Welcome to The 2026 M.Cast™ Trends Report—applying a futurist’s lens to identify the trends shaping business and culture. This year’s report takes a close look at the forces driving change and then encourages action: to lean into evolution, unlock new potential, and build momentum toward what’s next.
In times of rapid disruption, anticipating change is essential to staying relevant and ready to lead. As AI becomes invisible infrastructure embedded in everyday operations, organizations will discover their greatest edge in distinctly human capabilities: strategic communication, creative thinking, and authentic brand storytelling that embraces imperfection as proof of humanity. Success will belong to those who forge genuine community connections, cut through information overload with intentional communication, and deliver precisely personalized experiences to customers.
This year’s M.Cast, built in collaboration with Moore’s partners and thought leaders and grounded in research, is designed for decision-makers navigating uncertainty and complexity. We study trends and predictions so you can spot opportunities early, act with clarity, and leverage transformation as a strength.
We encourage you to apply these findings: Share them with your team and use them to ignite conversations, challenge long-held assumptions, and inspire bold moves.
7 Trends to Prepare for Today
While disruption creates uncertainty for some, it creates competitive advantage for those prepared to act. Moore’s M.Cast™ Trends Report delivers the strategic foresight you need to deepen customer loyalty and translate emerging trends into measurable growth.
The Invisible AI Revolution:
When Technology Becomes Transparent
The most transformative AI trend for 2026 isn’t about flashier models or more powerful capabilities; it’s about AI becoming so seamlessly integrated into business operations that it essentially disappears. This “invisible AI” movement represents the maturation of artificial intelligence from experimental technology to fundamental business infrastructure.
Perfectly Imperfect:
Why Brands Must Prove They’re Real in the Age of AI
In the age of AI, where content is increasingly seamless and ubiquitous, consumers are craving what feels unmistakably human. Brands have long flaunted their flaws both for humor and to build trust with consumers, but today, showing the real, unscripted side isn’t just a tactic; it’s a necessity. As polished automation becomes the norm, authenticity stands out. To connect meaningfully, brands must be more than clever—they must signal that there are real people behind the message.
Communities in Command:
The New Power Centers of Brand Loyalty
While polished campaigns and celebrity endorsements once ruled marketing, power is shifting toward something more authentic: community networks where trust, shared purpose, and peer validation drive behavior. These aren’t just fan clubs or followers; they’re ecosystems where people gather around brands, creators, and causes, fueling engagement, loyalty, and even product innovation.
Durable Skills:
The New Competitive Advantage
As technology makes technical skills widely available, organizations will discover their greatest advantage lies in distinctly human capabilities—“durable skills” that employers say are often lacking.
Selective Consumption:
The New Consumer Mindset
People have been feeling increasingly overwhelmed by information; now, they’re actively fighting back. This represents a fundamental behavioral shift from passive consumption to intentional filtering. With consumers exposed to an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 marketing messages every single day, not to mention the constant stream of emails, texts, social posts, and app notifications, attention has become a scarce resource. For organizations, this creates an opportunity for those that understand how to deliver value in a noisy world.
Verified or Vulnerable:
Why Trust is the New Business Imperative
In an era where AI can fabricate anything and misinformation spreads faster than fact-checks, trust has become a technical problem requiring technical solutions. Organizations can no longer rely on reputation alone; they need to offer verifiable proof.
The Precision Advantage:
When Personalization Meets Data Integration
Modern life can feel like a series of impersonal interactions. Every generic email, every irrelevant recommendation, every customer forced to repeat themselves: These aren’t just minor annoyances anymore. They’re missed opportunities to genuinely help your customers.
