchmark their digital capabilities.