Top-performing advertisers are investing more heavily in artificial intelligence, modernizing their marketing technology stacks and increasing reliance on first-party data, according to StackAdapt’s 2026 digital advertising trends report.
The study is based on a survey of 484 senior marketers in North America and the United Kingdom, alongside analysis of more than 6,000 global campaigns run on the StackAdapt platform.
The report found that marketers identified as top performers were 20 percentage points more likely than other respondents to report making significant investments in artificial intelligence. They were also nearly twice as likely to expect AI to disrupt campaign orchestration.
Creative production to see maximum disruption
When asked which areas would see the greatest disruption from artificial intelligence, 27 percent of marketers cited creative production, 21 percent pointed to data management, and 20 percent selected personalization.
Platform data in the report showed that AI-driven production of motion and video advertising increased 59 percent year-on-year, reflecting growing adoption of automated creative tools.
The study also identified measurable performance differences linked to data and optimization practices. Advertisers using first-party data or AI-based contextual targeting achieved approximately twice the return on ad spend compared with campaigns relying on third-party targeting, according to the report.
Dynamic creative optimization was associated with a 32 percent increase in click-through rates and a 56 percent reduction in cost-per-click.
Restructuring marketing tech stacks
In addition to increased AI investment, top-performing organizations were four times more likely than other respondents to say they plan to modernize or restructure at least half of their marketing technology stacks by 2027.
More than half of top performers said consolidated platforms improved return on investment, compared with 31 percent of other advertisers.
Usage patterns cited in the report show first-party data attribution usage tripled year-on-year, while integrations with data platforms such as Snowflake doubled over the same period.
The findings indicate that differences in AI investment, data usage and technology modernization distinguish top-performing advertisers from other respondents in the survey.
