Display marketers plan email resurgence amid AI adoption and podcast growth
Marketers are moving budget back to channels they control. In 2026, 65% plan to reinvest in email while 97% say AI affected performance in 2025. Podcasts are the sleeper: only 22% use them today, yet 78% see third-party shows as a major opportunity next year.
The takeaway: build owned audiences, plug AI into execution, and use paid channels to amplify what's already working.
Owned channels retake the spotlight
Organic social ranked first for 35% of respondents, followed by loyalty programs (34%) and SMS (32%). Email placed fourth at 31%-close enough to be in the same winning pack.
Websites/blogs performed well for just 13%. Owned podcasts and webinars were top performers for 3%. Mobile apps hit 28%, and physical locations drove 24%. No single owned channel dominates, which suggests a diversified playbook is paying off.
What AI actually improved in 2025
AI delivered for most teams. Top wins: better targeting/personalization (59%), faster time-to-market (59%), improved security/fraud detection (56%), stronger engagement and retention (54%), and more responsive optimizations (53%). Nearly half sped up content and asset creation (49%). Measurable ROI lift reached 37%, with 30% reporting cost reductions.
How it's used today: chatbots and service automation (65%), dynamic creative (56%), performance optimization (51%), audience segmentation (50%), and predictive analytics (45%). There's a confidence gap, though-72% plan to use AI more next year, but only 45% feel ready. If you're in that camp, consider upskilling with an AI certification for marketing specialists.
Paid channels still deliver-retail media and CTV surge
Search/SEM and programmatic display led paid performance at 38% each. Retail media networks followed at 36%, with 70% adoption among respondents. Industry projections put retail media at about 20% of global ad revenue by 2030 (~$300B).
CTV budgets moved up: 52% increased spend somewhat, 2% significantly, and no one reduced budgets. Main drivers were reach on streaming (49%) and integration with other digital channels (48%), plus lower CPMs (32%), measurable ROI and attribution (28%), and improved targeting (25%) with growing interest in privacy-compliant audiences (18%).
Current usage is broad: retail media (70%), interactive/shoppable content and DOOH (57%), voice search optimization (56%), in-app advertising (56%), and CTV (54%).
The podcast gap you can exploit
Only 22% advertise on podcasts today, yet 78% view third-party podcasts as a high-potential 2026 move. Q3 2025 spend grew 26% YoY, with ~1,700 brands testing the channel for the first time. Consumer audio takes 31% of media time, but only 9% of budgets.
That disconnect is your margin. Treat podcasts like a performance channel with disciplined testing, creative iteration, and clean attribution.
Budget signals for 2026
Owned doesn't mean "less paid." Search/SEM: 49% plan significant increases, 39% moderate. Paid social: 47% significant, 48% moderate. Display/programmatic: 42% significant, 40% moderate. Email/CRM: 41% significant, 44% moderate. Content: 40% significant, 42% moderate.
Video/CTV will see 37% significant increases and 40% moderate. Audio/podcasts: 21% significant, 39% moderate. On the organic side, 52% will move budget from paid to organic initiatives, while 61% will create content optimized for conversational AI and voice. Owned media development (blogs, podcasts, newsletters, apps) is on the roadmap for 57%.
ABM and brand strategy: deeper relationships, tighter measurement
ABM is on the rise: 67% will increase investment (53% moderate, 14% significant). It complements the email revival and owned media push by focusing on high-value accounts and multi-touch nurturing.
Brand strategies are shifting to relevance and trust. Teams are moving from demographics to communities and shared values, with more hyperlocal campaigns and cross-platform presence. Ethics, transparency, sustainability, and human voices are becoming core. Data privacy communication is now table stakes.
What to do next: a 90-day plan
- Rebuild email as your core owned asset: Refresh lifecycle flows (welcome, onboarding, replenishment, win-back). Tighten zero/first-party data capture. Pair with SMS for time-sensitive moments. Track CLV lift, not just open rates.
- Stand up an AI operating system for marketing: Pilot three workflows-dynamic creative, predictive segments, automated optimizations. Set QA guardrails and human review. Benchmark pre/post media efficiency and cycle time. If skills are a blocker, explore AI courses by job.
- Launch a podcast test-and-learn: Pick 3-5 shows aligned to your ICP. Use creative variants (host-read vs. produced), tight offers, and clean UTMs or unique codes. Run holdout or lift studies to verify incrementality.
- Make CTV accountable: Add CTV to your mix with frequency caps across channels. Reuse high-attention social/short video assets. Tie to MMM/MTA and site/store lift. Test privacy-compliant audiences.
- Professionalize retail media: Prioritize 2-3 networks. Fix feed hygiene and creative modularity. Standardize taxonomy and reporting across partners. Connect to incrementality and contribution to CLV, not last-click.
- Prepare for voice and conversational AI: Build FAQ-led, schema-marked content. Optimize for question intent and concise answers. Update product and help content for answer engines, not just web pages.
- Scale ABM and community: Lock target account lists with sales. Ship account-specific content hubs, email sequences, and events. Stand up micro-communities where your team can show up consistently. Communicate data practices plainly.
Channel performance snapshot
- Top owned performers: organic social (35%), loyalty (34%), SMS (32%), email (31%).
- Paid leaders: search/SEM (38%), programmatic display (38%), retail media (36%), social ads (28%), audio/podcast (23%).
- Adoption highlights: retail media (70%), interactive/shoppable + DOOH (57%), voice search (56%), in-app (56%), CTV (54%).
Methodology at a glance
Survey of 100 business leaders across retail single-brand (29%), DTC (27%), B2B (23%), and multi-brand retailers (21%). Roles included digital marketing (27%), demand gen (20%), paid ads/media (20%), campaign strategy/management (20%), and programmatic buying (13%). Seniority mix: 20% C-suite, 18% VP, 20% department head, 22% director, 20% manager. Over half (54%) reported $50M+ annual revenue.
Timeline signals shaping 2026
- 2024: IAB Europe flags standardization gaps in retail media.
- Jan 2025: Kantar lists retail media as a core planning trend.
- Mar 2025: Programmatic podcast ads add AI voice cloning.
- Jun-Oct 2025: Major data and commerce media moves (Snowflake/Acxiom, Mastercard). Retail media and CTV continue to converge.
- Nov 2025: Podcast spend +26% YoY; most marketers plan to expand AI use while confidence lags.
- Late 2025: New research confirms email reinvestment and podcast upside for 2026.
Bottom line
Email is back because control matters. AI is table stakes for speed and precision. Podcasts and CTV are the next efficient frontiers if you treat them like performance channels. Build the machine now-owned data, AI workflows, and ABM-for compounding gains in 2026.
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