John Petralia, CMO at PubMatic chats about the latest adtech innovations and trends that are shaping unique advertising experiences in this interview by MarTechSeries:

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Hi John, take us through some of your best marketing moments over the years?

When I look back on my career, the moments that stand out most are when marketing created real value, both for customers and for the business.

Great marketing starts with authentic connection. It’s about understanding the business challenges your audience is facing and creating experiences that feel frictionless and genuinely helpful. When customers can clearly see how your solution helps them move their business forward, that’s when marketing becomes even more impactful.

I’ve also seen firsthand how powerful it is when marketing investment is directly tied to revenue growth. Some of the most defining moments in my career have been when organizations shifted their mindset, from viewing marketing as an expense to recognizing it as a true growth lever. When that connection becomes clear, it changes how companies operate and how teams align.

And beyond outcomes, the moments I value most are about the people. As a leader, there’s real joy in setting a bold vision and raising the bar in a way that stretches a team’s capabilities. Creating that constructive discomfort, and then watching people exceed what they thought was possible, is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.

What are some of the top trends that will define advertising and lead the ad tech ecosystem in 2026 in your view?

Advertiser expectations are reshaping the ad tech space this year, particularly around fee transparency and the growing impact of AI across the buyer journey.

Transparency has long been a friction point in digital advertising, and it’s re-emerging as a central issue. Advertisers want clearer visibility into fees, supply paths, and how value is distributed across the ecosystem. That scrutiny is only increasing as budgets face greater accountability.

At the same time, AI is fundamentally reshaping how campaigns are planned, activated, and optimized. We’re moving beyond AI as a reporting layer to more agentic systems that can actively manage decisions in real time, improving efficiency, performance, and yield across the lifecycle of a campaign. As those capabilities mature, they’re compressing timelines and reducing operational friction for buyers.

The intersection of these trends makes this a transformational moment for ad tech. Advertisers are demanding smarter execution powered by AI, and clearer economics across the supply chain. The platforms that can deliver both will define the next phase of growth for the industry.

As a marketing leader, how are you using modern martech and ad tech to align with business growth goals?

At PubMatic, we’re embedding AI across the full spectrum of our marketing capabilities to ensure our work is tightly aligned to growth.

That starts with strategy: using AI to help refine positioning for key audiences and sharpen how we communicate value. It extends into the development of sales enablement materials, targeted campaigns, and campaign assets. From there, we leverage AI in activation and optimization within our marketing automation systems, and ultimately in measuring performance and impact.

We’re also building internal AI agents that support planning and prioritization across go‑to‑market teams, while integrating best‑in‑class external AI tools where they accelerate execution.

By leveraging AI from strategy through measurement, we’re creating stronger alignment between marketing activity and measurable business outcomes.

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How do you see the scope of marketing and advertising changing today, given that new AI-powered martech and ad tech impact how marketers and advertisers are trained and hired to form modern teams?

As AI-powered martech and ad tech make more aspects of execution measurable and optimizable, the expectation for ROI has increased, even in traditionally brand-led environments. At the same time, we’re seeing strong growth in high-impact formats and moments like CTV, mobile, and live sports. These environments allow marketers to connect with audiences in meaningful moments and measure performance with far greater precision.

That shift is changing how teams are structured and hired. Modern marketers need to be comfortable operating at the intersection of brand and performance. They need data fluency, an understanding of AI-enabled tools, and the ability to translate insights into business impact.

Four martech and marketing best practices you’d leave our readers with before we wrap up?

Be a growth partner.

Marketing should be directly tied to revenue and business outcomes. When you align your work to growth, you elevate marketing to a true value creator.

Create frictionless, value-driven experiences.

The goal isn’t just to reach your audience. It’s to help them solve real business challenges. The more relevant and seamless the experience you can provide, the more trust and impact you build.

Invest in continuous capability building.

The skills that made marketers successful in the past won’t be enough on their own. AI, data, and evolving formats require ongoing innovation in how teams operate and the skills they develop.

Organize for speed and adaptability.

The digital advertising ecosystem is evolving swiftly. Teams that embrace experimentation, agility, and cross-functional collaboration will stay ahead of the curve.

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PubMatic is a leading AI-powered ad tech company delivering digital advertising performance. Through an intelligent, unified platform that connects buyers, publishers, data partners, and commerce media networks, PubMatic delivers superior performance with greater transparency, control, and efficiency.

About John Petralia

John Petralia, is CMO at PubMatic