As part of our whitepaper ‘The vision of 27 marketers and content creators for 2026’, we asked Creative Performance Strategist Danique Bras for her vision for 2026 and two practical tips she would give to readers. You can read her response below.
Who is Danique Bras?
Danique is a Creative Performance Strategist and founder of Adspells, the number one membership for marketers and entrepreneurs who want to grow through social advertising. She brings together a rare combination in a world where most advertisers are either highly creative or purely technical, and it is exactly that fusion that sets her apart. Over the past years, Danique has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and companies, from start-ups to multi-million-euro brands.
The advertising landscape is evolving faster than ever. While 2024 and 2025 revolved around discovering AI tools, 2026 will be the year where creativity, speed, and strategic simplicity decide who grows. It is no longer about endlessly optimizing, but about working from scalable principles. The brands that understand this will win.
Where you used to get away with 3–5 ads per ad set, that simply won’t cut it in 2026. Volume is the engine behind scaling. Think 20–50 variations per concept: small changes in format, intro, angle, creator, background or pacing. Not to make “more,” but to learn faster and give the system a full view on your product. The more opportunities you give Meta to test, the quicker you find winning creatives and the easier you can scale.
Since everyone can create content easily, generic ads stand out less than ever. The brands that win lean into personality: creator-led storytelling, imperfect videos, strong opinions, humor and relatability. We don’t buy from brands; we buy from people. In 2026, character becomes a KPI.
Many advertisers still try to outsmart Meta. But the algorithm is way smarter and faster than you’ll ever be. The more you let go, the better the system performs for you. Base your decisions on the actual data in your account, not on assumptions. Create strong creatives, give Meta enough volume to test, allow the learning phase to do its work, and trust the system. Less micromanaging equals better results.
Consumers want to understand why a product exists, how it’s made, and who is behind it. Brands that use transparency as a foundation instead of a campaign angle build stronger community, stronger trust and stronger conversions.
Partnership ads will be a major growth accelerator in 2026. Collaborate with creators and accounts that already reach your ideal audience and run ads from their profile. You combine their credibility with your product, and you generate volume without creating everything yourself. Credibility multiplied by volume equals scalability.
The brands that win in 2026 are the ones that combine creativity, volume and trust.
The biggest mistake brands will still make in 2026 is trying to create ads. Beautiful design, perfect shoot days, glossy visuals… while consumers are no longer interested in polished advertising. People want to feel that a real person is behind the brand. They want a story, a face, a reason to keep watching. And most important: we hate ads, so as soon as it feels like an ad, we’ll skip.
That’s why it works better to sell person-to-person first: lo-fi, imperfect, quick and dirty. Talk to your audience the way you would on WhatsApp. Show what you’re building, why your product exists, what it solves. Once that message resonates, then you can make it polished. Creativity beats production. Storytelling beats aesthetics. And connection sells more than any “perfect” ad ever will.
In e-commerce, things often go wrong at the same point: people click from an ad straight onto a product page. But someone who has just shown interest is not ready to have a product pushed into their face. They need context first.
A product page is built to convert, not to convince. A landing page does that: it welcomes visitors, tells the story behind the product, shows proof, benefits, creators, reviews and creates a logical path to purchase.
By creating a softer entry point — a “bridge page” — conversion rates often increase by 20–40%. You match the intent of the ad with the experience on the page. That is where the real profit lies.
Many brands rely on one creator, one style or one format to carry the entire story. But not everyone buys for the same reason or connects with the same visual style. Vary your approach: use different creators, different formats and different storytelling angles. This gives every audience segment a moment where the product clicks for them.
Would you like to discover the other 26 marketers’ and content creators’ visions for 2026? Download the whitepaper here.
