At A Glance
CES 2026 showed that AdTech in 2026 will depend on strong data foundations, intentional media buying, and measurable outcomes. Agentic AI systems that can act, optimize, and transact on behalf of marketers emerged as a defining force, but only where data is accurate and privacy-first. Curation is becoming a standard buying approach as AI-powered systems prioritize quality and control. And activation and measurement are finally aligning through identity, allowing AI-driven decisions to be evaluated against real business results.Year after year, CES signals where marketing is headed next. In 2026, the message was clear. Progress comes from connecting data, intelligence, and outcomes with discipline, not spectacle. Across AI, programmatic media, and measurement, the same priorities surfaced again and again.
Under the bright lights of Las Vegas, three themes cutthrough,and each one pointed to a future where data, intelligence, and outcomes move in lockstep.
Here are the three themes that defined CES 2026.
1. Agentic AI proved that it’s only as good as its data inputs
AI was once again the star of the show. At CES 2026, marketers focused less on demos and more on proof that AI improves decisions, reduces friction, and drives outcomes. Every credible use case traced back to accurate, privacy-first data.
What changed at CES was how that intelligence is being applied. Agentic AI systems designed to act autonomously are moving beyond insights and into execution. From media buying to optimization, these agents are increasingly expected to make decisions at speed and scale. That shift raises the stakes for data quality. When AI is operating campaigns, not just informing them, accuracy and privacy are non-negotiable.
“This year’s CES made agency priorities crystal clear. Efficiency, differentiation, and outcomes. As agentic AI takes on more responsibility across planning, activation, and measurement, Experian gives agencies a robust data and identity foundation they can trust to own the outcome for every client.”
ExperianGreg Williams, Chief Operating Officer
Without accurate, privacy-compliant data, AI agents struggle to reflect real behavior or support responsible personalization. A reliable, privacy-first data foundation is what turns AI from an interesting experiment into an operational advantage.
That advantage gets even stronger when it’s anchored in an identity graph that understands people and households across channels. When identity and intelligence move together, AI becomes more accurate, accountable, and effective at driving outcomes.
In an AI first world, the strongest signal isn’t scale. It’s data quality.
2. Curation goes mainstream
Curation is no longer experimental. At CES, it showed up as a mandated capability for buyers and sellers navigating fragmented signals and complex supply paths. Marketers want intentional media buys they can explain, defend, and repeat.
AI is accelerating this shift. As AI systems take on more responsibility for planning, packaging, and optimization, curation provides the guardrails. It defines what “good” looks like (premium supply, trusted data, and clear performance goals), and allows AI to operate within those constraints driving the optimal outcomes for marketers.
“Our sell-side clients walked into CES asking how to stand out in a crowded landscape. The answer kept coming back to data-driven curation. With Experian Audiences and Curated Deals, SSPs and publishers can improve targeting within PMPs, package inventory more intelligently, and prove value with confidence. As we head into 2026, data is no longer a supporting input. It needs to be at the center of every conversation.”
ExperianChris Meredith, Head of Sell-Side
Rather than maximizing inventory access, curation prioritizes control, transparency, and performance. Buyers want premium supply aligned to specific goals. Sellers want clearer paths to demand. They can play the odds or own the outcome. When data leads, they own it. When curation is powered by high-fidelity audiences and a connected identity framework, it becomes even stronger. That’s what allows curated deals to deliver clarity, confidence, and repeatable performance.
This shift reflects a broader move away from probability-based buying toward outcome ownership, where AI-driven systems are measured not on activity, but on results.
3. Activation and measurement finally shared the same stage
Activation and measurement are now coming together around shared data and identity. CES 2026 marked a turning point where closing the loop felt achievable, not aspirational. Both the buy-side and sell-side face pressure to show that media investment drives outcomes.
Agentic AI was a quiet driver of this optimism. As AI agents increasingly manage activation decisions in real time, marketers need measurement systems that can keep up. That requires a shared data and identity foundation. One that allows AI-driven actions to be evaluated against outcomes consistently, across channels and partners.
