MarkTech - February 2026
February 2026 — Summary
"You can have a superior product, but if it doesn't fit into somebody's workflow, if it doesn't fit into their day, it's tough to get adoption." That's from The Economist — and it sums up marketing's February reality.
Everyone's adding AI. But everybody's struggling to see groundbreaking results. An NBER study of six thousand executives across four countries found eighty percent report zero AI productivity impact over the past three years. Most marketing teams have no ROI targets for their AI investments. At Glowforge, an AI sales tool was sent "directly into the bin" by every single rep — until it was rebuilt around how people actually work.
But the landscape isn't waiting. Google searches per user dropped twenty percent in the US. OpenAI is now selling ads to nine hundred million weekly users. Connected cars are becoming a new ad channel. And influencer partnerships keep rising — because in an AI-flooded world, human authenticity is the one thing machines can't scale.
New channels are multiplying, but most teams are stretched too thin to capture them. The winners aren't doing more — they're picking two or three things and executing brilliantly.
AI won't fix a broken workflow. But a focused team with the right AI will outperform everyone.
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New studies keep confirming the same trend: AI adoption is far from straightforward for marketing teams. Per ANA's January 2026 survey, 89% plan to increase AI spending and 76.6% already have AI policies — but 46.2% lack any formal long-term planning horizon and 71.6% have no ROI targets. Only 1.1% achieve both high measurement and high ROI expectations. An NBER study of 6k executives across the US, UK, Australia and Germany puts it even more bluntly: ~80% report no AI productivity impact over the past three years. To get results, teams need a long-term AI strategy, mapped workflows to know which processes benefit from AI and which don't, and tools designed around how people actually work. The Economist gives a telling example: at Glowforge, an AI sales-coaching tool was routed "directly into the bin" by every single rep — until it was rebuilt to fit the team's weekly rhythm.
My take: Map workflows before adding AI. Compare traditional vs. augmented processes to measure real ROI. This demands hybrid profiles — equally strong in tech and business — to define strong strategy, which is inseparable from constantly evolving technology.
| #AI_Impact | MarTech, The Economist, NBER | 2026/02/01
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U.S. Google searches per user dropped ~20% YoY as AI reshapes content discovery. We're getting more and more data on the new discipline emerging: optimizing for AI citations. On Reddit, structured discussion threads get cited 10x more than any other social platform — 99% of citations point to specific threads, not profiles. On websites, the first 200 words are critical — pages that clearly state who's writing, for whom, and about what see 38% more AI Overview appearances. And this will only accelerate: Google's new WebMCP lets websites serve as MCP servers for AI agents, giving site owners direct control over how AI interacts with their content.
My take: Many of my clients already signal these trends. This is yet another AI discipline to watch today — build your position now in the emerging AI-assistant-driven world.
| #AI_Impact | MarTech, Tryprofound, WordStream, TJ Robertson | 2026/02/01 -
Content marketing is undergoing significant changes due to AI disruption. According to Semrush, senior content roles now require AI literacy in 34% of cases, with Computer Science degree requirements up 400% across 8k analyzed job listings. Today's content leaders manage AI agents, owning strategy, narrative and outcomes. Writing good content alone is no longer enough — the role now demands AI literacy, technical fluency and storytelling.
My take: AI is raising the bar. Wait... wasn't it supposed to take our jobs?
| #AI_Impact | Semrush | 2026/02/01 -
OpenAI's ad playbook is taking shape. ChatGPT ads cost ~$60 CPM — NFL-level pricing. Beta requires $200k+ upfront. Ads reach 900M weekly users across free and paid tiers, charged per view, not click. No granular consumer data — only total impressions and clicks reported. The biggest shift: ChatGPT is a task-based environment. Users aren't scrolling a feed — they're solving problems, researching, creating. There's no query data to optimize against. Relevance here means usefulness, not keyword matching. Self-service buying planned for later.
My take: Google AdWords started in 2000 with 350 advertisers and a CPM model. Today it's a $265B business. OpenAI already has 900M weekly users. Worth paying attention now — if AI search ads become the main advertising channel, you'll want to have been watching from the start.
| #New_Channels | EMARKETER, The Information, MarTech | 2026/02/01
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In 2026, 57% of buyers prioritize creator ads and influencer partnerships, increasing from 48% in 2025, as per an IAB report. Brands seek human storytelling in AI-dominated marketing, fostering trust and engagement. And data backs them up: 94% of organizations report higher ROI from creator content than traditional ads, up from 74% in 2023 (CreatorIQ, 1,100+ brands surveyed).
My take: In an AI-dominated world, brands are betting on what machines can't fake: human authenticity.
| #Strategy | EMARKETER, CreatorIQ | 2026/02/01
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Small marketing teams are stretched thin — expected to handle social, content, email, SEO, events and strategy with limited resources. The result: exhaustion and inconsistent performance. Companies getting the best results pick 2-3 key activities and do them well, instead of spreading across ten.
My take: Even as tech reshapes marketing orgs, the fundamentals matter more than ever. Focus on executing fewer activities brilliantly.
| #Strategy | B2BJade | 2026/02/01 -
Connected cars are becoming a new digital ad channel. With 97% of new vehicles equipped with infotainment screens and 400M connected cars on roads globally, analysts project in-car ad revenue of $100-120 per vehicle annually by 2030 — a $50B+ market. 4screen, a German platform partnered with 16 automakers, already places sponsored pins on in-car navigation maps — think a Dunkin' logo appearing on your route during a morning commute. Ford has patented systems that analyze passenger conversations and nearby billboards to serve targeted ads. Automakers are even dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to keep control of their screens.
My take: We keep multiplying channels that are direct and can use data to target audiences.
| #New_Channels | Sherwood News | 2026/02/01
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New content-driven channels are steadily entering the mainstream and becoming structured parts of the marketing mix. Instagram — 3B monthly active users — is now a legitimate B2B channel: over a third of users treat it as a search tool for products and vendors, its social referral traffic nearly doubled year-over-year, and most high-income earners are active on the platform. TikTok is betting on live commerce — Gary Vaynerchuk calls it a "trillion-dollar opportunity," with major influencers already driving significant sales through live streams. And content sources are shifting — companies like Lovable now treat employee LinkedIn posts as a core marketing channel, turning individual voices into brand reach.
My take: Content platforms are becoming the primary trust layer between brands and buyers. AI now enables authentic voices at scale — soon a must-have, not an experiment.
| #New_Channels | MarTech, Miranda Shanahan, Noah Wolfenson | 2026/02/01 -
Varun Anand, co-founder of Clay ($3.1B GTM platform), explains GTM alpha — outperforming competitors through unique data and strategies. Winning teams leverage hard-to-find data for precise targeting. AI agents aid in gathering unique data points, enhancing performance. Continuous experimentation and timing are essential. GTM engineering combines technical expertise and sales knowledge, allowing organizations to scale revenue effectively while pursuing temporary competitive advantages and differentiated strategies.
My take: New roles like GTM Engineer blend marketing and tech. Future orgs will be built around these hybrid profiles.
| #Strategy | Varun Anand | 2026/02/01
