MarTech » Digital advertising » IAB launches Event and Conversion API to standardize advertisers’ shared data

IAB launches Event and Conversion API to standardize advertisers’ shared data

The new ECAPI spec aims to simplify how advertisers share marketing outcomes with platforms, for cleaner data, easier integrations and smarter AI optimization.

Senior Editor, MarTech

January 20, 2026 • 2 minutes read

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The IAB Tech Lab has introduced the Event and Conversion API (ECAPI) to standardize how advertisers communicate key marketing events and conversions to platforms and partners. It’s open for public comment through February 20, 2026.

The goal? Less friction, more clarity. “Advertisers and platforms are already doing this in parallel,” said Anthony Katsur, CEO of IAB Tech Lab, in a statement. “ECAPI gives everyone a shared foundation so teams can focus on results, not endless integrations.”

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At its core, ECAPI defines a common set of full-funnel events — from upper-funnel engagement to bottom-funnel conversions — that advertisers can send in a consistent format. That means cleaner data for platforms, better inputs for AI agents, and smoother, more consistent campaign optimization across the board.

Today, many platforms run their own versions of Conversion APIs. But that often means custom work for every integration — time-consuming and complex to scale, especially as outcome-based buying gains traction. ECAPI offers a standardized, flexible alternative that still allows for platform-specific needs without reinventing the wheel.

This spec is also part of IAB Tech Lab’s broader push toward agentic marketing, where AI agents optimize outcomes across the funnel based on shared signals and measurable goals.

“Instead of rebuilding the same solutions over and over, we can focus on the value of the data,” Barbara Kalicki, Associate Director at Publicis Sapient, said in a statement.

To participate in the public comment process, which will remain open until February 20, 2026, go to https://iabtechlab.com/standards/ecapi/.

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Constantine von Hoffman

Senior Editor, MarTech

Constantine von Hoffman is senior editor of MarTech. A veteran journalist, Con has covered business, finance, marketing and tech for CBSNews.com, Brandweek, CMO, and Inc. He has been city editor of the Boston Herald, news producer at NPR, and has written for Harvard Business Review, Boston Magazine, Sierra, and many other publications. He has also been a professional stand-up comedian, given talks at anime and gaming conventions on everything from My Neighbor Totoro to the history of dice and boardgames, and is author of the magical realist novel John Henry the Revelator. He lives in Boston with his wife, Jennifer, and either too many or too few dogs.

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