In healthcare, accuracy is everything. Our clients need to reach patients and healthcare professionals in ways that respect privacy while driving meaningful outcomes. CES underscored that privacy, identity, and measurement must work in harmony. That’s how health marketers reduce risk and increase the likelihood that every message leads to better care.
ExperianSheila Wirick, Sales Director, Health
Achieving that requires a consistent identity spine that connects planning, activation, and outcomes across channels. And that spine is strongest when it’s built on accurate, privacy-first data and audiences that understand people and households. That connection allows marketers to move beyond proxy metrics and evaluate performance based on tangible results. When campaigns and measurement rely on the same data foundation, AI-driven platforms can optimize toward outcomes such as new customers, account growth, or in-store activity, not just delivery metrics.
That’s the connective layer that turns disconnected touch points into a measurable, outcomes-based system.
Three takeaways from CES 2026
- AI is maturing, but only for teams withaccurate, connected, privacy-first data that AI agents can act on responsibly.
- Curation is scaling, giving both humans and AI systems clearer paths to quality, control, and differentiation.
- Activation and measurement are aligning, allowing AI-driven decisions to be judged on outcomes, not assumptions.
We’re building for that world today. One where agentic AI operates on a trusted data and identity foundation, curation defines the rules, and outcomes determine success. With the right foundation and the deep data inputs, you can move faster, reduce risk, and let intelligence (human and artificial) work together to deliver results that last long after the neon lights fade.
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FAQs
The biggest shift was the move from hype to accountability. Marketers focused on data quality, intentional media buying, and outcome-based measurement rather than experimental technology.
Privacy-first data supports accuracy, compliance, and trust. AI models built on unreliable or opaque data struggle to reflect real consumer behavior and create risk for brands. At Experian, privacy and compliance are built in. Every data signal, attribute, audience, and partner goes through our rigorous review process to meet federal, state, and local consumer privacy laws. With decades of experience in highly regulated industries, we’ve built processes that emphasize risk mitigation, transparency, and accountability.
Curation simplifies buying by pairing premium inventory with specific audience and performance goals. This approach reduces waste and creates clearer, more repeatable buying paths. With the acquisition of Audigent, Experian is now more than just a premier data provider. We’re also a full-service curation partner. Together, we deliver end-to-end programmatic curation across data, inventory, and optimization, helping brands and publishers unlock smarter, more scalable media strategies.
It means using the same identity and data foundation to plan campaigns and evaluate results. This alignment allows marketers to measure success based on business outcomes, not just delivery metrics. With Experian, marketers can plan, reach, and measure in a connected cycle. Every impression is measurable. Every audience is accurate. Every decision is powered by data ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset.
Identity connects data across channels and stages of the customer journey. It enables accurate AI, effective curation, and consistent measurement within one system. Experian delivers identity resolution at the scale, accuracy, and compliance required by the world’s largest enterprises. Our solutions are:
– Built on trust: Backed by 40+ years as a regulated data steward and rated #1 in data accuracy by Truthset, so you can act with confidence.
– Powered by our proprietary AI-enhanced identity graph: Combining breadth, accuracy, and recency across four billion identifiers, continuously refined by machine learning for maximum accuracy.
– Seamlessly connected: Pre-built data integration with leading CDPs, DSPs, and MarTech platforms for faster time to value.
– Always up to date: Frequent enrichment and near-real-time identity resolution through Activity Feed for timely personalization and more responsive customer engagement.
– Privacy-first by design: Compliance with GLBA, FCRA, and emerging state regulations baked in at every step, supported by rigorous partner vetting.
