You advise companies in a time of constant overload. What do you think will be the biggest communication mistake that many managers will make in 2026?

Mareen Eichinger: The biggest mistake is to continue to see communication as a reaction. Many managers feel driven: by trends, by platforms, by expectations. They communicate accordingly - quickly, a lot, but without a clear line. This will take its revenge in 2026. Communication without a strategic framework will no longer be perceived as relevant, but as additional noise.

AI is now standard. How can you tell in practice whether communication is being managed strategically or just automated?

Automated communication can be recognized by the fact that it could work anywhere and therefore doesn't really work anywhere. Strategic communication is recognizable, even if it uses AI. It follows clear themes, a consistent tone and an attitude. AI accelerates processes, but it does not replace decisions. If you don't make them, AI only reinforces arbitrariness.

Many companies talk about visibility. You often talk about clarity. Why is clarity the scarcer commodity in 2026?

Because visibility has become technically simple. Clarity means determination and many decision-makers find this difficult. Deciding what you stand for always means not doing something else. Many companies shy away from this consequence. The result is soft-pedaled messages that don't really reach anyone. Clarity is uncomfortable, but that is precisely why it is effective.

Where do you think good communication begins: with the message or with the decision of what not to say?

When omitting. Good communication is a filter. In 2026, it is not the person who says the most that will be noticed, but the person who says the right thing. And at the right time and for the right target group. If you comment on everything, you lose relevance.

As an agency owner, you work closely with management. What questions should decision-makers ask themselves more often in 2026 before they communicate?

First of all, is what we say a reality internally? Then: Can our employees credibly support this message? And finally, would we still be saying this in two years' time? Today, communication is permanently visible. Short-term narratives without substance become a reputation problem in the long term.

Social media feels more stressful than ever for many brands. What is your alternative to "we have to be everywhere"?

Deliberate reduction. Social media is not a compulsory program, but a strategic space. In 2026, presence will only work where brands have something to share: Expertise, attitude and perspective. Pure self-presentation loses out - algorithmically and humanly.

Are you seeing a return to fewer channels and more attitude, or is this wishful thinking?

I see this very clearly in companies that have matured. They are reducing channels, sharpening topics and gaining consistency as a result. Fewer touchpoints do not mean less impact, but more depth and trust.

Traditional PR is changing dramatically. What remains indispensable and what has become obsolete?

Mareen Eichinger: Journalistic thinking remains indispensable: relevance, context and classification. PR has had its day as a pure placement discipline. Media are not amplifiers for arbitrary messages, but filters for content and substance. Those who do not understand this will no longer be heard.

How will the role of agencies change in 2026? Service provider, sparring partner or strategic co-thinker?

Mareen Eichinger: Agencies must be strategic sparring partners. Implementation alone becomes interchangeable or automated. The real added value lies in challenging management teams, sharpening priorities and speaking uncomfortable truths.

Trust is a big word. In your experience, what are the most common failures in communication?

Mareen Eichinger: Contradictions between aspiration and reality, between internal culture and external message. Trust is not created through perfect communication, but through consistency. Those who constantly reinvent themselves do not appear dynamic, but untrustworthy.

Are there any trends or buzzwords that you deliberately don't want to hear in 2026?

Anything that suggests that tools replace strategy. "AI takes care of it" is a dangerous phrase. Technology reinforces what is there, but it does not replace categorization and responsibility.

If you had to reduce your work to one sentence: What should communication really achieve in 2026?

It should provide orientation at a time when many things are becoming faster, but less and less clear.