The Six Capabilities Reshaping Marketing in 2026

Marketing leaders are moving fast, and the competitive edge is shifting.
Not from more AI pilots — but from the operating systems teams are wiring in right now.

As organizations finalize their 2026 plans, six capabilities are emerging as the foundation of modern marketing. They fall into two groups:

Table Stakes (blocking and tackling for today)

1. Agent-Optimized Content

Structuring your brand facts, FAQs, and offers so agents and zero-click surfaces can act with accuracy and speed.

2. Real-Time Personalization

Using proximity signals — what just happened — to shape the next best moment.

3. Proactive Service & Predictive Support

Detecting risk early and intervening before issues surface.

Next Frontier (getting ahead of tomorrow)

4. Predictive Empathy

Anticipating customer intent or emotion before the ask.

5. AI-Curated Ecosystems

Moving beyond transactions toward guided, ongoing brand experiences.

6. New Knowledge Work: Human + Virtual + Agent Teams

A redesigned model of how work gets done — built for speed, quality, and scale.

Together, these six plays form the operating backbone, high-performing marketing teams are standing up for 2026 — a direct extension of the Dual-Impact Playbook, where internal performance feeds external relevance.

We’ll break down how these capabilities come together, and how leading teams are putting them to work, at AI Day 2025.

Best,
Michael DeNunzio
Managing Director, PVAI Consulting
[email protected]