Above: Lou Harness (producer/director) and Cam Williams (cinematographer) film immigrants in Auckland City Council’s tech department. Photo credit: Brian Lowe.
Director Lou Harness says, “In 2026, standout brands will no longer rely on flashy AI or trendy visuals. They will read the room, revamp their strategies, and use storytelling to reach and connect with their audiences.”
Video is everywhere. Every marketer understands the power of connecting and engaging with customers. AI tools help teams generate and iterate on content ideas and support production flow during editing. Still most Brand videos are increasingly forgotten.
We see two different creative responses emerge. Some brands are leaning hard into AI surrealism, visuals that feel confusing and intentionally impossible. It’s a deliberate play on luxurious, abandoned chaos, but it’s also AI slop Taken too far, digital surrealism can blur into something lacking rigor and meaning.
Others go in the opposite direction, embracing distinctly “man-made” analog aesthetics, such as old-school graphics, nostalgic overlays, texture imperfections, and intentional misframes. This approach deliberately rejects studio polish and returns to videos that evidence a sense of production, including rough edges.
These trends are emerging from consumer and entertainment video, but they also signal a shift in audience expectations that corporate brands should pay attention to. There is growing disillusionment with digital overload, and audiences are questioning their reliance on or away from digital. Analogue is becoming a haven for many conscious consumers, and viewers and creators alike are tired of algorithmic sameness.
Regardless of the aesthetic or style choice, the key drivers of a successful video at any scale are carefully considered and the story is crafted. Yes, story. of Brands that will attract attention in 2026?They will resist the urge to chase engagement metrics at all costs and start building the stories that matter.?
Ditch the content treadmill. Build your editorial strategy
An outdated list of chores like posting three random, unrelated articles on social to feed your weekly content goals. Ditch the “3 reels a week” mentality and focus on quality, not quantity. Develop an editorial mindset, an intentional approach to brand storytelling that prioritizes planning and consistency over volume.
Please review the basics again. What do you mean? Who are you talking to? What is the best way to connect with them?
Take time to reimagine your brand story and develop a creative strategy. Think of your content as a campaign, not a feed. It might look like a combination of a high production value branded video and a gritty BTS reel from the day of filming. Or a polished event video supplemented with vertical handheld clips that profile key contributors in a fun and irreverent way. Think of these as beats for an entire narrative arc, rather than individual content drops designed to feed the machine.
Invest in human technology, not just “content”
Stand out in a social media landscape full of synthetic content by investing in original, premium video. Production values and storytelling techniques are important at any scale, and the production is planned, written, shot, and edited by experts who champion the story.
Premium videos are made on purpose. It doesn’t just give information, it creates a real emotional connection. Human traces of taste, experience, imperfection, and cultural nuance are irreplaceable and increasingly valuable. This is what comes when skilled writers, directors, and editors work with clear direction and space to create.
Invest time in your creative brief. It is a place of thought, exists for alignment, and is a memo of creative understanding. Through scripting, production planning, cinematography, and editing, your work is brought to life by trusted creative professionals who inherently understand the story.
Choose your aesthetic with purpose
The visual language you choose is important, but it should serve your brand story, not the other way around.
While vertical video is still used natively on many platforms, there is also a deliberate move back to widescreen aspect ratios for a more complete and immersive viewing experience. Born and raised on TikTok, Dreamcore continues the trend with a nostalgic ’90s vibe and artisanal touches like illustrated animations with handcrafted textures. Lottery’s 2025 “Powerball Imagine” Story and 2025 Australian Open ‘Hits Different’ are both great examples.
Engaging your audience with authenticity IRL (real world) video is storytelling video that celebrates first-hand experience and documents connection, culture, and community. Similarly, BTS (Behind the Scenes) reveals the people, processes, and strategic decisions behind the production process, building transparency and trust.
people who stand out
Another notable trend is the application of expert story craft (especially editing and sound design) to simple footage to make the everyday seem special and relatable. While we were playing tennis – Berkeley’s Wimbledon berth ” is a perfect example of a modest visual elevated through sound design and editing decisions regarding rhythm, pacing, and emotional building.
Whether we embrace the intentional chaos of AI surrealism or embrace the textural imperfections of analog and human-made aesthetics, it’s a stylistic decision in the service of something greater. The brands that will stand out in 2026 won’t be the ones with the grandest, most realistic, or outlandish AI spectacles, or the most trending visuals. They will be the brands that read the room and craft updated strategies and overarching stories to craft targeted brand stories that captivate, connect, and engage their audiences.
