The year ahead 2026

The discussion initially started with the usual global vs. local debate, but very quickly shifted towards something broader and, in my opinion, more interesting: the overall sense of balance and the health of the market. What genuinely surprised me was the level of positivity. These panels can easily turn negative or remain neutral at best, as we experienced last year with all the uncertainty surrounding AI. This time, however, the mood was different, lighter, and in line with my own perception, we are looking at something new, full of opportunities, like never seen before. It won’t be easy, but it is exciting.

Local media remains a key word for 2026. Not only because of what it brings to advertisers in terms of relevance and proximity, but also because of the importance of strong local ecosystems at a time when the global landscape feels increasingly unstable and complex. Belgium is actually performing very well when it comes to local media compared to our neighbours, and this is something we should not underestimate. On the contrary, it is something we should be proud of and actively defend.

The question of global media platforms inevitably came back into the discussion, along with what I would call a new (or not so new) element: international hubs. These hubs are essentially groupings of expertise at the headquarters of most companies. Expertise that, as a result, is no longer needed locally. Combined with the fact that online media can be bought from anywhere, for any market, this has deeply disrupted traditional ways of working. I am not even sure whether this should be called a structural change, or something else entirely. What is certain is that it is now a reality of our market.

As agencies, we often express frustration about these hubs. And yet, we also have one ourselves at Mediaplus Belgium. That alone says a lot about how complex the situation is. Should local agencies stay out of the hub business? I do not think so. Hubs exist because advertisers need centralised networks and fast-paced responses, something that purely local buying structures within a global strategy cannot always deliver. 

At the same time, we all share a responsibility to find the right balance. Advertisers, agencies and media vendors are interdependent, even if some tend to forget it. It can start from the client side (new strategies, new priorities) or from the media side (competitive offers, innovation, relevance). Agencies are there to help keep that balance, ensuring performance while still enabling strong local content.

Belgium remains a specific case. Only 20 to 25 percent of investments go to GAFAM here, compared to 40 to 45 percent in many other countries. This alone says a lot about the strength and resilience of our local ecosystem.

Transparency was another key topic, but not in the way it is usually addressed. Not transparency as a one-way exercise where agencies are expected to justify every euro spent, but transparency on results and on how those results are built and interpreted. Media KPIs remain media KPIs. Reach, clicks and visibility are useful indicators, but they only make sense when they are put into perspective and connected to real objectives. This is where there is still room to strengthen the impact of campaigns, especially at a local level, by going further than surface indicators and aligning expectations from the start.

What is often overlooked is that transparency should not flow in only one direction. Agencies are expected to be transparent towards advertisers, but the strongest partnerships are clearly those where information circulates both ways. Strategy, constraints, ambitions, internal learnings… the more openly these elements are shared, the more relevant and effective the work becomes. As agencies, we can only optimise what we truly understand. Balance, once again, comes from dialogue, not from control.

Data was, unsurprisingly, another major topic. Not the question of which data, but what to do with it. Too much data can quickly become overwhelming. Some data lakes are nothing more than big, unstructured messes, making the data almost impossible to exploit properly. On the other hand, too little data is not much more useful. Four people clicked on a link… and then what? If the strategy is clear, data becomes powerful. The right use of data starts with measuring the right things, understanding what it teaches us, and most importantly, using those learnings to act. Ultimately, it all comes back to ROI and other RO parameters. And we should also remain realistic. Expectations around platforms, data and AI are sometimes far ahead of what is possible today.

Bernard Cools then shared his analysis of 2026, starting with ad spend measurement following Nielsen’s decision to leave the Belgian market. NeuroMedia, being a Belgian company, brings back a local decision center and reduces the risks linked to decentralisation. There is still work ahead, but I personally trust this evolution, especially considering the declining quality we experienced in recent years. WARC figures were also discussed, with global ad market growth announced at 9 percent for 2026. It feels high, but time will tell. For Belgium, forecasts initially announced + 4.6% for 2025, while we should end up closer to - 2.6%. This clearly shows that methodologies differ and that Belgian data, built with local stakeholders, has become our most reliable reference (UMA benchmark for example).

One thing is certain. Even if offline media continue to decline, the decrease remains limited in Belgium. Our local offline ecosystem is stronger than in many other markets.

Gino Baeck closed the discussion by highlighting, through data, that Belgium does not capture enough global media investments. Smaller countries sometimes receive higher shares, which raises questions. His hypotheses were multiple, and I tend to believe they are all valid. Strong local media requiring lower investments, international hubs diverting budgets away from our market, or simply budget allocations that do not reflect local realities. For agencies, the priority is clear. We need to better address and defend the strength of the Belgian market. To our advertisers, to global entities, and sometimes even to ourselves.

If you ask me, the keyword for 2026 will be : Balance.