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StackAdapt launches AI assistant Ivy for programmatic advertising

StackAdapt introduces Ivy™, an AI-powered in-platform assistant helping marketers make faster data-driven decisions across campaign lifecycle with 1,700 early messages.

Luis Rijo

• 5 min read
StackAdapt campaign setup interface showing Set Up, Bid & Goal, and Targeting tabs with channel selection dropdown
StackAdapt campaign setup interface showing Set Up, Bid & Goal, and Targeting tabs with channel selection dropdown

StackAdapt announced on July 9, 2025, the launch of Ivy™, an artificial intelligence-powered assistant integrated directly into its programmatic advertising platform. The Toronto-based company positioned the tool as designed to help agencies and brands accelerate decision-making throughout campaign management processes.

According to the announcement, Ivy™ processed more than 1,700 in-platform messages during the 30 days leading up to its launch. Users commonly requested recommended CPMs for Connected TV campaigns and ad specifications for Digital Out-of-Home and native advertising formats. These early interactions demonstrate the assistant's dual role in campaign planning and platform navigation.

Yang Han, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at StackAdapt, explained the development approach behind Ivy™. "We've built our platform on advanced AI, and now Ivy™ puts that power directly into the hands of our clients," Han stated. The executive emphasized that the assistant represents a step forward in delivering intelligent automation designed for business growth rather than mere efficiency.

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Summary

Who: StackAdapt, a Toronto-based technology company in advertising and marketing, launched the AI assistant with development led by Co-founder and CTO Yang Han.

What: Ivy™ is an in-platform AI assistant designed to help agencies and brands make faster, precise decisions across campaign lifecycles through real-time insights, personalized assistance, and natural language queries.

When: The announcement occurred on July 9, 2025, following 30 days of pre-launch testing that generated more than 1,700 user messages.

Where: Ivy™ is available in-platform for StackAdapt clients across North America, accessible through the company's existing programmatic advertising platform.

Why: The assistant addresses growing demand for solutions that help marketers navigate advertising technology fragmentation while unlocking efficiency at scale, supporting StackAdapt's broader strategy to unify martech and adtech under one platform.

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Technical capabilities and market positioning

The AI assistant draws on audience behavior analytics and performance pattern data to enhance marketing decision-making across vertical markets. B2B marketers can surface performance data quickly and develop high-intent audience strategies through automated recommendations. Retail teams receive real-time insights for seasonal campaign optimization, while travel marketers can identify trending destinations and streamline targeting approaches.

Ivy™ operates through natural language prompts, enabling marketers to extract insights without navigating multiple dashboard interfaces. The system offers three primary functions: precise targeting through interest-based data refinement, faster insights via natural language queries for performance metrics, and on-demand guidance serving as a knowledge base for platform navigation and optimization strategies.

StackAdapt's recent partnerships demonstrate the company's focus on infrastructure optimization and intelligent automation. The platform's integration with Index Exchange for ad podding technology resulted in 71% query per second reduction and 25% peak win rate increases, positioning StackAdapt at the forefront of programmatic television advertising technology.

Industry context and competitive landscape

The launch occurs as agentic AI becomes increasingly integral to modern marketing operations. According to StackAdapt's analysis, the technology addresses growing demand for solutions that help marketers navigate fragmentation across advertising technology platforms while unlocking efficiency at scale.

Programmatic advertising has experienced significant momentum around curation practices and intelligent automation. Major platforms including Google Ad Manager and Microsoft Advertising have integrated advanced frameworks into their operations, signaling fundamental shifts in how digital advertising inventory is packaged and delivered.

StackAdapt differentiated its approach by embedding intelligence into every stage of campaign activation rather than offering standalone AI-powered tools. The company emphasized building automation for business outcomes rather than automation for its own sake. This positioning contrasts with competitors who may focus primarily on efficiency metrics.

Performance metrics and early adoption

During the pre-launch testing phase, Ivy™ demonstrated practical applications across multiple advertising verticals. The assistant helped marketers refine targeting strategies through data-driven recommendations and provided AI-driven guidance from campaign setup through optimization phases. These capabilities create faster workflows while maintaining marketer control over strategic decisions.

The platform's artificial intelligence capabilities process 465 billion automated optimizations per second across StackAdapt's Marketing Platform. This infrastructure supports the AI assistant's ability to deliver real-time insights and personalized assistance throughout campaign lifecycles.

StackAdapt's footfall attribution partnership with Adsquare illustrates the company's approach to unified measurement capabilities. The integration allows advertisers to track in-store visits after digital ad exposure, providing comprehensive campaign performance data that complements Ivy™'s analytical capabilities.

Broader implications for marketing technology

The AI assistant launch reflects StackAdapt's broader innovation strategy to unify marketing technology and advertising technology while reducing industry fragmentation. As marketing and advertising technologies converge, solutions like Ivy™ address marketer demands for tools that navigate complexity without sacrificing campaign performance.

Connected TV advertising represents a significant growth area where AI assistance proves valuable. Recent Netflix programmatic expansion demonstrates growing sophistication in automated advertising technology across streaming platforms, creating opportunities for AI-powered optimization tools.

The development aligns with industry trends toward intelligent programmatic advertising solutions. Privacy-first measurement solutions have gained traction as marketers seek tools that connect digital advertising to real-world outcomes while maintaining compliance with data protection regulations.

Geographic availability and access

Ivy™ is currently available to StackAdapt clients across North America through the company's in-platform interface. The assistant operates within StackAdapt's existing technology infrastructure, requiring no additional integrations or setup processes for current platform users.

The AI assistant's natural language processing capabilities support campaign optimization across programmatic advertising channels including native, display, video, Connected TV, audio, in-game, and Digital Out-of-Home advertising formats. This comprehensive channel support reflects StackAdapt's multi-channel programmatic advertising approach.

Technical development and future roadmap

StackAdapt developed Ivy™ as an extension of its existing artificial intelligence capabilities rather than as a standalone tool. The assistant leverages the platform's machine learning infrastructure and audience data analytics to provide contextual recommendations based on campaign performance patterns.

The company's focus on agentic AI positions Ivy™ within broader industry movement toward intelligent assistance that supports strategic decision-making. Rather than replacing human oversight, the tool enhances marketer capabilities through data-driven insights and automated optimization recommendations.

Industry standards for AI in advertising continue evolving as organizations evaluate different AI use cases against brand and business requirements. StackAdapt's approach emphasizes practical applications that deliver measurable business outcomes rather than experimental implementations.

The assistant's development timeline involved extensive testing and refinement based on user interaction patterns. The 1,700 pre-launch messages provided data on common use cases and optimization opportunities, informing the final feature set and user interface design.

Market significance for digital advertising

Ivy™'s introduction highlights the acceleration of AI adoption within programmatic advertising platforms. The tool addresses specific pain points in campaign management while maintaining the strategic control that marketing professionals require for brand differentiation.

The assistant's ability to surface insights through natural language queries represents advancement in user interface design for advertising technology platforms. Traditional dashboard navigation often requires multiple steps to access performance data, while conversational interfaces streamline information retrieval.

StackAdapt's positioning as the first programmatic advertising platform to natively unify owned and paid media provides context for Ivy™'s development. The assistant extends this unified approach by offering guidance across multiple campaign types and optimization strategies within a single interface.

The AI assistant launch occurs alongside significant investments in programmatic infrastructure optimization. StackAdapt's recent partnerships with Samba TV for Connected TV measurement and targeting demonstrate the company's comprehensive approach to intelligent automation across advertising channels.

Timeline