Marketing Procurement

New insights for Marketing Procurement in 2026

New technologies are rapidly changing consumer behaviour. Artificial Intelligence is transforming the ways that the public receive marketing messaging and how they can respond to it.

There is a significant trend towards the shortening of the purchase process, with AI quickly turning intent into transaction and ‘agentic’ (i.e. automated) commerce making the buying process faster and more individualised.

‘Zero click’ shopping is shifting the focus of marketing towards personalised experiences that use AI to build up a profile of preferences. Demand can be generated and measured in real time, with machine learning driving optimisation.

There is barely an area of marketing that is untouched by this trend, and the marketing services industry is having to transform itself. The established orthodoxy of purchase funnels and definitions of ‘brand’ and ‘performance’ are increasingly outmoded.

The generation of content and its distribution is being automated by AI and channel silos are being eliminated. Marketing is now generally multi-modal, with media and transaction closely connected.

Advertising now sits within a web of marketing disciplines, and interacts with price, promotion, distribution and consumer reaction more than ever.

Content and channel are being converged and integrated, the range of resources needed by marketers is changing and the ratio of in-house versus external provision is also on the move.

A new eco-system of needs has emerged, covering creative, content, media, social, PR, influencer, production and technology across multiple channels, platforms and markets.

Against this backdrop, the discipline of Marketing Procurement is also being transformed, with a new emphasis on the right solutions, not just the right value or pricing.

The legacy agency market is being hugely disrupted, with established entities struggling to adapt and new ones emerging to fulfil new marketer needs.

The traditional agency business models are being replaced by new charging structures that accommodate business uplift metrics and time-based pricing is in decline.

The media markets are also changing dramatically, with Social, Retail Media and Connected/Streaming TV in the ascendancy. The legacy media channels are racing to compete as audiences and revenue flow into the newer channels.

Many of the legal, financial, contractual and governance frameworks needed to manage and control this new environment are being manufactured in real time, with little set precedent.

This new marketing landscape and its implications for Marketing Procurement will be examined in depth at the Marketing Procurement IQ Conference on March 24th and 25th in London.

A range of experts will analyse the new marketing environment and its implications for Marketing Procurement. It will look at how existing thinking will change and explore new techniques that deliver effectiveness, efficiency and sustainable value.

The conference will take a full view of the new face of Creative, Content, PR, Creator/Influencer, Media, Production, Operations, Marketing Eco-system design, Agency remuneration and the emerging technologies that are influencing organisational and operational change.

Attendees will gain new insights into how experts in these disciplines are innovating in the face of change and adapting traditional techniques to provide fresh solutions.

These are heady times and an opportunity for Marketing Procurement to play an enhanced role as champions of change, helping other stakeholders manage a swiftly changing market.

Where the one constant is change, Marketing Procurement can help provide a roadmap.

The Marketing Procurement IQ Conference will help show the way.

About the authors

Nick Manning is one of the most influential figures in modern marketing and media, bringing a rare combination of strategic clarity, industry foresight and deep operational experience to the evolving world of Marketing Procurement.

As co‑founder of Manning Gottlieb OMD and a former senior leader across global networks, he has spent decades shaping how brands plan, buy and measure media — always championing transparency, accountability and smarter value creation. His work has helped redefine best practice in media governance, agency models and commercial frameworks, giving procurement leaders the insight they need to navigate an increasingly complex ecosystem.

A respected advisor, commentator and industry reformer, Nick continues to be a powerful voice for progressive, evidence‑based marketing — and a trusted guide for organisations seeking to modernise their approach to media and procurement.

Tina Fegent is one of the true pioneers of Marketing Procurement, having shaped the discipline from its earliest days and built many of the UK’s first procurement teams for major brands including Cellnet, SB and Orange. With unmatched category breadth — from Lucozade Sports bottles to Formula One sponsorships — and rare experience on both the client and agency side, she brings a 360‑degree commercial perspective that few in the industry can match.

Since founding her consultancy in 2006, she has advised an impressive roster of leading organisations, working at a strategic level to strengthen capability, elevate stakeholder engagement and embed procurement as a driver of marketing success.

A global speaker, long‑standing CIPS chair, mentor and award‑winning industry figure — and the first procurement professional ever named in Campaign’s A‑List — Tina continues to set the standard for what modern Marketing Procurement leadership looks like.