Analyst Relations Is the New PR for AdTech and MarTech: 5W Releases the AdTech & MarTech Analyst Relations Playbook 2026

Forrester, Gartner, IDC, and the new wave of independent analysts are now the most reliable shortcut to enterprise pipeline in AdTech and MarTech — and most companies are running analyst programs the way they ran PR in 2015

NEW YORK, June 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 5W, the AI Communications Firm, today released the AdTech & MarTech Analyst Relations Playbook 2026, a strategic guide for B2B technology leaders building category positioning, enterprise credibility, and pipeline through analyst influence. The Playbook is built on 5W's work with growth-stage and enterprise AdTech and MarTech companies and codifies what separates analyst programs that drive enterprise revenue from analyst programs that produce nothing but coffee meetings.

The category context

In 2026, enterprise CMOs and CIOs evaluating AdTech and MarTech vendors begin their research in three places: AI answer engines, peer references, and analyst reports. Analyst influence has shifted from a category-credibility nice-to-have to the most reliable shortcut to enterprise pipeline in both AdTech and MarTech. The companies running modern analyst programs are converting analyst recognition into procurement-cycle acceleration. The companies running 2015-era analyst programs are being asked to defend their category position to buyers who already have a preferred vendor.

What the Playbook covers

The analyst landscape in 2026. Forrester, Gartner, IDC, ABI Research, Omdia — and the rise of independent voices including category-specific analysts and creator-analysts who now influence enterprise procurement at material scale.

The category-positioning playbook. How to define, defend, and own a sub-category in analyst frameworks — and when to refuse to be placed in someone else's category.

The briefing cadence. Frequency, format, and what to bring to each session. What analysts actually want versus what vendors typically deliver.

The Magic Quadrant / Wave / MarketScape preparation protocol. A 12-month preparation timeline, including the customer-reference playbook, the product-roadmap narrative, and the vision-versus-execution balance most vendors get backwards.

AI-era category positioning. How AI-powered AdTech and MarTech categories — agentic CDPs, GenAI personalization, multimodal creative — are being defined inside analyst firms in real time, and how to influence definition rather than chase it.

Earned-media as analyst influence multiplier. Why coverage in Adweek, Digiday, MarTech Today, AdExchanger, and Forbes compounds analyst recognition — and which placements analysts actually read.

The metrics that matter. How to convert analyst program outputs into pipeline-attributable revenue.

From Ronn Torossian, founder and chairman of 5W:

"Analyst relations is where AdTech and MarTech vendors win or lose enterprise deals — and most are running the program the way they ran PR a decade ago. Analyst influence has compounded inside enterprise procurement to the point where a strong placement in the right Forrester Wave is worth more than fifty trade-press placements. The vendors that figure this out are running analyst programs as a revenue function, not a marketing function. The vendors that don't are spending their AR budget on coffee."

Sectors covered

Programmatic and DSPs, SSPs and exchanges, identity and clean rooms, retail media, CTV and addressable TV, attribution and measurement, CDPs, marketing automation, AI-driven personalization, performance marketing platforms, and the emerging AI-agent category.

The full Playbook is available at no cost at 5wpr.com/research/adtech-martech-analyst-relations-playbook-2026/.

About 5W

5W is the AI Communications Firm — building brand authority across the platforms where decisions now happen: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, and influencer channels. 5W combines public relations, digital marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and proprietary AI visibility research to help clients measure and grow their presence in AI-driven buyer research.

Founded in 2002, 5W is recognized as a Top U.S. PR Agency by O'Dwyer's, named Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards®, honored as a 2026 Top Place to Work in Communications by Ragan, and named to Digiday's WorkLife Employer of the Year list. 5W serves clients across B2C sectors — Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, and Nonprofit — and B2B specialties including Corporate Communications, Reputation Management, Public Affairs, Crisis Communications, and Digital Marketing across Social, Influencer, Paid Media, GEO, and SEO.

Learn more at 5wpr.com

Media Contact
Chris Bergin
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SOURCE 5W Public Relations