SELLING TO A 'DYSTOPTIMISTIC' GENERATION: VML'S THE FUTURE 100: 2026 LAYS OUT A NEW BRIEF FOR BRANDS
VML / WPP (WPP) released The Future 100: 2026, a global trend report introducing the concept of dystoptimism and 100 trends shaping business and culture in 2026.
Rhea-AI Summary
VML / WPP (WPP) released The Future 100: 2026, a global trend report introducing the concept of dystoptimism and 100 trends shaping business and culture in 2026.
The report draws on a SONAR™ survey of 15,639 adults across 16 markets (Sept 24–Nov 3, 2025) and expert input to highlight AI collaboration, immersive wellness, human connection, and blended digital–physical behaviours.
Positive
- None.
Negative
- None.
Details
News Market Reaction – WPP
On Jan 28, the day this news came out, WPP closed 0.24% below the previous close.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the Jan 28 session.
Key Figures
- Identified trends
- 100 trends
- Number of trends in The Future 100: 2026 report
- Survey markets
- 16 markets
- Global survey coverage for The Future 100: 2026
- Awe-seeking respondents
- 86%
- Share drawn to experiences that inspire awe or a renewed worldview
- Gen Z AI relationships
- 49%
- Gen Z respondents reporting a meaningful relationship with AI
- Survey respondents
- 15,639 adults
- Sample size fielded for The Future 100: 2026
- Participants per market
- ∼1,000 participants
- Approximate respondents in each of the 16 markets
- Expert contributors
- more than 60 experts
- Global experts providing insights for the report
- Price vs 52-week high
- -56.8%
- Distance of current price from 52-week high before this news
Historical Context
-
Burson quantified a $7.07T global reputation economy and related value uplift.
-
Ad Council and Opportunity@Work launched skills-first hiring PSAs; Ogilvy involved.
-
Leidos and VML debuted Imperium, an AI-powered platform for information operations.
-
VML named Network of the Year at Jay Chiat Awards with multiple Grand Prix wins.
-
Future Shopper 2025 report highlighted CX gaps and AI’s growing role in shopping.
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Key Terms
synthetic generation technical
coded empathy technical
social health technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
The Future 100: 2026 report is based on a global survey across 16 markets and identifies 100 trends shaping global business and culture in the year ahead. It reveals that people are not merely coping with disruption, they are embracing it as a catalyst for fundamental changes in how they live, spend and connect.
"Dystoptimism highlights that as old systems crumble, individuals, communities, and innovators are building new, human-centered solutions. It's about designing for a better future, not just wishing for the past," said Emma Chiu and Marie
KEY THEMES FROM THE FUTURE 100: 2026
1. Looking for Enlightenment and Joy in Adversity
Exhausted by cycles of negativity, people are seeking experiences that elevate their spirits, enlighten, and shift perspectives.
- Transformative experiences and Immersive wellness reflect the rise of retreats and environments built for deep personal journeys.
- Resilience wellness reframes resilience as a learnable practice, blending emotional, physical and spiritual tools to help people adapt to turbulent times.
- Nano trips illustrate how short and high-impact getaways are being used as cost effective punctuation marks to find perspective or try on new identities.
- Treatonomics highlight the rise in small indulgences, where regular pleasures become a survival strategy even as they cut back elsewhere.
2. AI's Growth from Tool to Collaborator
AI is a major force, both disruptive and enabling. Growing comfort with AI is reshaping how people are using it to reshape their realities while fiercely protecting what makes us human:
- Generative realities and AI storyworlds trends show how AI enables the generation of adaptive worlds in real time, pointing to a future where entertainment, commerce and customer experiences are co–created with algorithms.
- Synthetic generation and RelAItionships evolved explore AI's increasingly intimate role in people's lives. From emotional companions to automated "employees", we're negotiating what it means to live and work alongside nonhuman counterparts. Almost half (
49% ) of gen Z say they have already formed a meaningful relationship with AI. - Trends such as Truth literacy, Omnisurveillance, Digital intent and Coded empathy show how governments, platforms, designers and brands are being pushed to rebuild trust and make AI more transparent and accountable, even as it's embraced as a creative and practical ally.
3. Human Connection Reigns Supreme
Even as digital and physical realities blend, the report finds that true human connection remains vital.
- In Hyperreality, online and offline culture fully intertwine—memes become physical products, digital language becomes everyday speech, and luxury brands turn viral jokes into real–world objects. Yet across the report, people say they still prefer human contact when they're making decisions that matter.
- Trends such as Social health and New rave scene highlight a surge in community driven spaces—from social wellness clubs and sober raves to neighborhood "third places" that prioritize belonging over transactions.
"The brands poised for leadership in 2026 are those that can operate confidently in blended realities and navigate these myriad shifts in consumer behavior. We must design for both the ambitious and anxious sides of consumers," said Naomi Troni, Global Chief Marketing Officer at VML.
Across its 100 trends, The Future 100: 2026 offers marketers, innovators and leaders a clear brief for the year ahead. For more insight on what this means for brands and marketers, read the full report.
The Future 100: 2026—including all 100 trends —is available for download at:
www.vml.com/insight/the-future-100-2026
Methodology
All findings in VML's 2026 edition of "The Future 100" report were collected by SONAR™, VML's research practice, from September to November 2025. The study was fielded September 24–November 3, 2025, surveying 15,639 adults across 16 markets (∼1,000 participants per market). The markets covered in this research include
About The Future 100
The Future 100 is VML's annual forecast presents a snapshot of the year ahead and identifies the most compelling trends to keep on the radar. The report charts 100 trends across 10 sectors, spanning culture, technology, travel and hospitality, brands and marketing, food and drink, beauty, retail, luxury, health, and innovation.
About VML
VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML's specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world's largest and most awarded health agencies. VML's global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in
VML is a WPP agency (NYSE: WPP). For more information, please visit www.vml.com, and follow along on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/selling-to-a-dystoptimistic-generation-vmls-the-future-100-2026-lays-out-a-new-brief-for-brands-302672619.html
SOURCE VML
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.