In 2025, the forces reshaping advertising and marketing were more than settling in. Artificial intelligence, privacy regulation, platform power, and economic pressure had already started altering how brands plan, buy, and measure media. Heading into 2026, these shifts will accelerate. The following adtech and martech predictions reveal how the industry is progressing from experimentation to execution.
AdTech
1) AI-Driven hyper-personalization at scale
By 2026, artificial intelligence will not just assist advertisers — it will define how campaigns are created, optimized, and delivered in real time. Ad platforms will use machine learning to tailor messaging, formats, and media placements to individual consumer profiles based on behavior, context, and intent signals. This shift will reduce waste and increase engagement, making hyper-personalized ad experiences the baseline expectation for performance marketers.
2) Cookieless Targeting and Identity Solutions Become Mainstream
With the cookie phase-out effectively complete, AdTech in 2026 will prioritize privacy-centric targeting. Brands and platforms will adopt first-party data strategies, unified identifiers, and clean-room technologies to reconcile identity across channels without third-party trackers. These solutions will help marketers retain precision in audience targeting while complying with tighter regulation — reshaping how campaigns measure reach and relevance on both closed (platform) and open web environments.
3) Retail Media Networks (RMNs) Explode in Scale
Retail media will transition from a niche opportunity to a central pillar of digital ad budgets by 2026. With closed-loop shopper data and on-site commerce signals, RMNs will deliver precise insights and higher conversion outcomes than traditional display or social ads. As retailers build out programmatic capabilities, brands will allocate more of their spend toward retail-driven inventory across CTV, mobile, and social channels, making RMNs a core strategy in omnichannel planning.
4) Programmatic Advertising Dominates Digital Spend
Programmatic will grow to account for 85%+ of digital ad revenue in 2026, driven by private marketplaces (PMPs), programmatic direct buys, and automated bidding innovations. The blend of AI, real-time optimization, and enhanced measurement will vastly improve efficiency, reduce fraud, and streamline media buying across display, CTV, and audio channels. As brands demand accountability and performance, programmatic systems will become the backbone of digital monetization.
5) Connected TV (CTV) and Video Inventory Become Primary Channels
Connected TV and video advertising will take center stage in 2026, with programmatic video spend exceeding $110 billion and CTV usage reaching nearly 4 billion global users. As audiences migrate from linear TV to streaming and on-demand platforms, advertisers will prioritize seamless, cross-device video ads that blend creative storytelling with precise audience data. Short-form and long-form video across platforms like YouTube and TikTok will also grow.
MarTech
1) AI-Powered Hyper-Personalization Across Touchpoints
MarTech systems in 2026 will leverage advanced AI to deliver dynamic, individualized experiences across every customer interaction — from website landing pages to email sequences. These platforms will use predictive behavior models to tailor offers, content, and journey flows in real time. Marketers will shift from broad segmentation to nano-segment audiences, enhancing relevance and conversion outcomes at scale while preserving brand consistency.
2) Generative AI Transforms Content and Campaign Production
Generative AI will revolutionize marketing content creation in 2026, producing blog posts, social captions, video scripts, and design assets from simple prompts. This will radically cut production timelines and costs, while freeing teams to focus on strategy and creative direction. Brands able to refine and humanize AI output will gain a competitive edge in speed and personalization, particularly in high-volume marketing environments.
3) Unified Marketing Data Platforms
In 2026, CDPs and integrated customer data stacks will become essential for marketers to unify insights across CRM, automation, analytics, and digital channels. These systems will provide a single source of truth for profiles and behaviors, enabling consistent messaging and cross-channel orchestration. The result will be smarter segmentation, better attribution, and more effective lifecycle marketing.
4) Martech Stack Consolidation and Acquisition Waves
2026 will see heightened consolidation among CRM, automation, and analytics platforms as vendors seek differentiation and tighter AI integration. Expect mergers and partnerships aimed at building holistic, autonomous stacks that streamline workflows and reduce friction between data collection and execution. Marketers should prepare for rapidly evolving platforms that combine capabilities previously held in separate tools.
5) ROI and Performance Scrutiny Drives Value-Based Marketing
With economic uncertainty and tighter budgets, 2026 will emphasize defensible, measurable ROI from martech investments. Marketers will demand rigorous performance data, closed-loop reporting, and outcomes tied directly to revenue impact. Tools that provide real-time attribution, clear impact metrics, and forecasting accuracy will outperform legacy solutions.
(With inputs from Lumeriq, DemandLab, Improvado.io)
