The year is already in motion, creating space to look back at what helped shape the past year while turning attention to what’s next.
As part of our annual Three Trends series, we asked industry leaders to share the developments they believe will define 2026.
Next, we speak with Rubeena Singh, Managing Director of NP Digital India.
Rubeena looks ahead to what the future holds in the coming year, reflects on a favorite trend from the past year, and shares his favorite campaign of 2025.
Looking Ahead:
What are three trends to look for in the coming year?
1. The Shift from Ranking to Generative Recommendation (GEO):
We have moved beyond the traditional era of the ten blue links. In 2026, the core of performance SEO is now Generative Engine Optimisation. It is no longer enough to just rank first; you have to be the brand that the AI synthesises into its final answer. This requires a fundamental shift in strategy from keyword targeting to information gain. Our focus at NP Digital India has moved toward creating high-authority and structured data that AI models can verify and cite. If the engine cannot find a reason to trust your data over a competitor, you simply do not exist in the new search results.
2. Profitability-Driven Performance Marketing:
In 2026, performance campaigns are increasingly built on real-time profit, margin and inventory data which feed directly into bidding algorithms and budget allocation. This means platforms prioritise audiences, keywords and creatives that deliver higher customer lifetime value and contribution margin even if they generate fewer total conversions. Marketers are shifting from basic conversion optimisation to value-based bidding models that optimise for metrics like ROAS, LTV and incremental revenue.
It is no longer enough to just rank first; you have to be the brand that the AI synthesises into its final answer.
This turns performance marketing into an extension of business intelligence and finance rather than just media buying. In practice, the winners are brands willing to sacrifice cheap volume in favour of fewer and more profitable outcomes. These brands connect their data, attribution and automation to support a quality-first approach.
3. Performance Creative as the New Targeting
As AI automates more of the technical mechanics of media buying, specifically bidding, budgeting and optimisation, creative has emerged as the single most powerful performance lever. In a privacy-first ecosystem where traditional audience targeting is increasingly constrained, the ad itself has become the targeting. Creative is no longer just a brand expression layer; it is the mechanism through which algorithms identify, qualify and scale the right customers.
We are seeing a decisive shift toward high-velocity and data-driven creative testing. Variations in hooks, messaging, formats and visual narratives are no longer incremental tweaks; they are strategic inputs that shape how platforms learn and optimise. The algorithm does not scale audiences anymore; it scales signals. Creativity is now the strongest signal available.
The brands winning in this environment are not those with the most granular targeting frameworks. They are the ones building systematic creative engines that are constantly iterating, learning and feeding performance data back into production. In 2026 and beyond, media buying is increasingly automated. Creative strategy is not. That is where the real competitive advantage lives.
Looking Back:
Your favourite or least favourite trend of 2025?
My least favourite was the era of AI Sludge. In the rush to adopt generative tools, many brands flooded the internet with generic and bland content that added zero value to the reader.
It was noise for the sake of noise. Conversely, my favourite trend was the pivot toward Information Gain. This was when brands finally realised that to bypass AI filters, they had to provide unique and human perspectives that a machine could not simply scrape and rehash
If you could sum up 2025 in one emoji:
📈
It was the year we stopped guessing and started letting the data lead the way again.
One of your favorite campaigns of 2025:
The Swiggy Instamart Quick India Movement featuring Ajay Devgn. From a performance perspective, it was brilliant. It used a massive cultural hook to drive actual app downloads and immediate transaction volume. It proved that a great creative hook is the best way to lower your customer acquisition costs while staying culturally relevant.
What was your 2025 New Year’s Resolution, and did you keep it?
My resolution was to reclaim my deep work hours. In an industry that thrives on real-time data and constant connectivity, it is very easy to spend your entire day responding to calls, handling day-to-day tasks, etc.
I committed to a strict no-screen first hour of the day and dedicated blocks for uninterrupted focus.
I am happy to say I stuck with it.
