Only ten seats remaining

Secure your place at the Digiday Media Buying Summit in Nashville, March 2-4

REGISTER

The difference between adtech and martech

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that venture capitalists see greater value in marketing technology (or MarTech) than advertising technology (or AdTech), simplifying the difference down to a matter of billing structure. AdTech tends to follow a “media-based” business model, whereas MarTech relies on “subscription-based” model.

Media buys might have bigger peaks, but they are also more ephemeral. Subscriptions are predictable, reliable revenue. For venture capitalists, it’s a no brainer. But for digital marketers, the differences between AdTech and MarTech go far deeper than billing structure. They’re rooted in and limited by the data points at their core.

This video delves into those differences, and their influence over how this technology has evolved, to determine whether “MadTech” is really the future or destined to be the next “Kimye.”

More from Digiday

From feeds to streets: How mega influencer Haley Baylee is diversifying beyond platform algorithms 

Kalil is partnering with LinkNYC to take her social media content into the real world and the streets of NYC.

‘A brand trip’: How the creator economy showed up at this year’s Super Bowl

Super Bowl 2026 had more on-the-ground brand activations and creator participation than ever, showcasing how it’s become a massive IRL moment for the creator economy.

Future of Marketing Briefing: AI’s branding problem is why marketers keep it off the label

The reputational downside is clearer than the branding upside, which makes discretion the safer strategy.