Future Gazing: 2026 with Judith Middleton, CEO of DUO Marketing + Communications
COLLECTIVIST: What will the best marketing and PR managers do differently to last year?
JUDITH MIDDLETON: My prediction and, where I would invest my time and energy, is in training to be digital.
I think the metrics for PR – from most CMOs, most CEOs, and most investors in the tech space – are focused on hard return on investment. They’re looking for quantifiable, measurable, comparable data. I think our greatest mission is to train traditional PR people into digital PR people to match that demand.
COLLECTIVIST: Do you have one big, bold prediction for this year about the industry or your agency?
JUDITH: I think we’ll soon see ourselves as data analysts, and reporting will become our biggest differentiator in terms of impact and effectiveness.
The leading agencies will predict and forecast, make decisions based on data, and advise strategically using data. That excites me because I think the days of publishing articles and hoping for return on investment are long gone.
Big budgets are coming to agencies that can quantifiably measure, report, track, and provide comparative data month by month.
Our clients love comparative data and we like to be able to say, “This thought leadership article had this impact, and this is why,” versus a product article that might have gone into a paid platform.
It’s powerful to provide that rich analytical insight to clients, because then you can do more of what’s working.
Digital allows us to be iterative, which is exciting, because it helps us to get to the goalposts.
COLLECTIVIST: How do you think AI will influence our campaigns?
JUDITH: We use AI a lot in our agency for efficiency, but not as a product. We never write articles, blogs, or social media posts using AI.
We use it extensively for analysis, which enriches the human capital and experience in the agency.
Where it becomes blurred is when PR practitioners use AI to ‘cheat’ i.e. writing blogs or thought leadership that contains generic industry information.
It’s not unique or different, and journalists and editors are sniffing out AI content very quickly, even naming and shaming brands.
AI can be dangerous if it’s sold as thought leadership. But when used for efficiency and data analysis, it’s incredibly valuable.
COLLECTIVIST: What are the big thought-leadership trends, topics and issues in Southern Africa?
JUDITH: For us it’s cybersecurity. It’s a massive area of insight and opportunity, particularly in Southern Africa. We’re seeing many brands refining their messaging, and we have some very strong cybersecurity thought leaders in the region, with more emerging.
Cybersecurity is sensitive, so you don’t always get the full picture of breaches or hacks, but having worked through several locally, it’s a fascinating world. We truly have some world leaders in this space in Southern Africa.
Payments and fintech are also booming – mobile money, how we pay, and how we transfer value. Africa is highly mobile, and fintech fundamentals around multiple currencies, crypto, and accessibility for everyday users are incredibly interesting.
The informal economy is also a key conduit for payments in Africa. Many people still transact without mobile phones or credit cards, yet the economy continues to function.
COLLECTIVIST: Can you explain more about the informal economy?
JUDITH: In Africa there’s a lot of migration across borders, and not everyone has a bank account. Requirements like physical addresses can be prohibitive, so a whole economy exists outside traditional banking platforms.
The informal economy is likely as large as the formal one. Transactions happen everywhere, and tech companies are creating smarter tools (vouchers, PIN codes, retail redemption systems) to allow people to transact electronically without conventional bank accounts.
COLLECTIVIST: Tell me about conferences and events marketers should attend.
JUDITH: Big conferences in Southern Africa are far fewer than pre-COVID. Many large US and UK firms host events with prohibitive ticket prices, and local audiences have pushed back.
There are a few industry-specific events that work as networking and learning forums, but conference budgets are often at the bottom of client priorities.
We prefer digital campaigns, using budgets more strategically and reporting on metrics.
COLLECTIVIST: What will a dream campaign look like in 2026?
JUDITH: We recently ran one! It was a dream because of the partnership approach rather than a transactional one.
The CEO wanted to offload discounted products digitally and offered incentive-based compensation. We completely outsold the target within five days. The success came from leadership buy-in, autonomy, careful messaging, and deep industry knowledge to clearly differentiate the offering.
The outcome was beautiful: the stock moved, and the CEO was delighted.
COLLECTIVIST: By December 2026, what will be the best thing to have happened to the agency?
JUDITH: That the UK, Europe, and parts of the US recognise the value of offshoring tech content , design and digital campaigns to South Africa—with a 22-to-1 cost differential and no compromise on quality.
That our Global Studio becomes the best partner for specialised, quality-driven agencies, helping traditional PR teams transition into digital. Supporting and enabling people to take ownership of their digital future would bring me the greatest joy.
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