Martech

The invisible spend problem in performance advertising drains budgets as repeated clicks from returning users and scam ads inflate costs. Brands need user-level visibility and frequency controls to protect budgets, reach new audiences, and ensure true campaign efficiency.

Performance marketing has reached a turning point. As 2026 unfolds, there are three shifts marketers need to watch and prepare for.

As AI reshapes marketing, leaders share their top priorities that will define success in 2026—from AI fluency and data foundations to trust, creativity, and simplified martech stacks.

Martechvibe spoke to CMOs and growth leaders about what marketers need to do in 2026. Here are 7 pieces of advice from marketing peers...

As marketing technology stacks grow more complex, 2025 became the year consolidation turned strategic. From data intelligence to AI-driven personalisation, these acquisitions reshaped how enterprises think about scale, speed, and competitive advantage across the martech ecosystem.

New data shows AI is augmenting Martech rather than replacing it, revealing how SMBs and enterprises adopt AI differently and why understanding the learning curve matters more than the hype.

Conversion API and first-party data are becoming the foundation of smarter ad strategies, with AI optimisation enabling media buyers to improve targeting, efficiency, and ROI.

Brands that delegate design and decision-making entirely to algorithms inevitably fall into homogenisation, where content starts to look and feel the same. The consequence is not just creative fatigue, but a measurable decline in long-term results, says John Speers, Joint Managing Director Middle East at MSQ.

Digital out-of-home is evolving fast, blending programmatic buying, AI-driven creative, and retail media links. Rebecca Callaghan and Anu Bijoy explore how DOOH can balance ethics, privacy, and performance while embracing innovation.

By compressing insights, creative testing, and journey orchestration, brands can boost effectiveness, build a culture of experimentation, and unlock self-funding growth flywheels that drive profit impact beyond cost savings.