Insights from our
Trend leaders
The Invisible Revolution:
“The most powerful AI trend of 2026 isn’t what you see—it’s what you don’t. When technology becomes invisible, it’s no longer an experiment. It’s infrastructure. And that’s where transformation truly begins.”Terrie Ard, APR, CPRC
Partner, President & COOSee Trend
The Precision Advantage:
“Retail, fintech, healthcare—leaders in every sector are proving that precision isn’t just about personalization. It’s about integration. When your data talks across departments, your business doesn’t just perform—it compounds.”Karen Moore, APR, CPRC
Founder & CEOSee Trend
Verified or Vulnerable:
"In today’s digital landscape, trust isn’t a brand asset—it’s a business system. As we head into 2026, the organizations that thrive will be those that embed ethical infrastructure, brand safety protocols, and resilient communication ecosystems into their core operations. Verification without integrity is just noise."Audrey Goff
Partner and Vice PresidentSee Trend
Selective Consumption:
"We’re all feeling it: too many notifications, too many messages, too much noise. Selective Consumption looks at how people are fighting information overload and why the future belongs to brands that know when to take a breath."Fern Senra-James, APR
Partner and Executive Managing DirectorSee Trend
Communities in Command:
"People don’t want to be sold on something, they want to belong. They want to believe in your brand and connect to it on an emotional level. When your brand feels like a place to show up, customers become teammates who help you build what’s next."Nanette Schimpf, APR, CPRC
Partner and Vice PresidentSee Trend
Selective Consumption:
"People are taking control over what they see and hear, focusing on what they feel is worth their time and opting out of what doesn’t. The brands that will endure are the ones that respect their audience’s attention as the rare commodity that it is and choose relevance, restraint, and genuine connection over reach."Liz Underwood
Partner and Associate Vice PresidentSee Trend
The Precision Advantage:
"Attaining integrated precision enterprise—wide requires the right cast of team members that cross the proverbial capability aisle and include functions of marketing strategy, technology enablement, and operations. The expertise of how technology can be used to connect the dots of various marketing platforms and environments is critical to precision and accuracy."D'Arcy Toffolo
Partner and Associate Vice PresidentSee Trend
The Invisible Revolution:
"Invisible AI is quietly redefining how business operates –seamlessly woven into processes, it drives efficiency, unlocks new value, and lets leaders focus less on technology and more on vision. Transformation happens when AI becomes the backbone, not the headline."
Nic Breeding
Executive Managing DirectorSee Trend
Communities in Command:
"Communities aren’t channels to buy; they’re coalitions to build. Decisions form long before a meeting or launch. When people see their input shape the plan, they become carriers of the message and stewards of the brand. Invest in that network like infrastructure and attention turns into action that lasts."Courtney Cox
Partner and Managing DirectorSee Trend
Durable Skills:
"Durable skills are no longer ‘nice to have’—they’re the new competitive advantage. As technology evolves, it’s the human intellect, judgment, and emotional intelligence that will determine whether organizations thrive or stall."Emily Read
Partner and Executive Managing DirectorSee Trend
Perfectly Imperfect:
"In an age where AI can generate flawless everything, our imperfections have become our most valuable currency. Brand trust is built on honest moments—when we admit we're still figuring it out, when we have the courage to lift the curtain and be seen, when we recognize that the most strategic thing we can do is simply be real. This grounds you as human-centric in a world starving for authenticity."LeeAnn Phillips
Creative DirectorSee Trend
Communities in Command:
"For years we’ve encouraged brands to listen deeply to their audiences. Now, with community networks driving the conversation, that listening can’t be an afterthought. It has to be the engine. When people see their input reflected in the choices you make, loyalty evolves from transactional to emotional."Jordan Jacobs, APR, CPRC
Partner and Senior Vice PresidentSee Trend
Your future with Moore starts now
These trends demand strategic partners who position you ahead of what’s coming. At Moore, we’ve spent 33 years anticipating market shifts and building deep expertise across public relations, public affairs, branding, crisis communications, digital marketing, and data intelligence.
Our 98% client retention rate reflects partnerships built on proven impact, while our 92% employee retention rate ensures you work with seasoned experts who understand your industry’s trajectory. When the landscape shifts, you’re already positioned to seize the opportunity.
Connect with us to explore how Moore can help lead you to what’s next.
Conclusion
These seven trends point to a paradox: The more seamlessly AI integrates into business operations, the more essential human proof points become. Transparency replaces perfection. Restraint builds trust. Community creates loyalty. Trust becomes both the challenge and the opportunity when technology can replicate everything except authenticity itself.
The future belongs to those who see what’s coming before the market does. Moore anticipates these shifts before they happen, turning foresight into strategy that helps organizations maximize what’s next.