Jamaica’s Nichole Brackett to contribute to upcoming American Marketing Association Future Trends Report

As businesses and industries globally continue to navigate rapid technological disruption, evolving customer expectations, artificial intelligence, and changing consumer behaviour, greater focus is being placed on understanding the future direction of marketing and business transformation and what it will mean for organisations, economies, and industries worldwide.

The American Marketing Association (AMA), one of the world’s leading professional marketing organisations, is currently convening its 2026 Foresight Panel to contribute to its upcoming Future Trends in Marketing Report, a major global report examining the trends, disruptions, and strategic shifts expected to shape the future of marketing, customer engagement, innovation, digital transformation, and business growth over the next several years.

The report is expected to provide important insights not only for marketers, but also for businesses, policymakers, entrepreneurs, tourism stakeholders, communications professionals, educators, and leaders across multiple sectors seeking to better understand how changing consumer expectations, AI, technology, trust, and digital transformation are redefining how organisations compete and grow.

Industry experts believe that reports of this nature are becoming increasingly valuable as organisations attempt to navigate one of the most significant periods of change in modern business history.

Across industries, businesses are already seeing major shifts in:

• Consumer discovery and purchasing behavior
• AI-driven customer engagement
• Digital transformation
• Customer experience expectations
• Workforce evolution
• Trust and brand perception
• Social and creator-led commerce
• Data and personalisation

These changes are expected to significantly influence how organisations market, communicate, engage customers, and position themselves competitively over the next three to five years.

For Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, access to this type of forward-looking insight could help organisations better prepare for future shifts, strengthen competitiveness, improve customer experience strategies, and identify new opportunities for innovation and growth.

As local organisations continue adapting to increasingly global and digital marketplaces, experts suggest there is growing importance in understanding international marketing trends while also identifying how those trends apply within the Caribbean context.

The report’s findings are also expected to provide valuable perspectives for sectors such as tourism, retail, financial services, mobility, telecommunications, hospitality, education, and entrepreneurship, all of which continue to experience significant changes in customer expectations and digital engagement.

Importantly, Jamaica will also have representation within these global discussions.

Jamaican senior marketing executive and strategic business leader Nichole Brackett Walters has been named to the AMA’s 2026 Foresight Panel and will contribute a Jamaican and Caribbean perspective to the report’s deliberations alongside global industry leaders, strategists, and innovators.

Brackett Walters noted that ensuring regional representation in these conversations is important as Caribbean organisations continue to navigate transformation and seek opportunities for greater global competitiveness.

“As businesses across Jamaica and the Caribbean adapt to rapid change, access to global insights and future-focused thinking becomes increasingly valuable,” she said. “There is tremendous opportunity for organisations in our region to leverage innovation, technology, customer experience, and strategic brand development to strengthen competitiveness and position ourselves more prominently on the global stage.”

She added that the future of marketing extends far beyond advertising and communications.

“Marketing today sits at the intersection of business strategy, customer experience, technology, trust, culture, and innovation,” she noted. “Organizations that are willing to evolve, remain customer-focused, and adapt to changing consumer behaviour will be better positioned to thrive in the years ahead.”

The AMA’s 2026 Future Trends in Marketing Report is being developed through a collaborative foresight process designed to investigate emerging shifts, anticipate change, and explore transformational futures for the marketing profession and broader business environment.

---

Nichole Brackett Walters is a Jamaican strategic business, marketing, and communications executive with extensive experience leading brand growth, stakeholder engagement, corporate communications, customer experience, and transformational initiatives across multiple sectors.

The American Marketing Association is one of the largest and most respected marketing associations in the world, committed to advancing the marketing profession through research, education, thought leadership, and professional development.