New beginnings, fresh starts, and some things that never change. I sat down with members of our senior leadership team to get their thoughts on what to expect in the ad world for 2026.

So without further ado, live from Chicago it’s Chris Zylka (Creative Director), Rebecca Arnal (Director of Strategy), and Kristin Glunz (Director of Client Leadership).

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Thank you all for sitting down to chat. To start us off, what do you think will be big in advertising for 2026?

CHRIS

Engagement is king, whether it's good engagement or bad engagement — and ragebait is one of the big ways companies are generating that negative press. You've seen it with American Eagle's “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign. With ELF Cosmetics' “Affordable Beauty Attorneys” campaign starring the controversial comedian Matt Rife. Even Pantone’s Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer, caught people’s attention for being divisive

Some brands only care about getting that engagement, getting the people talking, getting their name out there. Even if it's not attached to a great thing. I think this is something we'll look back on, maybe in like 10 years, and ask, “Why were we alienating people to sell something?” But I think we're only going to see more of it in the next few years.

REBECCA

AI is becoming integrated into everything, and I think it's going to fundamentally be interwoven into daily life. We've already seen how it affects search results, soon we're going to see it in all the social platforms, our communication. It's going to change the nature of how we interact online.

Are there any creative trends you think will go out of style?

CHRIS

Certain trends we can predict and expect to change on a yearly basis. Topical things like color, for instance. With the cultural phenomenon Wicked is having, we’re going to see a lot of pink and green in the next few years, connecting us to that cultural touchpoint.

REBECCA

I think it's more things evolve or mature, rather than go away completely. For example, 10 or 15 years ago a homepage takeover was the big thing to talk about. But now, with brand collaborations and partnerships, it’s like a 4D takeover in every single dimension and aspect of our lives.

“Everything is intersecting, and we are constantly consuming messages from all channels.”

Are there any creative trends you think will go out of style?

CHRIS

I see the ways in which people use AI evolving. I think we’ll see people being less afraid of it. Right now, it's kind of the big scary monster in the room. But it’s just another tool that has been created to help us do good work faster.

“Don’t push the [AI] monster away from the dinner table — sit down, eat with it, ask it how its day was. ”

That's how you get to know what you're working with.

KRISTIN

AI is evolving every second. I think we're learning every day how much it can do, and how to fuse it with the human element that still matters. Since it’s advancing so quickly, we need to keep up with it while also looking to the future — so we can stay ahead and use it in ways that truly benefit us.

REBECCA

Hyper-customization is big, the ability of AI to quickly create versions of communication for different personas or stage progressive communication for a particular target. To get the best results, I don't think that the human aspect of creativity and communication should ever be removed. But it's renegotiating that relationship, figuring out how we apply creative or strategic thinking within this new construct.

What’s a goal for PB that you have for 2026?

KRISTIN

Point B is growing exponentially right now, which is really exciting. I think that growth comes from staying on top of things, staying ahead of what’s next, and continuing to be relevant. As we grow,

“my goal is to keep that same good mojo — holding onto our proactive mindset and maintaining the momentum we’ve built.”

CHRIS

To raise our agency profile. Point B has been around since 1974, and we’re doing some really cool stuff here. We have a great client list, with ones who love us that we retain year after year. Our staff is amazing, and a lot of us have been working here a long time. We believe in what we're doing.

“It's something special that, in a time when so many of the iconic, big agency players are very visibly shrinking, we are very visibly growing.”

REBECCA

We all agree that this is a time of growth for us, both as an agency and relative to the work we’re doing for our clients. And because of the variety of work we are doing, we are growing as individuals and as a collective culture.

“We're all lifelong learner types, and we love building on that with each other through the work.”

What are you personally excited for in the new year?

CHRIS

This will be my second year as Creative Director, so I'm excited to keep driving the agency's creative vision forward. Finding new ways to improve on the high-quality work we deliver to our clients, and also helping lead both our agency and our client roster into a new era.

REBECCA

I want to find new ways to further push myself out of my comfort zone. I've been running for decades, and I ran my first half-marathon this year. It was a pretty cool feeling to have accomplished it. I might see if I can do it a second time. Does that count as a full marathon?

KRISTIN

My high school daughter is a rower and just got her driver’s license. Since she’s up at the crack of dawn for practice, it’s going to be a game-changer for all of us!

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How will the ad world shape up in 2026? Keep your eye on Point B’s “Our Two Cents” for more industry insights throughout the year — and check back in 2027 to see how our predictions turned out!