Roman Vrublivskyi, CEO of Attekmi, explores this year’s top ad tech trends, from first-party data to supply path optimisation. He expands on why first-party data is becoming the backbone of modern ad strategies, and what supply path optimisation really aims to achieve for buyers. He also looks at how CTV is evolving, and how AI is becoming a coworker in ad tech.   

What are your five top trends for ad tech in 2026?

In my view, first-party data and AI are sharing the first place among the most impactful trends of the year 2026. Prioritising responsible first-party data collection and usage is becoming a must for businesses to survive. In turn, AI already impacts virtually every ad tech aspect (creative generation, media buying, bid optimisation, etc), and its influence keeps growing. Nowadays, using AI helps brands gain a competitive advantage, but it’s crucial to remember that human oversight is required in any case. 

Supply path optimisation is also gaining momentum, as both advertisers and media owners aim for greater transparency and efficiency. One more trend I’d like to mention is that measurement moves beyond clicks and impressions – businesses are increasingly switching to analysing the true impact of their campaigns. Last but not least, even though some challenges are still here, CTV advertising is showing rapid growth since marketers strive to reach their audiences across all possible screens.

Many ad tech trends emerge and fade away rather quickly, but these will shape the industry not only in 2026 but also in the coming years. 

Why is first-party data becoming the backbone of modern ad strategies?

In short, first-party data is more than just another asset: it’s the foundation of consistent competitive advantage in advertising. If we dive deeper into detail, the following factors are the most important ones.

Firstly, third-party identifiers are steadily disappearing, and businesses relying on them are already falling behind. Having your own robust data ecosystem allows you to outperform companies that keep utilising external signals.

Secondly, users are getting more and more concerned about their online privacy, while international regulations keep getting stricter. Using first-party data is a way to build trust and avoid penalties while maintaining strategy efficiency.

Thirdly, first-party data is the most reliable and accurate type of data we can collect. Therefore, it enables more precise targeting, more effective personalisation, and, as a result, better outcomes.

Even though collecting first-party data may sometimes seem to be a challenging task, prioritising this approach is critical for businesses eager to gain and maintain a competitive edge. If you haven’t switched to first-party data yet, now is the time to do so.

What does supply path optimisation really aim to achieve for buyers?

Basically, the key goal is to minimise the number of unnecessary intermediaries, but this is a rather broad objective. First of all, auditing and optimising supply paths allows buyers to maximise transparency and understand where their ads are displayed and who actually sees them. Such insights enable more effective optimisation. Secondly, SPO helps reduce fees, so that a greater part of the budget will be spent directly on inventory. Thirdly, thanks to SPO, the risks of ad fraud decrease, while the overall campaign performance improves. 

At the same time, SPO doesn’t imply using solely direct deals – it’s about making smarter media buying decisions, not focusing only on the shortest and cheapest paths. Advertisers can (and should) follow the SPO practices for open auctions as well.  

How is CTV advertising evolving beyond simple TV reach?

Thanks to the modern ad tech capabilities, CTV is turning into a full-fledged participant of the advertising ecosystem. First and foremost, CTV ads offer advanced targeting. Secondly, they enable greater engagement. CTV advertisements are hard to ignore, while their interactive capabilities contribute to the engaging experience. These are something that you simply cannot reach with classic TV ads.

However, most importantly, CTV advertising allows for cross-device attribution, so that marketers can link CTV ad exposure to users’ subsequent actions on other devices and analyse the full customer journey. CTV isn’t just another screen. Nowadays, it works as a part of an omnichannel experience, as important as, for instance, laptops or mobile devices. 

Even though CTV advertising is still evolving, I expect it to become an integral component of any effective strategy soon. In response to this, more and more ad tech solutions will offer CTV advertising capabilities. For instance, our Attekmi platforms already support CTV formats and environments, which ensures greater flexibility for our users.

Why are attention metrics starting to overtake impressions as a key KPI?

Tracking impressions allows us to measure delivery, but not engagement or impact. For data-driven decision-making and effective optimisation, understanding whether the ad was served is far from enough. 

At Attekmi, we’ve always prioritised quality over quantity, and that’s the approach advertisers are also increasingly focusing on. They want to know whether the ad was really seen, remembered, and so on. With these insights in mind, they can identify top-performing placements and formats, refine their messaging, ensure more effective budget allocation, and more. Obviously, impressions can and should still be tracked, but only to get a better understanding of the campaign performance. Attention metrics play a much more important role, as effective optimisation is simply impossible without them. 

How is AI becoming a coworker in ad tech?

Some time ago, AI capabilities were more or less limited. Nowadays, it participates in nearly every ad tech aspect. It allows for smarter bidding and budget allocation. It ensures real-time optimisation. It helps forecast performance before the campaign is even launched. It helps generate creatives at scale, reducing the need for manual work. The list of applications is impressive, and it keeps growing. 

Due to this, using AI has become more than a competitive advantage – leveraging its capabilities is a must for organisations to survive. Relying only on manual effort slows down the processes and limits opportunities. 

However, as I already said, human oversight is always required. AI can be a powerful ally, but it should be your coworker, not a replacement for your own skills and knowledge. It lacks intuition and human intelligence; it’s crucial to review everything it generates and suggests. If you follow all its recommendations blindly, you can fail pretty quickly.