Latest posts
In our Ask the Expert Series, we interview leaders from our partner organizations who are helping lead their brands to new heights in AdTech. Today’s interview is with Allison Dewey (Director, Data & Curation) at 33Across. Navigating complexity in digital advertising Digital advertising is more fragmented and privacy-constrained than ever. How is 33Across helping marketers cut through that complexity to drive real outcomes, and what makes your approach distinct? Reaching audiences without compromising scale or performance is one of the toughest challenges for marketers. Users consume content across multiple devices and channels, making it difficult for marketers to identify and accurately target them with the right message. 33Across segments leverage AI-powered contextual and behavioral signals across privacy-safe environments to help marketers accurately identify audiences, whether they’re streaming content on their connected TV or researching products on their mobile device. What sets us apart is that we don’t just identify valuable audiences; we help marketers also target cookieless inventory and power it with real-time signals. Marketplace integration milestones What excites you most about bringing 33Across audiences into Experian’s data marketplace? We’re excited to bring 33Across audiences into Experian’s data marketplace because it connects our unique segments with a powerful data ecosystem that marketers already trust. Buyers looking to activate audiences that are both privacy-safe and performant continue to tap into the Experian data marketplace for high-quality, high-performing data. We offer a wide range of audience verticals, including B2B, demographic, retail purchase data, interest and intent, and political data. In addition, we offer the ability to create custom segments across verticals. Our intent-based audiences, built from contextual and engagement signals, help buyers reach consumers on CTV, desktop, or mobile devices with scale. Being part of Experian’s data marketplace accelerates access to these audiences, drives better ROI, and helps brands future-proof their strategies today. Retail demand signals Retail brands are racing toward privacy-safe, first-party data. Which 33Across retail datasets or segments are experiencing the highest demand, and what makes them a must-have? Retail marketers are leaning into contextual and behavioral intent signals to complement their first-party data strategies. At 33Across, we’re seeing high demand for segments tied to shopping intent, including in-market consumers browsing for categories like fashion, home goods, electronics, and health & wellness. What makes these segments essential is their real-time nature – they can capture consumer interest as it happens. For retail brands looking to expand their reach while respecting privacy, our segments offer scalable, actionable intent that drives results. B2B without cookies Reaching real B2B decision-makers at scale is tough with or without signals. How does 33Across deliver both precision and reach in this environment? B2B marketing often struggles with balancing scale and specificity. 33Across addresses this by combining contextual precision with AI-modeled behavioral signals; this segment approach reaches professionals actively engaging with relevant content and topics, even in environments where IDs are unavailable. Marketers gain access to more signals and, in turn, better reach from 33Across’ unique publisher integrations and audience curation built from machine learning and AI. We surface intent through content consumption patterns and contextual engagement, unlocking valuable, privacy-safe signals at scale. Allowing B2B marketers to reach real decision-makers in a signal-sparse world. Use cases With retail, B2B, and beyond, can you share an example of how brands in these verticals are utilizing your audiences? Top brands that have a user-focused approach use 33Across audiences to drive scale; performance. These brands enable our segments to precisely reach the right users across devices and increase conversion rates; brand awareness. By reaching the right users, brands have higher conversion rates and increase campaign efficiency. Supply path innovation As identifiers disappear, advertisers are looking for scalable, privacy-safe ways to reach real people. How is 33Across helping unlock more addressable inventory and drive performance? By combining contextual, semantic, and engagement-based signals, we deliver intent-based targeting that performs across CTV, display and video. Higher addressability helps marketers not only extend their reach but also deliver personalized messaging across digital channels in a privacy-compliant way. Contact us About our expert Allison Dewey Director of Data and Curation, 33Across Allison Dewey is the Director of Data & Curation at 33Across, where she oversees data partnerships, integrations, and supply-side curation. With a deep expertise in audience targeting and signal optimization, Allison plays a key role in connecting data into the programmatic world. Allison holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Bates College. About 33Across Rooted in over 15 years of data expertise, 33Across harnesses signals to enrich and