Like it or not, there was no doubt that AI had a huge influence on marketing in 2025.

Whether it was AI-generated ad creative’s increasing frequency, the tech’s proliferation on CTV platforms, or the focus on building “algorithmic trust” to improve brand visibility when consumers shop using AI-powered tools, AI is reshaping marketing workflows and objectives. In the new year, there’s no sign of it slowing down.

We asked several CMOs and marketers what they’re prioritizing in the new year—and unsurprisingly, adjusting to AI continues to be a top focus. We rounded up some of those marketers’ answers below to get a sense of how they continue to adopt the new technology.

Brand discovery: “How do you get your brand discovered in a world of AI? The landscape has completely shifted, and so [we are] really heavily focused on how we are showing up everywhere that people are searching online. Whether that’s on Instagram, whether that’s on LLMs, whether that’s in Google, showing up in AI overviews, brand discovery has completely shifted.”—Sara Brooks, chief growth officer, BetterHelp

Focusing on human power: “AI is changing the center of gravity in marketing. Execution is increasingly automated, so our teams’ value comes from what AI can’t do—deep customer insight, strategic judgment, and creative curiosity. My priority is building a culture of “master prompters” who know how to get the best out of AI to move faster while differentiating us in ways that are more human.”—Thomas Ranese, CMO, Intuit

Trying it out: “One of my top priorities is upskilling my team—helping everyone get more hands-on with AI to work smarter, collaborate better, and build new ways of operating. The first step: giving people permission to experiment…I encourage my teams to test various tools, summarizing documents, refining messaging, and finding all the big and small ways AI can simplify workflows.

The next big opportunity is rethinking how our teams work in an AI-first world: redesigning processes, expanding roles, and giving people more ownership across end-to-end workflows. The upside is huge: new opportunities, new skills, and real career growth.”—Stacy Martinet, VP of integrated marketing and communications, Adobe

Continue reading here.—AM, JS, JN, KH, KM

The F1 paddock is a colorful place—and we mean that literally. Ferrari is known for its iconic red. McLaren lives by papaya orange. And in 2026, the Williams team wants to become synonymous with its refreshed blue color palette.

The team’s colors aren’t the only thing getting an update in the new year. Ahead of the 2026 F1 season, Williams, now officially racing under the name Atlassian Williams F1 Team, took on a new name, logo, and brand identity as part of its yearslong effort to return to Formula 1 glory.

Williams’s rebrand, team execs said, is meant to encapsulate the team’s goal of reclaiming the Constructors’ Championship, and is designed to maintain some of its history while catching the eyes of newer F1 fans.

“We are an icon of the sport, but we are future-focused,” Marcus Prosser, Williams’s marketing director, told Marketing Brew. “We want young fans, these new-wave and avid fans, to jump on this journey with us.”

Read more here.—AM

In a rideshare? You’re probably watching the map, keeping a keen eye on the car icon as you move closer to your desired destination.

If that rideshare happens to be an Uber, that map and its icons are now up for grabs for some advertisers.

It’s all part of a new offering from the company, dubbed Journey Takeovers, which gives advertisers the ability to create full brand experiences, complete with ads, on the tablets in cars, in the app, and, now, within the map, all at the same time.

“We’re covering every angle of where people are looking,” Kristi Argyilan, global head of Uber Advertising, told Marketing Brew at CES. “We already have, on average, about 20 minutes of someone’s attention when they’re in an Uber…Now we’re actually connecting one of our most prized brand assets that we have, which is the map, which is where we all really stare when we’re in the car.”

The aim, Argyilan explained, is for the experience to be additive and contextually relevant to wherever the rider is headed, as well as timed to specific cultural events. There’s already some proof of concept: During this past holiday season, Coca-Cola ran a takeover campaign that popped up when riders were on their way to places where they could likely purchase Coke products, including restaurants, grocery stores, and sporting events.

The company worked with Uber’s in-house agency, Creative Studio, to create icons that would speak to the specific markets where it was shown. For example, riders in Spain, Portugal, and the United States saw a Coca-Cola Christmas caravan; riders in Mexico got to see Santa’s sleigh; and riders in Australia and New Zealand saw a Kombi van.

Continue reading here.—KM