This report positions 2026 as the “year of truth marketing,” where trust, authenticity, and direct engagement become the main drivers of growth in an AI-dominated landscape. As AI reshapes search, advertising, and discovery, brands risk losing direct relationships with consumers, making brand strength and performance marketing inseparable—strong brands lower acquisition costs and improve conversion efficiency. The study highlights five defining trends: brand and performance convergence, authenticity as a conversion driver, organic search becoming a strategic growth engine, AI forcing a return to human-centered engagement (especially through email), and product-level SEO becoming essential as AI answers replace traditional search. In a world of algorithmic sameness, the brands that win in 2026 will be those that build trust through transparency, real stories, and meaningful connections that convert.

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