HALLOWEEN 2026: BRANDS REVIVE HORROR LEGENDS, EMBRACE DARK HUMOR AND SCARE CONSUMERS ON A GRAND SCALE

31. 10. 2026 | 9 min read Zombie Santa Claus, Bill Murray as a Ghostbuster, and a cremation urn shaped like a potato chip can. Halloween 2026 proves that brands are not afraid to push the boundaries of creativity. And they have good reason to do so. Americans are expected to spend a record $13.5 billion on the spooky holiday, start shopping earlier than ever, and expect more from brands than just themed products. How are this year's Halloween marketing campaigns responding to changing consumer behavior?

ADVERTISEMENTS IN CHATGPT APPEAR IN THREE-QUARTERS OF COMMERCIAL QUERIES

14. 10. 2026 | 4 min read According to an analysis by Marketing Miner, adverts appeared in 74.7 per cent of ChatGPT’s 10,800 responses to commercially oriented queries. In nearly nine out of ten cases where the chatbot itself recommended a specific brand, the advertiser differed from the organic recommendation. The prevalence of adverts increased with the specificity of the purchase intention, as shown by an analysis carried out at the end of September.

DENTSU CREATIVE: MARKETERS ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO TURN AI INTO A REAL COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

13. 10. 2026 | 3 min read Dentsu Creative’s new Global CMO Report 2026 shows that marketers are entering a new phase in their work with artificial intelligence. Following a period of enthusiasm, a pragmatic approach is now taking hold, focusing on the real-world impact on business, brand and customer experience. At the same time, human capabilities – which technology cannot replace – are increasingly becoming a competitive advantage.

CZECHS DON’T KNOW WHAT A DEEPFAKE IS, BUT THEY BELIEVE THEY’D RECOGNISE ONE. IF NOT, THERE’S VODAFONE

12. 10. 2026 | 5 min read More than half of Czechs believe they can recognise a video created by artificial intelligence. However, only a third actually know what the term ‘deepfake’ means. Research by Ipsos for Vodafone shows how the growing capabilities of AI are changing trust in digital communication. The mobile operator is therefore launching the Verify app, which helps to detect manipulated content.

ITV’S GENERATIVE AI ADS FEATURE ATTRACTS 16 NEW-TO-TV ADVERTISERS IN DEBUT YEAR

9. 10. 2026 | 6 min read ITV’s GenAI Ads Manager has drawn 16 new-to-TV small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to buy TV campaigns with the broadcaster in its first year.

MARKETERS ARE LOOKING FOR BUSINESS BENEFITS IN AI, BUT DO NOT YET SEE ANY SAVINGS

8. 10. 2026 | 3 min read According to a new global survey by Dentsu Creative, marketers are moving away from experimenting with artificial intelligence towards identifying its specific impact on business. Whilst AI helps to speed up marketing processes, many companies are still grappling with how to use it to build their brand and drive long-term growth.

REPORT: 83% OF UK ADVERTISERS USING AI

6. 10. 2026 | 3 min read AI in advertising has moved firmly beyond experimentation in the UK, with more than eight in ten marketers (83%) now actively using or piloting AI in production, according to research from XR. The findings suggest AI is becoming embedded across advertising and creative operations as brands and agencies respond to growing demand for content.

CZECH INTERNET FORUM: NEW AUDIENCES, FORMATS AND CHALLENGES FOR THE MEDIA AND BRANDS

6. 10. 2026 | 4 min read This year, the Czech Internet Forum will once again focus on the trends shaping the future of media and marketing.

STEVEN VAN BELLEGHEM: BRANDS FACE A NEW BATTLE FOR ACCESS TO CUSTOMERS

5. 10. 2026 | 5 min read According to Steven Van Belleghem, customer service that is available at any time and provides an immediate response will become the norm. This is because AI agents will take over some of the decision-making on behalf of consumers. At the Brand Management conference, he therefore advised marketers to focus not only on the effectiveness of technology, but also on building relationships and a sense of belonging with customers.

THE BRAND-BUILDING POWER OF SOUND, AND WHY IT’S NEGLECTED

5. 10. 2026 | 5 min read Brands obsess over how they look, but too often leave how they sound as an afterthought. With music proven to drive serious brand value, why is it still getting turned down in the boardroom, asks Rodger Morley, Sonic Branding Partner at Epidemic Sound.

AI IN MARKETING PROVIDES SUPPORT AND INSIGHTS, BUT HUMAN SUPERVISION IS ESSENTIAL

4. 10. 2026 | 5 min read The greatest benefit of artificial intelligence does not lie in replacing experts, but in enabling good marketers, researchers and creative professionals to work faster, more efficiently and with more information than ever before. However, the technology itself will not solve marketing problems. Judgement and ultimate responsibility remain with people.

HOLIDAY SHOPPERS WANT MORE THAN A RECOMMENDATION. THEY WANT TO SEE THE ARGUMENT.

3. 10. 2026 | 4 min read A friend's word still carries the most weight with holiday shoppers. But a close second is something brands rarely offer on their own: an honest account of a product's flaws. Some 41.9% of consumers said a trusted friend's recommendation or family member's recommendation made them feel confident in their last holiday purchase, according to a new survey of 1,001 US adults by EMARKETER and Reddit.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLIENTS AND AGENCIES IS CHANGING IN THE AGE OF AI. HOW WILL THIS AFFECT THE COST OF LABOUR?

1. 10. 2026 | 4 min read Clients regard AI tools as accessible and see their greatest benefit in their use for specific marketing tasks. However, research by AKA and ResSolution Group also shows that, as automation increases, the question of the value of agency work is being raised once again, as was noted on the first day of the Brand Management conference.

THE MEDIA MIX IS CHANGING. MARKETERS ARE FOCUSING ON AI, CONTENT CREATORS AND NEW PURCHASE JOURNEYS

30. 9. 2026 | 7 min read Kantar’s annual Media Reactions study shows that marketers are placing a great deal of faith in AI. At the same time, however, many are unsure whether their media mix is correctly configured and whether they can extract the insights needed for further growth from the available data.

MFE ADVERTISING: SCALING AI-POWERED CONTEXTUAL ADVERTISING ACROSS EUROPE

28. 9. 2026 From Spain to Italy, MFE Advertising is using AI and HbbTV to make programme context an addressable advertising signal, creating new opportunities for relevance on connected TV while keeping the control and brand safety of premium television.

NRF HALLOWEEN SURVEY SHOWS CONSUMER SPENDING EXPECTED TO REACH $13.5 BILLION

23. 9. 2026 | 5 min read Consumer spending on Halloween is expected to reach $13.5 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The figure maintains the strong spending level of last year’s record $13.1 billion and reflects consumers’ continued enthusiasm for the holiday.

TRUST BECOMES ADVERTISING’S MOST VALUABLE CURRENCY IN AI ERA

23. 9. 2026 | 5 min read Advertising has spent years perfecting the art of finding consumers. Whether consumers are delighted to be found is another matter.

STUDY UK: ONE IN FIVE UK ADULTS USE AI FOR NEWS

15. 9. 2026 | 2 min read One in five UK adults are using artificial intelligence services to access news, according to Ofcom’s latest study of news consumption.