Pontiac Intelligence vs StackAdapt

AI in Media Buying: Expectations Outpace Experience

A new IAB Europe study reveals that while 58% of industry professionals expect agentic ad buying to become mainstream within a year, actual adoption lags significantly. Of 47 respondents, 36 have either not yet deployed agentic systems or use technologies where humans still control planning and execution. The 'Impact of AI on Digital Advertising Report 2026', based on 50 interviews, shows that AI is widely used for reporting and campaign analysis (86% overall), but only 11 out of 29 detailed respondents use it for agentic buying and selling. A complementary survey by StackAdapt (500 marketers, 6 countries) found similar patterns, with half citing fragmented data pipelines as a barrier. Companies are cautious about granting full autonomy, with most preferring human-in-the-loop models. The average performance rating for AI in operational advertising was only 2.76 out of 5. The industry is still defining governance, training, and integration practices to bridge the gap between expectations and real-world experience.

• 58% of IAB Europe survey respondents expect agentic ad buying to be regularly used within the next year.
• IAB Europe's 'Impact of AI on Digital Advertising Report 2026' is based on 50 interviews with agency, adtech, advertiser, and publishing professionals.
• 86% of IAB Europe respondents report using AI in marketing, primarily for reporting and campaign data analysis.

StackAdapt co-founder and CEO Vitaly Pecherskiy named to Canada's Top 40 Under 40®

StackAdapt co-founder and CEO Vitaly Pecherskiy named to Canada's Top 40 Under 40®. Also, StackAdapt wins gold at Marketech advertising awards for AdTech team of the year.

Urban Sports Club B2B Campaign Mixes DOOH, Native, Display

Urban Sports Club, a corporate fitness platform, aimed to boost brand awareness among business decision-makers in Cologne, Germany. Partnering with StackAdapt, they executed a programmatic campaign combining Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH), native, and display advertising. The strategy targeted executives commuting through office districts, using DOOH screens within a 100-meter radius of selected companies' offices during peak hours. Device IDs from DOOH impressions were then used for retargeting via native and display. The campaign achieved 9.83 million impressions (4.98 million from DOOH, 4.85 million from native/display), a 50% increase in website traffic, a 50% rise in keyword searches, and a 50% higher click-through volume. The average DOOH CPM was 15.99 euros. Measurement was supported by ABM Lead Forensics, allowing real-time tracking of target company engagement. Urban Sports Club and StackAdapt plan to replicate this approach in other German cities and potentially other countries.

• Urban Sports Club and StackAdapt launched a combined DOOH, native, and display campaign targeting B2B decision-makers in Cologne.
• Campaign generated 9.83 million total impressions: 4.98 million from DOOH and 4.85 million from native/display.
• DOOH ads were placed on 225 screens within 100 meters of target companies' offices, running weekdays from 7-11 AM and 5-8 PM.