Most Australian marketers still prioritise identity over mindset, GumGum finds

GumGum has released The Marketers’ Take On Mindset: 2026 Global Report, which found that most Australian marketers believe mindset advertising works but few make it a priority.

The research polled more than 2000 marketers across Australia, the US and the UK. GumGum defines mindset as a person’s state of mind when they encounter an ad, shaped by factors such as location, activity, device or channel, interests and behaviour over time.

Among Australian marketers, 87% agree that ads aligned to a consumer’s mindset outperform ads matched only to content context. When asked what they would prioritise for a campaign next week, 36% chose a mindset approach over an identity-based one, while 64% chose identity-based advertising.

Marketers also linked mindset alignment to brand outcomes. 67% said it has a positive effect on brand favourability and 49.7% said the same for brand recall.

Some 96.3% said someone outside their target audience is at least somewhat likely to engage with an ad that matches their mindset. Only 35% believe an ad that reaches the right audience in an unreceptive mindset will still be very effective.

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On the signals that shape mindset, 60.4% cited time of day and 48% cited device or channel.

The report also points to a gap between confidence and practice. 81.8% said their brand aligns its advertising with consumer mindset effectively or very effectively, but only 34% said they always factor mindset into campaign planning.

Matt Coote, Managing Director JAPAC, GumGum, said: “Australian marketers have clearly embraced mindset as a concept. The challenge now is moving it from something teams consider to something they actually plan and buy against. Reaching the right person is only part of the job, but reaching them when they’re genuinely receptive is what really drives conversions.” 

Australian marketers were the most specific about what holds them back. Understanding their audience was cited in 17.6% of responses, data access, quality or integration in 17%, and resources, budget or time in 13.7%.

One Australian retail marketer said, “With a limited budget, I dare not try new models that have not yet been proven.” Another said one of the biggest hurdles is “connecting mindset insights to actual media decisions”.

Coote said: “The appetite in Australia is clear, so our focus now is on demystifying mindset so marketers can put it into practice and start reaping the rewards.

“We are laser-focused on giving brands a clear definition of mindset advertising, a straightforward way to plan with it, and proof of the phenomenal results it can deliver. Greater adoption will follow when the upside is easy to see.”