Omnicom Media Asia Pacific (OM APAC) has released its 2026 Trends Report, outlining how artificial intelligence, participatory commerce and rising consumer expectations are fundamentally reshaping marketing strategy, media planning and brand building across the region.
Unveiled on the sidelines of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas, the report draws on regional data from sources including GWI, alongside insights from OM APAC’s market teams, to explain how global technology shifts are translating into new consumer behaviours in Asia-Pacific — and how marketers must adapt their operating models in response.
The message for brands is unambiguous: the era of passive audiences and one-way communication is ending.
According to the network, one in four consumers in Asia-Pacific is more likely to promote brands they feel actively involved with, signalling a decisive move from campaign-centric marketing to collaborative, community-driven growth models.
“Consumers no longer want to be talked at — they want a seat at the table,” the report notes, describing 2026 as a turning point where participation becomes a core marketing currency rather than an engagement add-on.
AI becomes a new layer of marketing infrastructure
One of the strongest signals from CES 2026, OM APAC says, is the repositioning of artificial intelligence from a productivity enhancer to a decision-making engine that will increasingly shape consumer journeys before brands even appear on screen.
Across key Asia-Pacific markets, 64% of consumers already use AI for productivity, while nearly seven in ten organisations are deploying or piloting AI agents to manage workflows.
“AI is no longer just assisting people — it is beginning to act on their behalf,” the report said, pointing to applications across health, smart homes, mobility and retail platforms that predict needs rather than wait for instructions.
For marketers, the implications are immediate.
Search itself is being restructured as AI-generated answers close more browsing journeys without users clicking through to brand websites. AI-powered summaries are now driving up to 1.6 times more “closed sessions”, compressing the traditional funnel and reducing opportunities for discovery.
As a result, OM APAC argues brands must rethink how content is produced, structured and distributed — optimising not only for search engines but for large language models that increasingly act as gatekeepers between consumers and brands.
The report also highlights the convergence of digital and physical identity, driven by national digital ID systems such as Singapore’s SingPass, ASEAN cross-border identity initiatives and stricter verification rules on social platforms.
For marketing teams, this is accelerating the shift towards privacy-safe data environments, clean-room architectures and cross-channel identity planning, as personalisation becomes both more powerful and more regulated.
Social commerce turns marketing into a two-way system
If AI is reshaping discovery, social and commerce platforms are redefining how influence is created and monetised.
CES 2026 reinforced the rise of live, interactive commerce, where brands, creators and consumers operate inside the same digital environments.
Livestreaming has overtaken traditional tentpole broadcasting as the dominant reference for live content, with four in five viewers linking livestreams to everyday conversation rather than special events.
Second-screen behaviour has become standard across Asia-Pacific, with most viewers scanning QR codes, clicking product links, voting in polls or participating in chats while watching on larger screens.
OM APAC notes that these formats are no longer just media channels but function simultaneously as performance platforms, feedback loops and consumer insight engines.
The rise of e-commerce marketplaces has also flattened the competitive landscape, allowing smaller brands to compete alongside global players. This has shifted leverage towards consumers, particularly in a region where 61% believe large corporations often take advantage of shoppers.
In this environment, co-creation has become a measurable driver of marketing effectiveness.
OM APAC found that one in four consumers is more likely to advocate for brands they feel involved with, transforming interactive formats into engines of both loyalty and organic reach.
Brand value shifts from products to experiences
The third major theme of the report is that marketing success in 2026 will depend less on product differentiation and more on experience design, cultural relevance and emotional resonance.
Across Asia-Pacific, consumers increasingly see purchases as extensions of identity and community rather than purely functional choices. This is visible in the rise of regional luxury brands, the popularity of experiential retail, and the growth of “little joy” categories such as blind-box collectibles and gamified shopping formats.
Creators and public figures are central to this ecosystem.
The report highlights that female athletes are perceived as 14% more trustworthy than other endorsers, and their followers are 2.8 times more likely to buy products they promote — reinforcing the importance of credibility over celebrity scale.
OM APAC also flags the growing influence of Gen Alpha, a generation shaped by gaming interfaces, creator economies and community-led platforms such as Discord and Reddit, which are increasingly competing with traditional social feeds for attention.
For marketers, this signals a move towards subculture marketing, community partnerships and always-on engagement models rather than short-term campaign bursts.
India outlook: marketing enters an acceleration phase
Commenting on the findings, Kartik Sharma, CEO of Omnicom Media India, said the coming year represents a strategic shift for the network and its clients.
“We are moving from integration to acceleration,” Sharma said.
“With our connected capabilities, the focus is on helping brands unlock growth by understanding Indian consumers, category dynamics, and the powerful role technology will play. AI will be a strategic force — powering intelligent decision-making, accelerating innovation and redefining how brands connect with consumers.”
For Indian marketers, the report points to a future where data, creators, commerce and AI converge into a single operating system for brand growth.
Success in 2026, OM APAC concludes, will not come from being present on every platform, but from being embedded in the moments, communities and intelligent systems that consumers already trust.
As CES 2026 underscored, the next phase of marketing will be built less on broadcasting messages — and more on designing ecosystems where consumers participate, technology anticipates and brands earn relevance continuously.
.jpg)
.jpg)