4 trends marketers need to know before 2027

Before marketers finalize their 2027 plans, they need to account for how quickly the work of advertising is changing. 

StackAdapt’s recent research shows that 83% of marketers have added channels to their media mix in the past two to three years, creating more ways to reach the audiences and activate media. But every new channel also brings new planning decisions, data sources, workflows, and performance measures for teams to coordinate.

So how can marketers get more out of the tools and capabilities available to them while keeping their advertising efforts connected?

Here are four shifts that will shape how marketers plan, measure, and manage programmatic advertising in the year ahead.

1. More capabilities are changing what strong performance looks like

More channels, tools, and AI capabilities give marketers more ways to improve their work. But the benefits vary depending on how deeply organizations adopt and connect those capabilities.

In StackAdapt’s The State of Programmatic Advertising 2027, top performers are defined as marketers who report stronger year-over-year performance. Forty-five percent of top-performing marketers have added three or more channels to their media mix, and they also report stronger foundations for managing complexity across media, data, and measurement.

Vitaly Pecherskiy, CEO and co-founder of StackAdapt, sees a similar pattern in AI adoption. As he explains, “In a matter of six months, you can be completely behind what somebody else is capable of doing.” His point is that the gap between experienced AI users and everyone else can widen quickly as power users build skills and incorporate AI into more of their work. 

StackAdapt’s AI Delegation Gap report shows how AI is already changing advertising workflows: 62% of marketers reported spending less time on manual optimization thanks to AI.

2. Channel growth creates new coordination demands

Adding channels changes the work required from marketing teams. Each channel brings its own audiences, formats, workflows, KPIs, and specialists, increasing the number of connections teams need to manage.

Although marketers are expanding their media mix, only 10% say they almost always run truly omnichannel campaigns.

Vitaly also points to the organizational work behind channel expansion. Different teams often manage different channels, while interoperability and AI can reduce some technical barriers. Teams still need time to learn new tools and change established habits. Clearer roles, shared processes, and coordinated planning can help marketers turn a broader channel mix into a more connected operation.

3. Measurement is becoming more difficult to interpret

Marketers now have several ways to evaluate performance, from platform attribution and cross-channel attribution to incrementality testing, marketing mix modeling, and conversion lift studies. Each approach answers a different question, which can make the overall picture harder to interpret.

StackAdapt’s research shows that 37% of marketers say conflicting results across measurement systems make performance harder to trust. More measurement can provide greater perspective, but it can also create competing answers when methodologies are viewed separately.

As Vitaly says, “There’s no single source of truth for marketing performance.” Marketers need to compare different forms of evidence and understand what each one can contribute before deciding how to act.

The goal is to match the evidence to the decision at hand, rather than rely on one universal measure.

4. AI will change how programmatic advertising gets done

AI is moving beyond isolated tasks such as optimization, reporting, and creative production. As adoption deepens, it can influence broader campaign workflows, from planning and audience selection to execution, analysis, and decision-making.

The State of Programmatic Advertising 2027 shows that 79% of marketers agree AI delivers value when the underlying data and measurement are connected and trusted. 

Vitaly estimates that organizations are currently using less than 5% of AI’s potential. Reaching more of that potential will require organizations to redesign workflows and change how teams work. As AI takes on more administrative tasks, human roles will increasingly focus on judgment, context, and decisions that require experience.

AI adoption should therefore be tied to how work gets done across the campaign lifecycle. The greatest opportunity lies in redesigning workflows so AI can support decisions that connect planning, execution, measurement, and optimization, rather than treating each as a separate task.

What marketers should consider next

Marketers may be able to achieve more by making better use of the capabilities they already have, rather than continually adding to their media mix. 

Before adding another channel, tool, or workflow, teams should consider:

• How existing capabilities can be used to their full potential.
• Where each channel fits within the broader media strategy.
• How teams can use shared planning processes and performance data to coordinate campaigns across channels.
• How teams can create room to test new creative approaches and AI-enabled workflows.
• Which decisions require human judgment and which can be supported by AI.

Getting more value from programmatic advertising means making better use of the capabilities marketers already have. By connecting channels, improving measurement, and integrating AI into everyday workflows, teams can make more informed decisions and get more out of their campaigns.

Explore the full State of Programmatic Advertising 2027 report to see what marketers are prioritizing for 2027 and how stronger-performing organizations are approaching the shift.