THE FUTURE OF ADVERTISING 2026 REPORT

On the 30th April we brought together some of the industry’s most influential voices at The Future of Advertising 2026 – a day of honest conversations, challenging perspectives, and shared ambition about where our industry goes next.

The result was clear: while technology, platforms and production models continue to evolve, the future of advertising will still be built on the things that have always mattered most – creative bravery, human ingenuity, collaboration, and exceptional craft.

From Orlando Wood’s compelling call to bring back “showmanship” in advertising, to Amy Kean’s passionate defence of human creativity in the age of AI, to vital conversations on accessibility, in-house transformation, creator rights and the changing economics of production – this year’s event reflected an industry asking smarter questions about what comes next.

This report captures those conversations.

It offers a snapshot of the calibre of ideas, expertise and debate the APA convenes not only at The Future of Advertising, but across our events and programmes throughout the year – reflecting our wider role in championing world-class production, supporting the people and companies behind it, and creating opportunities for our industry to learn, connect and move forward together.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to all of our speakers for their time, generosity and invaluable contribution in helping make this year’s event such a thought-provoking and inspiring day.

If you joined us this year, we hope this report helps continue the conversation.

If you didn’t – read the report. Be part of it next time.