Marketers Most Wanted: October 2026
September was the month creative and production work pulled ahead on StudioSpace. Creative Campaign extended its lead, Video Production jumped to second and Production Management climbed to joint third. Three digital categories dropped out of the top 10 to make room for planning, execution and design.
Creative Campaign extends its lead
Creative Campaign stayed in first place and its share of capabilities rose from 10.6% to 14.3%. Its lead over second place has grown from 2.6 points to 3.6 points. Video Production is the only other category in double figures at 10.7% and between them the top two account for 25.0% of capabilities requested.
One plausible explanation is timing: brands commissioning campaign work ahead of the end-of-year trading period. That is an interpretation rather than something the figures prove. October's numbers will show whether it holds.
Biggest climbers: video and production
Video Production rose from 7.1% to 10.7% and moved up to second place. Production Management went from 4.4% to 7.1%, which lifts it from the foot of last month's top 10 to joint third. Customer & Market Strategy also edged up from 6.2% to 7.1% and shares third place with it. Product & Proposition gained a point to 5.4%, which puts it in joint sixth.
Three of the top four places now belong to categories about making things: Creative Campaign, Video Production and Production Management.
New entries: planning, execution and design
Three categories joined the top 10. Marketing Planning arrives in fifth place at 6.3%, back after a month away. Marketing Campaign Execution returns in joint sixth at 5.4% after two months outside the table. UX / UI Design enters in joint eighth at 4.5%.
Planning and execution arriving together may point to capabilities being requested at both ends of the campaign cycle, from deciding what to do through to getting it out of the door.
What dropped out
Three categories left the top 10. Digital PR & Content Marketing was second last month at 8.0%. Digital Marketing Campaigns (Integrated) was third at 7.1% and Digital Paid Media sat at 4.4%. All three are digital categories.
That does not necessarily mean demand for them has gone. Work may now be requested under broader creative or campaign headings and a handful of capabilities either way is enough to move a category out of the top 10.
Research & Insight stays in the table but slips from 4.4% to 3.6% and into tenth, the only category that kept its place in the top 10 while losing share.
What it means for marketers
Read September as a shift in emphasis rather than a reset. The top of the table leans towards making things while the exits are all digital categories. If you are commissioning creative or production work before the year ends, it is sensible to brief early.
These shares come from a modest sample of capabilities requested, so a handful of capabilities can move a category a place or two. Treat one month as a signal rather than a trend.
Looking for a specialist agency in any of these categories? Browse the StudioSpace marketplace to find vetted independent agencies.
