Every year Pinterest Predicts reminds us of the same truth. Culture doesn’t shift in headlines. It shifts in quiet searches at 2 a.m. Long before a trend becomes a story, it lives as an unspoken desire people type into a blank box.
What the 2026 report really shows is the direction our collective psychology is drifting: toward comfort that feels earned, beauty that feels personal, and routines that feel like control in a world running too fast. These aren’t “aesthetics”, they’re coping mechanisms in disguise.
The platforms that win aren’t the ones forecasting trends. They’re the ones listening closely enough to spot the emotional pattern underneath them. Pinterest sees the mood before the mood becomes a market. That’s where the advantage sits.
The real story in McKinsey’s State of Marketing 2026 is not the charts. It is the confession. Europe’s marketing engines were built for a world that no longer exists.
Budgets rise yet impact stalls. Data grows yet decision quality lags. AI expands yet teams operate with twentieth century structures.
The winners share one pattern. They stop treating marketing as a function and start running it as an adaptive system. • Cross functional squads instead of siloed departments • Always on experimentation instead of quarterly bursts • First party data as an asset not a compliance chore • Creative bravery tied directly to commercial impact
This shift is not cosmetic. It is existential. The report shows that firms who redesign around this model create disproportionate growth even in flat markets. Europe’s marketers face a simple question. Keep optimising the old machine or build the one that fits reality.
If your organisation feels stuck, this is the moment to redesign not repackage. The companies that act now will define the next decade of European marketing.
If you want communication that earns belief, not just attention, start a conversation with me.
DepositPhotos, a global creative content platform with a set of AI-powered tools, has released its 9th annual forecast, “Creative Trends 2026: The Soft Rebellion.” Developed with input from global creative leaders and strategic thinkers, this data-driven report identifies eight directions that will shape how brands communicate, create, and connect in the year ahead.
Combining human-led qualitative research with platform data, the team analyzed how content creation is evolving amid media saturation, emotional fatigue, and the rise of AI. Using search requests and audiovisual insights from 45M+ users and a 323M+ file library, the report translates patterns into practical guidance, helping teams experiment confidently and keep human connection at the core.
From attention to connection
In 2026, the most forward-thinking brands won’t fight for attention; they’ll earn trust. As audiences become more sensitive to performative storytelling and digital noise, creativity is moving from spectacle to sincerity. A different, more intentional design mindset is taking hold, one that values emotional intelligence, cultural fluency, and the courage to slow down.
Unlike the high-gloss visuals of past years, today’s creatives focus on creative strategies that feel lived-in and emotionally grounded: imperfect compositions, authentic casting, and deliberate softness in motion and form.. Many are adopting modular, AI-assisted workflows that enable speed and scale — freeing up time to focus on what matters most.. The real challenge is no longer how to produce more—but how to create with clarity, care, and intention.
The 8 trends for 2026:
Reality Strikes
Blue Hour
Authentically Artificial
Petal Power
Kidult
The Tender Shift
Quietly Loud
Creative Sync
The 2026 report reflects a deeper industry shift toward emotional clarity and purposeful production, as traditional marketing loses traction, the most resonant creative work pairs raw emotion with thoughtful execution across multiple channels.
“Creative Trends 2026 reflects the conversations we’re hearing across design, marketing, and tech: how do we create at scale without losing the human spark? This report is a response to that question—grounded in platform data, shaped by real voices, and built to help teams deliver with care.”
To provide applied insights, the report includes commentary from creative leaders working at the intersection of strategy, design, and technology, including
Adina Cirstea, Creative Director at McCann Worldgroup;
Demetris Stefani, Founder of Hivebreed & UGC Factory;
Ruben van Eijk, Creative & Tech Executive;
Alexandra Zeevalkink, Editor-in-Chief at The Subthread;
Peter-Jan Grech, CEO & Founder of BRND WGN;
Patrick Horan, Senior Brand & Motion Designer at Skyscanner, and others, are offering tactics for adopting trends without breaking brand DNA.
