Dentsu says "2026 rewards marketers who meet people in the moments that matter"—but who defines those moments when algorithms control distribution?

A CES panel revealed algorithms define them, platforms monetize them (NBCU's scene-level targeting with 27% engagement lift, Adobe compressing production to hours), and only institutional creators like Dude Perfect/MrBeast with advertiser infrastructure participate—95.6% of YouTube's 67M creators are shut out.

The question for 2026 isn't whether storytelling matters—it's whether creators can operate like advertisers (performance metrics, targeting, direct deals) to survive algorithmic marginalization, because the rest will drown in the flood.