Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve probably seen Punch, the adorable baby macaque that was abandoned by its mother in a Japanese Zoo and now carries around an orangutan plush from IKEA for comfort. We’ve felt sadness, relief, hope, and all the other feelings. Punch highlights the power of empathy, which is exactly what we’re digging into today!

We seem to be moving away from a focus on algorithms and data, and back towards human connection. We’re not saying throw data out the window, but you should use it as a tool rather than the ONLY focus of your strategy.

We are becoming more and more connected as time passes, and yet, deeper meaningful connections can feel harder than ever.

This year, we’re moving away from blanket "broadcasting" and moving even more towards fostering deep-dive conversations to strengthen connections and communities. In 2026, there’s an opportunity to connect and engage on a deeper and more personal level, such as through Slack groups and Discord servers.

What does that mean for you and your marketing?

There will always be another new social media platform, a shiny new tool, new trends… The reality is, none of those things matter if you don’t take the time to understand and adapt to your customer and their needs.

What you did yesterday may not work today.

So, how do you keep up? It’s not about jumping on every new trend. It's about building a marketing strategy that is flexible and fundamentally tailored to your customers. This is the key to creating not just successful campaigns, but lasting customer relationships.

Here’s a look at how to tailor your marketing to meet the your customers where they are at today.