NEW YORK—Marketers enter 2026 with surging optimism for digital media investments, yet a stark divide separates their artificial intelligence aspirations from operational reality. Mediaocean’s latest 2026 Advertising Outlook Report, the ninth in its bi-annual series drawing from over 6,100 respondents, spotlights this execution gap as fragmented ad tech stacks hinder progress from AI insights to campaign activation.

Generative AI tops consumer trends for the third straight period, with 70% of marketers citing its influence on content discovery, brand engagement and purchasing decisions, according to the report based on November 2025 surveys of brands, agencies, media companies and tech providers. Investment plans reflect this shift: 63% anticipate rises in connected TV and digital video spending, 61% in social platforms and 54% in AI-driven media on AI agents. Traditional outlets like print and linear TV, meanwhile, endure persistent pressure.

AI adoption reveals the core tension. While 43% deploy it for data analysis and another 43% for market research, usage plummets to 33% in creative development and just 19% for campaign orchestration. This steep drop underscores how disconnected systems trap valuable insights in early stages, unable to flow into execution.

Orchestration Imperative Emerges

Nearly nine in 10 marketers—86%—deem cross-channel orchestration essential, yet only 10% possess fully unified ad tech infrastructures. Such silos generate friction across planning, activation, measurement and optimization in an era of proliferating channels and deepening AI integration, the report states. Data quality or access issues plague 42% as the top barrier to scaling AI, closely followed by 41% struggling to link insights across platforms.

Optimization priorities signal evolution: 39% now emphasize AI, matched by another 39% focusing on cross-platform orchestration. This pivot from channel-specific tweaks to system-wide intelligence marks a departure from isolated tools toward interconnected foundations.

“As AI becomes more deeply woven into the media lifecycle, the advantage won’t come from adopting even more tools—it will come from orchestrating them,” declares Aaron Goldman, Mediaocean’s CMO, in the Markets Insider coverage. “This research shows marketers are ready to move from experimentation to execution, but fragmented systems are slowing progress. Smarter, more connected foundations are what turn AI insights into action at scale.”

Fragmentation’s Hidden Costs

Industry voices echo these findings. “Marketers know AI can drive better outcomes, but fragmented systems make it difficult to carry insights from planning through to activation and optimisation,” notes Michael Serratore, VP of client success APAC at Innovid, in Marketing-Interactive. “AI adoption is moving beyond analysis and research into creative development and campaign optimisation, which makes the cost of disconnected systems much higher.”

The report’s revelations align with broader ad tech dynamics. Mediaocean, powering over $200 billion in annual media spend via platforms like Prisma, Innovid and Protected, positions orchestration as the differentiator. Recent integrations, such as with Basis Technologies, aim to automate workflows from planning to finance, addressing silos head-on.

Cross-channel demands intensify as AI agents and emerging formats like AI-driven ads gain traction. Without unified stacks, marketers face elevated costs and lost efficiency, particularly as execution phases demand seamless data flow.

Spend Shifts Favor Digital Frontiers

Selective rebound defines budgets: CTV’s 63% projected increase mirrors digital video, underscoring video’s dominance. Social’s 61% uptick persists, while AI agents represent the fastest-emerging category at 54%. Legacy media’s decline accelerates, forcing media owners to adapt or cede ground.

Barriers persist beyond tech. The report highlights data access woes, with 42% pinpointing quality issues that undermine AI reliability. Connectivity challenges, at 41%, amplify this, as siloed platforms prevent holistic insights.

Mediaocean’s analysis, detailed in Advanced Television, frames AI as reshaping advertising fundamentals. The shift to system-level intelligence promises competitive edges for those bridging the gap.

Path to AI Maturity

Marketers prioritize accordingly, with equal weight on AI and orchestration. This dual focus heralds a maturation phase, where tool proliferation yields to strategic integration. Fragmented setups not only stall AI but inflate operational expenses in complex environments.

The ninth edition builds on prior reports, tracking AI’s trajectory from novelty to necessity. Earlier editions noted creative-media disconnects; now, execution gaps dominate as AI penetrates deeper workflows.

For deeper analysis, Mediaocean hosts a January 28 webinar featuring Goldman alongside T-Mobile’s Julie Mullins, Sonata Insight’s Debra Aho Williamson and Innovid’s Kristen Hade. Registration details appear on the company’s site.

Industry Echoes and Implications

Reactions on X underscore urgency. While direct responses to the report remain nascent, broader discourse highlights AI’s uneven impact. One post warns agencies clinging to manual media buying risk obsolescence, as AI deletes low-value layers. Another cites 98% of marketers boosting AI budgets yet seeing scant results, mirroring Mediaocean’s identified chasm.

Vendors like Mediaocean advocate connected platforms to unlock AI potential. Their ecosystem—spanning Prisma for investment management, Innovid for creative orchestration and Protected for audience tools—exemplifies the unified approach needed.

As 2026 unfolds, the execution gap tests ad tech’s resilience. Marketers bridging it through orchestration stand to gain, while others grapple with ambition unfulfilled.