Adtech

Adtech, short for advertising technology, refers to the software, platforms, and tools that enable the buying, placement, targeting, delivery, measurement, and optimization of digital advertising across channels. It covers the technical infrastructure that connects advertisers, publishers, and data sources to improve campaign efficiency and performance.

Core components include demand-side platforms (DSPs) used by advertisers to buy impressions, supply-side platforms (SSPs) used by publishers to monetize inventory, and ad exchanges that link buyers and sellers. Ad servers deliver creative and track impressions, while data management platforms (DMPs) organize audience data for targeting. Ad networks, attribution and measurement services, and verification tools for brand safety and viewability are also part of the ecosystem. Identity and data practices, such as cookies, device IDs, and identity graphs, underpin audience targeting, though they face increasing restrictions.

Programmatic advertising and real-time bidding (RTB) automate much of the buying process, allowing advertisers to bid for individual impressions in milliseconds based on targeting signals and campaign goals. This has expanded cross-channel buying to display, video, mobile, and increasingly connected TV and audio.

Privacy, regulation, and identity pose ongoing challenges. GDPR and CCPA require consent and data minimization, and cookie deprecation pushes the industry toward privacy-preserving identity solutions, first-party data, and data clean rooms. Consent management platforms help capture user preferences, while industry standards from bodies like the IAB and verification by trusted labs aim to ensure compliance and reliability.

The adtech ecosystem includes advertisers, agencies, publishers, and a range of technology vendors. It continues to evolve with greater emphasis on privacy, measurement accuracy, fraud prevention, and identity solutions, while expanding omnichannel and addressable advertising.