expand marketers’ audiences and reach them wherever they consume content. Built from over 300 billion proprietary data signals, we apply machine learning and AI to create over 1,500 B2C and B2B segments using privacy-first principles to reach audiences. Cookieless targeting FAQs How can advertisers reach audiences without traditional identifiers? By using contextual and engagement-based signals, advertisers can target consumers across CTV, mobile, and desktop in a privacy compliant way, even as identifiers become less available. What audience segments are most in demand for retail marketers? Segments tied to shopping intent, such as consumers browsing fashion, electronics, or health products, are highly sought after because they capture real time interest and drive results. How can B2B marketers find decision-makers without cookies? Combining content engagement patterns with machine learning allows marketers to reach professionals actively engaging with relevant topics, even in environments where IDs are unavailable. What makes privacy safe audience targeting effective? Privacy safe targeting uses real time contextual and behavioral signals to deliver relevant messaging across devices and channels without compromising consumer trust. How can real-time intent signals drive demand? Real time intent signals allow advertisers to capture consumer interest as it happens, helping demand side platforms and brands deliver timely, relevant ads that increase engagement and drive conversions across devices like CTV, mobile, and desktop. Latest posts
Originally appeared in Adweek This holiday advertising season, identity is the real differentiator Marketers are betting big on AI to run their holiday advertising, using it to build predictive audiences, generate creative at scale, and optimize media buys in real time. The draw is clear: greater efficiency, delivered at scale. But here’s the problem: without a solid identity foundation, AI is just guessing. And in a year when consumers are cautious and competition is fierce, guesses won’t deliver the outcomes you need. Experian’s 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report shows that success this season will depend on connecting the right data to the right audiences in real time. Download the report now Are shoppers really using AI to make holiday purchases? Not yet. Only 12% of consumers plan to use AI tools to shop this season, mostly for finding discounts. Instead, trusted influences (like retailer websites, product reviews, and recommendations) still guide buying decisions. For marketers, that’s a signal to focus on credibility and connection. AI can support your holiday advertising strategy, but trust still wins the sale. Consumer sentiment heading into the holidays is low, but that could mislead marketers Here's why How marketers are really using AI in holiday advertising Behind the scenes, AI is working overtime. Teams use it to segment audiences, test creative, and optimize media in real time. These capabilities are powerful, but only if they’re grounded in accurate, persistent data. Think about the typical holiday shopper. They may browse a product online, validate it in store, and finally purchase days later from a different device than they used while browsing. If AI isn’t anchored in identity, it struggles to connect those touchpoints. Instead of amplifying relevance, it amplifies noise. See our predictions for Black Friday 2025 Why identity is the GPS for AI-driven holiday advertising Identity is what turns AI from a blunt instrument into an accurate tool. By unifying fragmented signals across channels and devices, identity provides the consistent consumer view that AI needs to be effective. With that foundation, AI can do more than churn out models. Instead, it can: Identify the right audiences and filter out waste Personalize with context, not just scale Measure real outcomes, linking exposures to visits and purchases Identity doesn’t just improve efficiency; it creates accountability. And in a season where every holiday advertising campaign dollar is scrutinized, accountability is the difference between investment and waste. Why connected data will make or break Cyber Week How to turn complexity into clarity this holiday season This year's holiday advertising season is complicated. Marketers are confident, consumers are cautious, and AI is somewhere in the middle. The challenge isn’t just speed or volume, it’s accuracy. By pairing AI with identity, you can adapt to real behavior instead of assumptions. You can build campaigns that are consistent across connected TV, retail media, and social platforms. And you can prove results when it matters most. AI isn’t a holiday miracle. But when it’s powered by identity, it can give you clarity in a noisy season and proof of performance when budgets are under scrutiny. Explore Experian's holiday audiences to activate this season What’s the real takeaway for marketers this season? Don’t assume AI alone will save your holiday advertising strategy. It won’t. Consumers still trust human voices more than machines, and your AI models are only as strong as the data beneath them. Identity is the difference between guesswork and accuracy, between activity and impact. This holiday season, the