2026: The Acceleration of Privacy, Identity and Performance

At the end of each year, I like to take a moment to pause and reflect on everything that’s happening in our industry. And the feeling I have today is that we’re entering a phase where the rules of the game are changing rapidly: new ways of consuming content, greater user sensitivity towards privacy, and a technological leap that is accelerating everything.

In this context, I’m sharing the six trends that, from my experience and what I’ve observed, will define 2026:

Generative AI and total automation

Programmatic advertising will move towards an almost fully autonomous model where dynamic creatives, predictive segmentation, and continuous optimization will naturally coexist. Of course, this will only work with reliable data and clear consent. At Utiq, we’re working specifically to strengthen that foundation of responsible data that supports a true AI-first approach.

Privacy-first and multi-screen digital identity fragmentation

By 2026, digital identity fragmentation will already be, and will become even more, an undeniable reality. Cookies, increasingly limited and scattered across AI-powered browsers, do not offer a coherent view of the user. In this environment, CTV (Connected TV) will solidify as the primary driver of advertising investment, precisely in a context where the ability to identify an individual user is almost nonexistent. This reinforces the competitive advantage of those already basing their strategies on secure, durable identity models with consent at the core—a direction we are promoting with our focus on user protection and control.

Data Clean Rooms as a key part of the ecosystem

Data Clean Rooms will become the ultimate neutral space to measure, generate insights, and collaborate between brands and publishers without exposing sensitive data. Interoperability and collaboration IDs will allow for new forms of joint work. At Utiq, we actively participate in this ecosystem to facilitate strong, privacy-respecting connections.

Programmatic as the absolute standard

Programmatic advertising will exceed 90% of global display advertising and will do so by integrating increasingly diverse formats and more hybrid contexts, where automation, transparency, and measurement will serve as the pillars. Therefore, in this environment, privacy-first identity will be essential for sustainable growth.

Retail Media reaching full maturity

Retailers will evolve into advanced ecosystems where activation and measurement will be closely linked to actual purchase behavior and the quality of consented data. In this sense, I see a natural space for collaborations based on secure identity, where brands and retailers can build more direct and effective relationships with their consumers.

First-party and zero-party data will become pure gold

Data provided directly by users, whether actively or passively, will become the foundation of meaningful personalization, while third-party data continues to lose relevance. The key will be activating this data without compromising privacy, something we are consistently addressing in many of our conversations with partners.

Considering all of this, I believe 2026 will be a year in which the industry will need to balance creativity, technology, and user trust like never before. Those who manage to do this transparently and responsibly will be the ones who truly make a difference.

I’d like to close this review with a question: Which of these trends do you think will have the greatest impact on your strategy in 2026? I look forward to hearing from you!