Performance Creative Trends

Creative automation in 2026: Game Changer 

As we step into 2026, creative automation isn’t just a buzzword – it’s becoming the backbone of all digital creative strategy. AI-driven creative tools are already now mainstream with platforms like Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot generating ad assets, testing thousands of variations, and optimising for engagement at scale. Social platforms like Meta and TikTok are also doubling down on AI-driven creative tools, making it possible to generate, test, and optimize ads at scale without sacrificing brand identity.

Creative production is shifting from AI-assisted to AI-orchestrated, as agentic AI will start to manage content supply chains and automate planning, drafting, testing, and distribution. Experts predict a rapid rollout of AI agents by 2026, driving faster personalised creative, dynamic variation, and speed-to-market.

Balancing efficiency with creativity

The key challenge is how clients use AI for efficiency, whilst maintaining their creativity and authenticity. When brands rely on similar AI platforms, their creative work may lose distinction, making human input vital for guiding brand voice, ethics, and identity.

Creativity and format-first creative will continue to set brands apart. As AI tools increase, demand for original stories and ad formats grows. Consumers now value authenticity, preferring real-life storytelling over polished ads. Honest and relatable content consistently outperforms highly produced creative work, which often feels impersonal online.

Advertisers now tailor content for different channels and goals, using short-form videos, interactive features like tap or swipe, and format-specific layouts to better capture consumer attention and engagement.

Interactivity and “attention time” become the key KPI

Attention metrics now allow brands to measure genuine engagement rather than just impressions or clicks. As brands move from “viewability” to attention with use of eye-tracking and predictive models, attention time is becoming more closely linked to brand lift and intent. Meta research has found that interactive formats get four times more attention than standard display, and also lead to better engagement, recall, and purchase intent.

Visual Search and “Camera-First” Creative

Visual search, which allows consumers to begin a search using their camera or an image, is expected to become the main approach for discovery, particularly in sectors like retail and home decor.

As a result, creative teams should prioritise product images and videos as key search assets. Making visuals easily recognisable will be essential, requiring careful management of images, product feeds, and 3D assets so they can be quickly found and identified by AI-powered visual search tools.

Social Search = performance creative brief 

As platforms like TikTok & Instagram reels become the primary search engine for younger consumers, the creative must be designed for discovery and intent, not just for scrolling as consumers are now looking for authenticity before making a purchase. Hence, creative teams will need to adapt to SEO principles: clear, keyword – rich screen on text and hooks that directly address a problem a user might search for.

Using supplementary feeds to enhance performance.

The main benefit of using a supplementary feed is that you can update your product feed with new information without affecting the info from your main feed. By using product feed apps like Hunch, catalog images can simply transform product images to reflect not just your brand identity but also include key information like price, location, incentives etc.