winners won’t be the brands that simply spend more or automate faster. They’ll be the ones that put identity at the core of their AI strategy and meet consumers where they really are. Download Experian’s 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report to see where consumers are spending and how identity can help your holiday advertising campaigns more effective. Download now About the author Colleen Dawe VP, Advertiser Partnerships, Experian Colleen Dawe is VP, Advertiser Partnerships at Experian Marketing Services, where she oversees revenue growth and client success, helping advertisers harness data and identity to fuel marketing strategies. With over 15 years of experience spanning TV and digital media, she brings deep expertise in data, identity, activation, and measurement to help her clients connect innovation with business outcomes. Holiday advertising FAQs Why isn’t AI enough on its own for holiday advertising? AI works best when it’s grounded in accurate data. Without identity, it can’t connect actions across devices or channels, which limits its effectiveness. How does identity improve AI-driven campaigns? Identity creates a single, persistent view of your audience. That means AI can personalize content, measure conversions, and cut waste with far greater accuracy. What does “identity” mean in marketing terms? It’s the data layer that connects people across their devices, browsers, and behaviors—so your campaigns reach real individuals. How can marketers prove ROI in holiday advertising? By tying exposure to verified outcomes—like store visits or purchases—using identity-linked data. That’s how Experian helps brands move from impressions to impact. Latest posts
What challenge did the pet brand face? A national e-commerce pet supplier wanted to expand into audio advertising to diversify beyond display campaigns. But with only one team member available to test this new channel, they faced three hurdles: Prove performance in a new channel Run lean with limited bandwidth Show purchase intent, engaged site visits, and completion rates fast They needed a partner to handle execution and supply optimization so their lean team could focus on strategy and selling audio internally. Hear how we're working with Audacy to help our clients connect beyond the screen Tune in here The solution: How did Experian Curated Deals help? Audigent, a part of Experian, ran point on setup, optimization, and real-time reporting. The brand turned to Experian Curated Deals. Together we: Streamlined access to curated inventory, cutting intermediaries and boosting efficiency Handled campaign setup and supply-side optimization Delivered real-time demand-side platform (DSP) reporting for agile targeting refinements Provided an extension of their in-house team, giving them bandwidth to focus on pitching audio internally “What stood out about Experian was their real-time control and the depth of their trading team. I knew I could hand them a campaign, and they’d run with it.”Programmatic Media Lead, National e-commerce pet supplier Want to see the full case study? Download it here What results did the campaign deliver? In just a few months, audio transformed from a small test into a top-performing channel: Exceeded KPIs by 63% Increased purchase intent and engagement vs. competing platforms Matched display performance without creative refreshes or incentive overlays Earned budget increases, positioning audio as a long-term investment Reduced internal setup time, freeing the team for strategic projects “Experian became more than just a media partner: they filled critical gaps that would typically require outsized investment in internal resourcing.”CMO, National e-commerce pet supplier Explore more examples of how brands are driving performance with Experian Windstar Cruises Leading athletic retailer Swiss Sense Why does this matter for marketers? For marketers, audio isn’t experimental anymore. It’s a proven channel that can drive both engagement and conversions. This case study shows how brands can: Use Experian Curated Deals to validate new channels with minimal risk. Lean on Experian to handle execution, freeing teams to focus on growth. Drive meaningful engagement and purchase intent, not just impressions. For marketers navigating limited resources and pressure to prove ROI fast, Experian Curated Deals provides both performance and confidence. Want to beat your campaign goals by double digits? Contact us today Curated Deals FAQs What is Experian Curated Deals? Experian Curated Deals streamline access to premium media inventory by eliminating unnecessary intermediaries, optimizing efficiency, and ensuring campaigns perform against KPIs. Why use curated deals for audio advertising? Curated deals help brands test and validate audio quickly, without the heavy lift of manual setup and supply path management. Can audio really drive conversions? Yes. In this case, audio campaigns not only exceeded awareness and engagement goals but also matched the conversion performance traditionally associated with display. How does Experian support lean teams? By managing setup, supply optimization, and reporting, Experian acts as an extension of your team, reducing internal workload while driving performance. Latest posts