Programmatic buying of rich‑media assets has been gaining traction as marketers look for ways to combine the scalability of automated transactions with the visual impact of custom creative. In markets such as Southeast Europe, however, the supply of high‑quality, ready‑to‑run interactive ads has lagged behind demand. By pairing Airtory’s extensive format library with ADWEB’s inventory and client relationships, the two companies hope to close that gap and give advertisers a more efficient route from concept to delivery.
The press release highlighted a projected 25 % lift in engagement compared with “standard industry benchmarks.” While the figure originates from Airtory’s internal testing, the claim underscores a broader industry trend: interactive elements—whether a skin that wraps a page, an interscroller that reveals content as users scroll, or a sticky header that remains visible—tend to generate higher click‑through and view‑through rates than static banners. If the partnership can deliver those gains at scale, it could set a new performance baseline for the region’s digital campaigns.
Inside the integrated platform suite
- Airtory serves as the backbone for programmatic rich‑media, delivering more than 450 interactive ad formats. Formats such as skins, interscrollers, and 3D assets are pre‑built and can be deployed across display, mobile and connected‑TV environments without the need for bespoke development.
- Social Display translates high‑performing organic posts from platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook into display ads. The tool automates the conversion, allowing brands to repurpose social‑first content for broader web placements while preserving the original visual language.
- ADCTV focuses on interactive video for connected‑TV and over‑the‑top (OTT) services. It generates VAST/VPAID‑compatible tags that can be inserted into any major CTV network, turning passive video spots into shoppable or otherwise interactive experiences.
By bundling these capabilities, advertisers can manage creative production, trafficking and performance reporting from a single dashboard, reducing the need for multiple vendors and the associated coordination overhead.
Market context: programmatic rich media and CTV in 2026
The ad‑tech landscape in 2026 is defined by two converging forces. First, programmatic channels now dominate display buying, with most spend flowing through automated exchanges. Second, the rise of CTV and OTT platforms has expanded the inventory pool, but many advertisers still struggle to apply the same level of creative sophistication they use on desktop or mobile to the TV screen.
Airtory’s ADCTV product addresses the latter challenge by offering interactive video tags that are compatible with the fragmented standards across CTV ecosystems. According to industry analysts, interactive CTV ads are projected to account for roughly 15 % of total TV ad spend by 2027, up from under 5 % a few years earlier. The partnership with ADWEB positions both firms to capture a share of that growing demand in markets that have historically been slower to adopt CTV advertising.
Leadership perspective
Julian Frachtman, co‑founder and chief executive of Airtory, emphasized the quality of the ad experience as a differentiator in the current market. “In 2026, the quality of the ad experience is the ultimate differentiator,” he said. “By bringing our full suite—Airtory, Social Display, and ADCTV—to the ADWEB ecosystem, we are giving marketers in Greece, Cyprus, and Romania a frictionless path to creative excellence across every digital touchpoint.”
Spyros Papageorgiou, chief executive of ADWEB, framed the collaboration as a strategic move to keep the agency ahead of regional trends. “The digital advertising landscape in Southeast Europe is evolving rapidly, and ADWEB’s role is to ensure our partners are always ahead of that curve. This partnership with Airtory is a deliberate strategic move — one that gives us a best‑in‑class creative layer across display, social, and most critically, CTV. Interactive video is no longer a future conversation; it is where premium brand investment is heading right now, and ADCTV positions our clients to capture that shift before their competitors do. We are not simply adding another tool — we are redefining the creative standard for the region.”
Both executives underscored the immediacy of the rollout, noting that Airtory’s formats are already being integrated into ADWEB’s regional ad‑tech stack.
Potential impact on advertisers
For brands operating in Greece, Cyprus and Romania, the partnership could simplify the traditionally fragmented process of launching rich‑media campaigns. Instead of contracting separate vendors for creative development, programmatic trafficking and CTV integration, advertisers can now source all three through a single point of contact. This consolidation may lead to faster time‑to‑market, reduced production costs and more consistent measurement across channels.
The promised 25 % engagement uplift, if realized at scale, could also affect budgeting decisions. Higher performance typically translates into better cost‑per‑action metrics, allowing marketers to allocate more spend to interactive formats without sacrificing return on investment. Moreover, the ability to repurpose social‑first content via Social Display could lower creative spend for campaigns that rely heavily on user‑generated or influencer material.
Competitive considerations
Airtory’s move mirrors a broader industry pattern where ad‑tech providers bundle creative, data and delivery capabilities to stay competitive against larger platforms such as Google’s Display & Video 360 or Meta’s unified ad solutions. By focusing on a niche—interactive rich media and CTV—Airtory differentiates itself from the generic offerings of the major players.
ADWEB, meanwhile, strengthens its value proposition against regional rivals like Adform and Criteo, which have also been expanding into CTV. The partnership gives ADWEB a proprietary creative engine rather than relying on third‑party templates, potentially attracting premium advertisers seeking a more tailored experience.
Looking ahead
While the announcement provides a clear roadmap for integrating Airtory’s tools into ADWEB’s workflow, the real test will be in the execution phase. Key performance indicators such as fill rates, viewability and cross‑device attribution will determine whether the promised engagement boost materializes. Industry observers will also watch how quickly other agencies in the region respond—whether by forming similar partnerships or by developing in‑house capabilities.
If the collaboration succeeds, it could serve as a template for other mid‑size agencies looking to augment their tech stack without building a full creative platform from scratch. The model—pairing a specialized creative engine with an established regional buyer—offers a scalable path to meet the rising demand for interactive, programmatically delivered ads across Europe and beyond.
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