Remember the days when we threw a keyword into a search engine and then spent an hour sifting through links? This era, which Martin Moncoľ from Press Play aptly calls the era of the “Librarian,” is definitively ending. The era of the “Answerer” is arriving.
Today, industrial buyers and everyday consumers don’t want a list of websites. They want a solution. Now. The statistics are relentless. More than 50% of searches today end as “Zero-click.” This means the user gets the answer directly on the search engine page and never visits your site. With AI Overviews, this figure is even more daunting: up to 92% of interactions end without a click-through.
What does this mean for you? That your website is no longer the final destination where you lure people with pretty banners. Your website must become a trusted node in the global knowledge network. It must be built so that machines can read it and gladly cite it as an authority.
“Marketing in 2026 is not about chasing clicks, but about building a digital reputation. If AI doesn’t mention you in its answer, you simply cease to exist for the market,“ says Martin Moncoľ, CEO of Press Play.
AI in creative: Your new assistant, not your successor
When people talk about artificial intelligence in graphics or video, many creatives feel a sense of unease. Will Midjourney replace us? Will ChatGPT write all scripts better than we can? However, Matúš Mikuláši, art director at Press Play, reassures us: AI will (not) replace the creative.
Why the “not” in parentheses? Because while AI can generate an image in three seconds, it lacks taste, context, and emotion. AI doesn’t know your customer is having a bad day or that a specific joke is currently resonating in your region. Only you know that.
We should view AI as a “sparring partner.” It’s a tool that allows us to test ideas at lightning speed. Instead of spending two days on sketches, we can have ten concepts in an hour, from which we humans choose the one with a soul.
However, a fundamental change is occurring in how we deliver advertising. Have you noticed that settings in Business Manager are becoming increasingly sparse? It’s because today, “creative = targeting.”
You no longer need to laboriously click through interests. If you create a high-quality video about cycling, Meta’s algorithms will “read” it themselves and show it to people who cycle. The content you create will find its own audience. This is a huge freedom, but also a huge demand for quality.
“AI has no taste. Strategic direction and emotion remain a human domain. AI is just an amplifier of your vision, not its author,” says Matúš Mikuláši.
Generation Z and Alpha: Detectors for “fake”
While we deal with algorithms, Generations Z and Alpha are entering the workforce and gaining purchasing power. And they have one thing in common: a perfect nose for marketing lies.
These young people grew up with a phone in their hand and have seen thousands of ads. They are pragmatic (since 56% of them live paycheck to paycheck), but at the same time, they are looking for deeper meaning. More than 64% of them prioritize sustainability and meaningful work over pure profit.
For them, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is no longer just a mandatory exercise in an annual report. It’s a filter through which they view the world. If your company claims to be “green” but your employees show something else on social media, Gen Z will expose you immediately.
Authenticity as the new currency
So how do you reach these “digital nomads”? The answer is EGC – Employee Generated Content (content created by employees).
It turns out that a video shot on a mobile phone directly on the production floor, where your technician enthusiastically explains how they fixed a complex machine, has 300% higher credibility than a polished corporate ad from an agency. People trust people, not logos.
Employer branding (HR Branding) in 2026 is no longer about fruit days and foosball. It’s about:
Mental health: Well-being is a key factor for young people.
Flexibility: The hybrid model is not a benefit, but a standard.
Inclusion and diversity: But real, not just on paper.
How to start? Play the reputation game
It might sound complicated, but in reality, it’s about returning to honesty, which we will only strengthen with modern tools. Here is your short manual on how not to fall behind:
- Perform a “machine readability” audit: Can Google and AI models clearly read from your website what you are experts in? Is your data factual and structured?
- Don’t be afraid of AI tools: Try tools like ChatGPT for summarizing ideas, ElevenLabs for creating voiceovers, or FAL.AI for generating visuals. Play with them until they become a natural part of your workflow.
- Give employees a voice: Support your people in sharing their know-how on LinkedIn. Their faces are your best business card.
- Be transparent in ESG: Communicate real results, not just promises. Even a small, sincere step toward sustainability counts more than an expensive but empty campaign.
Let’s be technical, but stay human
Marketing and business in 2026 will be about paradoxes. We will use the most modern algorithms to deliver something as old-fashioned and simple as human trust.
The world is changing from a place where we searched for information to a place where we receive answers. Let’s work together to ensure those answers are high-quality, ethical, and useful. Because ultimately, behind even the best AI model and the most complex industrial purchasing process, there is always a human.
And that person wants to feel that you understand them.
TEXT: Natália Stašíková
PHOTO: INOVATO, Press Play Media Makers
