6 Emerging Martech Trends to Keep an Eye on in 2026

The Gist

• AI Shifts from Speed to Strategy
  In 2026, AI stops being a productivity booster and becomes a driver of differentiation, experimentation, and net-new growth.

• The Stack Splits into Two Modes
  The Laboratory accelerates experimentation; the Factory powers scaled, reliable execution — and leaders must structure both intentionally.

• AI Agents Mature within Clear Boundaries
  They’re production-ready for content, service, and research but still need guardrails in high-risk or high-autonomy use cases.

• Batch-Era Tools Lose Ground
  Static DXPs, closed MAP/ESP systems, and sequential workflows give way to real-time decisioning and adaptive experiences.

• Marketing Ops 3.0 Takes Center Stage
  The role evolves into the business value engineer, blending strategy, AI fluency, data architecture, and change management.

• Adaptability Becomes the Differentiator
  Top CMOs will run small, continuous bets and build dual operating models that reduce risk without slowing innovation.

AI Shifts From Efficiency Tool to Strategic Growth Multiplier

In Brinker’s view, most of 2025 was characterized by what he calls the "AI as power screwdriver" phase. He explains that AI allowed marketers to perform their tasks more efficiently, essentially shaving minutes or hours off processes like content production, segmentation, and reporting. While this was undoubtedly helpful, it didn’t truly differentiate one marketing team from another; after all, anyone could purchase the same tools and achieve similar gains.

Fast forward to 2026, and the narrative pivots: efficiency takes a back seat as effectiveness grips the reins. Marketing leaders are realizing that mere speed isn’t the golden ticket to success. Instead of using AI simply to quicken existing processes, innovative teams will channel those newfound efficiencies into groundbreaking initiatives. What does this look like? Instead of relying on just a few large campaigns every quarter, forward-thinking marketers will embrace a portfolio of smaller, adaptive campaigns finely tuned to the nuances of customer behavior.

Brinker uses an evocative phrase to describe this transformation: it’s a deliberate move from scarcity to abundance. Rather than just “doing more with less,” these teams will venture into “doing more with more,” allowing them to tap into new revenue streams that were unthinkable in a pre-AI world.

The Martech Stack Splits in Two: The Laboratory and the Factory

A pivotal theme in Brinker’s report deals with a fundamental change in marketing technology’s operating modes: the emergence of two distinct realms known as The Laboratory and The Factory.

• The Laboratory
  This is the crucible for innovation, where new ideas, early AI agents, and experimental journeys come to life. It is intentionally flexible and designed for speed and learning rather than reliability.

• The Factory
  Conversely, this setting is reserved for scaled and revenue-critical initiatives. This includes core personalization systems, customer service automation, and production-grade operations like Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) that shape daily customer experiences.

Brinker warns of the pitfalls of conflating these two environments into a single operational mold. “When you insist on one architecture, one process, one set of KPIs,” he explains, “either the Lab gets strangled by Factory governance, or the Factory gets polluted by half-baked experiments.” Teams must ensure that the Lab has designated resources, distinct governance structures, and the luxury of shorter cycles, whilst the Factory should manage only those initiatives that have matured within the Lab.

AI Agents Mature, But Only Within Well-Defined Boundaries

Brinker points out that while AI agents have found a solid footing in many domains, it’s essential to know where their deployment is appropriate and where caution is warranted. For instance, content creation is a top-tier internal use case, showcasing significant adoption rates and reliable outcomes.

However, applications such as outbound sales development and business development AI agents carry inherent risks. Overusing these agents can lead to an avalanche of personalized outreach that could saturate inboxes, sparking defensive measures that defeat the purpose of personalization. Fully autonomous campaign orchestration remains more of a buzzword than a standard; therefore, high-stakes decisions tied to compliance or brand identity should always incorporate human oversight.

Treating AI as potent tools with defined boundaries—not as all-encompassing managers—is the recommended approach.

Batch-Era Martech Tools Lose Ground as Real-Time Architectures Take Over

Brinker doesn’t mince words when he critiques outdated tools within the martech stack. “Anything that assumes the world is batchy, page-based, and purely human-operated is on the endangered list,” he asserts. This sentiment includes antiquated ETL processes, legacy systems, and fixed personalization rules whose time has passed.

Today’s landscape demands real-time interactions, requiring infrastructure that can autonomously sense, decide, act, and learn with speed. Static Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) that cannot deliver or adapt experiences dynamically are likely to find themselves sidelined. The same applies to closed Marketing Automation Platforms (MAP) and Email Service Providers (ESPs) that are not open to integrating their data and decision-making processes with other tools.

The trajectory is clear: teams need to construct a robust, cloud-based architecture that serves as a system of knowledge, equipped for real-time decision-making. Tools unable to align with this shift will either need to evolve promptly or risk transitioning into legacy status.

Marketing Ops 3.0 Emerges as the Business Value Engineer

As the marketing landscape morphs, so too does the role of Marketing Operations (Ops). Once seen merely as tool administrators, Ops teams are rising to center stage, evolving into value engineers who integrate AI, data, and business strategies.

Brinker emphasizes this evolution by pinpointing three interlinked facets:

• Strategy and Value Translation
• AI and Data Engineering
• Organizational Enablement

In this future-proofed role, Ops specialists will forge revenue cases for innovative customer journeys, design strategic flows that maintain clarity without overwhelming teams, and manage the cost observance of AI initiatives. They will act as the critical conduits between The Laboratory and The Factory, ensuring that programs transition efficiently from experimentation to scaling.

The Biggest Challenge of 2026 Is Organizational Adaptability

As technology advances at a breakneck speed, organizations often lag in their adaptability. Brinker’s insights reveal that the widening gap must be navigated with a focus on small, manageable adjustments rather than sweeping overhauls that can overwhelm teams.

His approach advocates a shift away from extensive, high-stakes AI projects in favor of smaller, iterative experiments. Each of these experiments should be time-boxed with clearly defined metrics and next steps—be it to scale, revise, or stop—allowing for incremental growth without the stress of large-scale failures.

By isolating the Laboratory and Factory environments, teams can eliminate uncertainty surrounding task allocation and improve their capacity for innovation. Investing in quality data and structured governance will provide a solid foundation for AI’s future exploration. Furthermore, recognizing the insights gained from experiments as valuable assets—even when they don’t lead directly to scaling—can cultivate a culture of experimentation, paving the way for quicker adaptability.

In a landscape characterized by technological acceleration, a marketing organization that becomes a little more adaptable each quarter will not only survive but thrive, remaining relevant and competitive in a challenging environment.