Marketers Most Wanted: May 2026
April's data on the StudioSpace platform reveals a marketing landscape moving decisively from planning into activation. Creative Campaign holds its lead, but the headline movement is Social Media's surge into joint first place, signalling a sharp pivot toward always-on engagement and platform-native content.
Social Media's breakout moment
The most significant change this month is Social Media climbing from the lower half of the top 10 into joint first place. The jump points to brands prioritising community growth, paid social performance and culturally relevant content. As organic reach fragments across platforms, marketers appear to be doubling down on the channels where attention actually lives.
Creative remains the anchor
Creative Campaign holds onto the top position despite a slight softening month-on-month. Big creative ideas remain critical, but the data suggests marketers are now pairing them with the channels and executional specialists needed to bring concepts to life. Combined with strong demand for Marketing Campaign Execution and Video Production, the picture is one of creative ambition matched with practical delivery.
Execution gains momentum
Marketing Campaign Execution has moved up significantly. Together with the rise in Social Media and continued strength of Video Production, the data points to a shift away from planning and toward asset creation, distribution and live activation. Brands are deploying campaigns rather than just designing them.
Strategy stabilises
Research & Insight and Product & Proposition remain in the top tier but have softened slightly. Customer & Market Strategy saw a more pronounced drop. The likely read is that foundational strategy work completed earlier in the year is now transitioning into applied marketing programmes, with less appetite for fresh strategy briefs this cycle.
New entrants reflect channel-specific demand
Three categories appearing in the top 10 this month signal where activation is heading. Video Production enters strongly, supporting the social and digital campaign push. Marketing Planning indicates structured campaign roadmapping remains important even as execution accelerates. UX / UI Design replaces Experience Strategy & Design, marking a shift from broad experience thinking toward practical interface and product optimisation work.
Categories losing ground
Brand Design and Digital Marketing Campaigns (Integrated) have both fallen out of the top 10. The signal is that brands are prioritising channel-specific or executional support over broader integrated programme design and brand systems work this cycle. As activation intensifies, the appetite for foundational brand work appears to be cooling.
Overall direction
April reflects a market shifting from strategic groundwork toward activation and implementation. Creative leadership remains essential, but marketers are investing more heavily in the channels and capabilities that bring campaigns to life, particularly social, content and video. Expect this pattern to deepen as Q2 progresses and brands push from briefing into delivery.
