Authored By Akanksha Jain, AVP- Public Relations and Communications, Swiggy
In the last decade or so, the key focus for a large number of Communications Heads across industries has been around visibility- that front page story in the financial daily, visibility on social media, that reach via influencers and creating buzz that lasts more than a single day. But as we enter 2026, the focus will shift to engineering trust.2026 will unfold an era where attention will no longer be the most important requirement for a brand- it will be trust. As AI takes centrestage, brands will focus a lot more on building trust that lasts and invest a lot more on human storytelling- that stands out!Here are some key trends that are expected to play a vital role in the Communications industry in 2026:The rise of AI-aware Communication TeamsIn 2026, we will see companies depending a lot more on AI for real-time monitoring, social listening, base level research, market intelligence as well as discovery. Communication leaders will need to encourage their teams to be well-versed with AI and start leveraging the same to automate the mundane tasks, so they can utilize their time for more strategic work. In addition to this, the focus will shift to not only leveraging AI tools to keep track of social and digital conversations 24x7, but also understanding of what AI systems have to say about your brand. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) will become importantWith the focus on engineering trust, 2026 will see the rise of GEO. As AI platforms become increasingly synonymous with search, Communicators will need to upskill themselves to optimize so that their brand is being correctly represented in the AI summaries. With AI becoming more mainstream, Communication leaders will invest a lot more in understanding how the AI systems describe their brand and redefining their reputation playbook accordingly. Take the example of a consumer internet brand- a prospective consumer can simply ask AI- Is the app reliable and has good customer service? or Can this brand be trusted? The response that AI gives can decide if he ever becomes a customer of the brand or not, and all the positive news reportage by top-tier media may have zero impact if they don’t feature in the response shared by the AI platform or the sentiment in the response is negative.The focus on being consistently out there across platforms that AI relies on will be a plus. What will work well in the GRO era will be to focus on building and maintaining consistent ‘source of truth’ pages and more durable assets.Owned media is here to stayA large number of consumer brands have already understood the important role of AI in discovery and are investing heavily on owned media including blogs, partner explainers, videos and podcasts that are easy to refer to. These aren’t campaigns—they’re reputation infrastructure.In 2026, Brands with Communications strategy that still emphasises a lot on coverage without fixing the discoverability aspect will find themselves invisible in the places that matter the most in today’s times. This, in turn, can impact their credibility and overall business. Hence, it is important for brands to have a well thought-through strategy for Owned media, irrespective of the industry that they operate in. Leveraging various forms of media and building leaders are well recognized voices for the industry will be vital in building the overall brand credibility.Authentic storytelling will dominate engagement In the era of huge volumes of AI-generated content as well as disinformation and misinformation, it is authentic storytelling that will be the big differentiator for brands. Today, consumers value brands that share real stories - which are relatable and may not be perfect. In 2026, we will see an increased focus on authentic storytelling - not only via a brand’s owned media channels, but also in short-form video content like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. As AI makes it easier to generate content, the digital feeds across platforms are being filled with increasingly similar content-one that lacks character, emotional connect or misses out on cultural nuances. Communicators have the opportunity to focus their energies on the human side of storytelling that cannot be done by AI- one that connects at an emotional level and is deep rooted in culture. In 2026, Communicators who are relying on the traditional ways of building reputation, will need to shift their strategy- from not only relaying an important announcement or a success story, but also highlighting human stories across customer cohorts- showing the struggles, the failures and the wins. They will need to amplify authentic and credible voices, and craft stories that connect at a personal level. New-age media and influencersAs consumers continue to invest more time on digital channels, Communication leaders will have to rejig the outreach strategy and focus a lot more on the new-age media as well as influencers. The future will see influencers playing a key role in further amplifying a narrative for a brand. However, it won't be about ‘how many’ but good quality, strategically partnered content. Communicators will need to invest in building authentic relationships with a select set of influencers so as to drive credible storytelling in the digital space.Looking ahead2026 will be a resurgence of the Communication leaders as strategic advisors for the Management team- who are not equipped to manage a crisis but are also equipped to turn it into an opportunity to further build trust and public engagement. Brands that will shine will be the ones that treat AI as a reputation enabler and not just a tool to redraft content. Also, storytelling will become even more important as brands fight to get the attention of the consumers in the era of information overload. Additionally, owned media will be a key lever to drive and amplify the right narrative. DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and theprpost.com does not necessarily subscribe to it.
