Programmatic advertising
MarTech is your source for programmatic advertising content. You’ll find a variety of up-to-date and authoritative resources, including the latest news, tactic-rich tutorials, and the latest data to help you work smarter and make better decisions.
What you read here is written by our experienced in-house team of editors and research professionals, and subject matter experts from leading brands and agencies.
Why we care:
Programmatic advertising allows advertisers to access inventory across increasingly all media in real-time and to be able to measure audience engagement and campaign performance. Today’s marketer is orchestrating omnichannel campaigns and constantly optimizing placement and creative assets. The loss of 3rd party cookies encourages more data partnerships between publishers and other non-traditional 3rd party sources like financial companies, for example.
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IAB Tech Lab proposes new rules for programmatic
The proposed practices aim to give buyers and sellers clearer rules for using existing standards and reducing friction in programmatic transactions.
Google loses the ad monopoly case, but keeps the monopoly
A federal judge found Google illegally monopolized key ad-tech markets, but rejected the remedy that could have fundamentally reshaped them.
Run fewer incrementality tests and get more from them
Prioritize tests where uncertainty has real financial consequences, then use the results to guide decisions long after the test ends.
Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)
IAB updates standard for disclosing AI in ads
IAB’s updated framework draws the AI disclosure line around what changes consumer perceptions of authenticity, identity, and what’s real.
Programmatic video needs more visibility into AI-driven decisions
AI is making adtech decisions harder to see, putting pressure on platforms to explain outcomes and prove their value.
Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)
OpenAI adds technology to compete for ad dollars
Product carousels and AppsFlyer attribution give ChatGPT more of what performance marketers need to move beyond experimental ad buys.
Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)
IAB Tech Lab gets AI agents ready for real advertising
AAMP 2.3 adds the governance, integrations, and privacy controls organizations need to move AI agents into production.
Marketing artificial intelligence (AI)
ChatGPT Ads adds conversion bidding and stronger measurement
New capabilities bring it closer to the workflow and optimization tools advertisers already use in Google Ads and Meta Ads.
Podcast measurement standards expand for the video era
Updated IAB podcast measurement guidelines improve consistency across audio and video podcasts as AI and streaming reshape the market.
Don’t confuse ad spend with marketing performance
More budget doesn't guarantee better results. The strongest campaigns prove they work before they scale.
Open source made MMM cheaper, not easier
Free tools have lowered the cost of marketing mix modeling, but data quality and human expertise remain the biggest barriers to success.
Digital video enters a new era of competition
Digital video now dominates TV ad spending, shifting marketers' focus from channel selection to targeting, measurement, and AI-powered execution.
Advertisers may finally see who really touches their bid requests
IAB Tech Lab's proposed SupplyChain v1.1 update could give advertisers a clearer view of every company that touches a programmatic bid request.
Marketing measurement is breaking under its own complexity
More tools, more channels, and more data have left many marketers struggling to connect activity to outcomes.
4 questions you should ask to catch programmatic ad fraud
Programmatic fraud often hides behind opaque supply paths, weak verification, and poorly curated CTV inventory.
Digital video ad spend surges as AI and targeting reshape strategy
Digital video now more than 60% of TV and video spend, so advertisers are prioritizing AI, precision targeting, and measurable outcomes.
What happens when ad spend goes wrong
Small mistakes in paid media can lead to massive losses, and ownership determines who absorbs the impact.
IAB Tech Lab proposes Deals API for programmatic advertising
The Deals API aims to replace the manual mess behind programmatic deals with structure, transparency and accountability.
What happens when no one clicks anymore
Learn how shifting user behavior in the age of AI could impact traffic and revenue — and what marketers and publishers can do to stay ahead.
Marketers navigating low consumer confidence amid high holiday sales
This holiday season is full of mixed signals — sales are breaking records, but shoppers are holding back, and marketers are caught in the middle.
IAB Tech Lab unveils Agentic RTB Framework to boost real-time ad trading efficiency
The new Agentic RTB Framework promises to slash programmatic ad latency by 80%—and reshape how AI-powered agents trade in real time.
4 questions every SMB should ask before testing CTV
Before spending on connected TV, answer these four questions to see if your business is ready — and how to make your first test count.
Invalid traffic detection gets smarter with HUMAN’s Page Intelligence
The latest addition to the company's ad protection suite gives brands new control over fraud and performance data.
IAB cuts ad forecast as tariffs take a bite out of spending
Ad spend growth is expected to drop from an earlier prediction of 7.3% to 5.7% as 91% of ad buyers say tariffs are driving budget decisions.
Marketing results don’t add. They multiply and synergize.
Traditional metrics can’t capture how campaigns interact. Test for multiplicative and synergistic effects and rethink paid media measurement.
How tariffs are reshaping long-term strategies for brands and buyers
Brand loyalty is gone, as consumers wait longer to make purchases. Marketers are focusing on owned channels and trying not to say the "T" word.
IAB releases draft of updated digital ad terms for public comment
This is the first major revision of the agreement in nearly 25 years and is designed to reflect how much the industry has changed.
US asks court to breakup Google ad businesses
Spinning off AdX exchange and DFP platform would severely impact the tech giant's revenue and be a seismic shift in digital advertising.
As Google brings back cookies, marketers stick with privacy-first strategies
The consensus among marketers is that cookies are the past, and respecting consumer privacy is the future.
Google is keeping cookies in Chrome
The tech giant reverses course on its long-planned depreciation of third-party cookies.
Google’s adtech antitrust verdict is a turning point in marketers’ fight for transparency
It is a moment when marketers should rethink the strategies hemmed in by Google's ad tech.
Google adtech antitrust trial: Everything you need to know
An in-depth look at the verdict, arguments and trial about Google's monopoly practices in the $200 billion digital advertising industry.
Google loses advertising monopoly case
A Federal judge found Google “willfully engaged in anticompetitive acts” to control the ad server and ad exchange markets.
IAB report reveals digital ad growth and marketers ready for economic turmoil
Omnichannel strategies, better audience segmentation and data-driven campaign management show marketers are prepared for turbulent times.
How to tackle ad fraud in 2025
Despite major strides, gaps in combating ad fraud remain. Learn how emerging transparency tools can drive even greater protection.
Tackling video marketing fragmentation
Smart Video Everywhere from Adomni challenges the fragmentation of the video marketing channel.
Optimization and personalization
Personalization’s double-edged sword: Balancing relevance with intrusiveness
Consumers really like personalized marketing content and are really nervous about companies gathering data to provide it. Here's how to address that.
Reaching consumers in the age of AI: What you need to know about search and social media
Search still reigns supreme with consumers, but the cracks are showing as younger demographics increasingly use social media.
Google shakes up ad auction dynamics for holiday shopping
Changes to PMax and Standard Shopping campaigns require advertisers to adjust strategies during this holiday shopping season.
Google blasts DOJ’s ‘radical’ proposed breakup plan
Company argues a breakup would make advertising less valuable, while harming publishers and merchants.