Dentsu Group Unveils 2026 Global Media Trends Survey: Key Insights on Human Behavior

Dentsu Group Unveils 2026 Global Media Trends Survey

Dentsu Group, headquartered in Tokyo and led by Global CEO Hiroshi Igarashi, recently announced the findings of its 2026 Global Media Trends Survey, titled "Human Truths in the Algorithmic Era." This research, driven by Dentsu's media practice, compiles insights from thirty global media experts and seeks to address how emerging trends will shape the future of media, marketing, and business growth.

Key to the survey's findings are three enduring human behaviors: simplicity, sociability, and attention. Even as AI and automation reshape how people discover, connect, and consume, these behaviors remain constant. The research outlines nine major media trends based on these human actions, offering guidance on how brands can leverage them to drive growth even in an increasingly algorithm-driven world.

Core Human Behaviors and Related Trends

1. Simplicity: “We Are Simple Until We Are Complex”

In an age where complexity encroaches, the focus on convenience is paramount. Brands must craft customer experiences that balance efficiency with emotional resonance, highlighting simplicity and surprise at the forefront. The trends identified include:

- Trend 1: Rise of Search Experience Optimization (SEO)

As search evolves to be more conversational and multimodal, brands need fresh requirements to connect optimally with their audience and support user behavior across the board.

- Trend 2: Emergence of Digital Delegation

AI agents will provide unprecedented convenience to consumers, but without strategic thought, marketers may deepen existing challenges, complicating the decision-making process.

- Trend 3: Friction Paradox Defines Commerce

Consumer purchasing behavior is now complex rather than linear. Marketers must strategically manage friction, utilizing it to stimulate desire and design simple purchasing experiences attuned to consumer sentiments and circumstances.

2. Sociability: “We Are Social Animals”

In a digital-centric world, human connection remains at the heart of behavior. With influence becoming more decentralized, the role of communities and creators in shaping culture is ever more crucial. The trends include:

- Trend 4: Communities Shape the Narrative

As influence diversifies, brands must reconsider their approach to engaging with communities. Rather than just collaborating with creators, brands should themselves become creators, generating valuable content and experiences.

- Trend 5: Shared Memories Resonate Differently

Brands can achieve significant outcomes by emphasizing shared memories—cultural and experiential resonances that connect audiences across various mediums, including nostalgic initiatives targeting millennials.

- Trend 6: Business Messaging Takes Off

As user engagement increases, messaging platforms are rising to prominence as essential channels for brand growth, catching up with monetization opportunities.

3. Attention: “We Don’t Read Advertising”

Consumers are drawn to intriguing content rather than traditional advertisements, signaling the value of attention as a crucial marketing resource. The trends aligning with this behavior are:

- Trend 7: AI-Generated Audiences Yield Consumer Insights

AI-generated consumer profiles allow brands to transform data and research into actionable insights, enabling more effective campaigns that expand recognition and outreach.

- Trend 8: Long-Term Evaluation of Attention

New solutions for measuring the impact of video on long-term sales will allow marketers to reassess the balance between brand value and results achieved.

- Trend 9: Entertainment Offers New Brand Avenues

The expansion of connections between brands and consumers through sports, anime, and micro-dramas enhances depth in engagement and opens fresh interactions.

Insights from Will Swayne, Global Practice President

Will Swayne remarked, “In an era where every click and scroll is shaped by algorithms, the most powerful insights still root in human truth. Brands must build their strategic thinking around unchanging human behaviors and focus on the essence that transcends time.”

For more detailed findings, the full report is available for free download at Dentsu Global Media Trends 2026.