If you’ve been on the internet this week, you’ve probably seen one recurring theme: Staples. More specifically, Staples’ response to an employee now known as the “Staples Baddie.” For the last decade, brands, and plenty of DMOs, have treated “brand voice” like the engine of the machine. Nail the tone. Polish the copy. Standardize the look. That worked. Until [...]

AI, data, and personalization aren’t the strategy — they’re the infrastructure supporting it.

Many DMOs operate with continuous awareness, yet lack a fully connected inspiration-to-booking funnel. In an AI-driven world, showing up early isn’t enough.

As AI becomes infrastructure, the brands that stand out won’t be the ones producing the most content, but the ones using AI to amplify humanity, clarity, and trust.

As AI answers questions without sending users to websites, traffic alone no longer reflects impact. Yet websites still matter as the fuel for AI discovery. In 2026, DMOs must rethink what success looks like — and how they measure it.

This year, content strategy has to do more than perform in feeds. AI-driven discovery favors modular, plain-language blogs and video ecosystems that can be repurposed across platforms. The future isn’t short or long form. It’s intentional content systems.