Ten technology evaluation guides, built with the ANA, for smarter martech decisions.
CartographAI and the ANA have co-developed a series of practical evaluation guides, one for each of the ten AdTech and MarTech practice areas that CartographAI maps. They help marketing and procurement teams diagnose their needs, ask sharper questions, and choose vendors with confidence, well before the sales cycle starts.
A shared mission to build better buyers
Poorly scoped and poorly run RFPs create friction, waste, delay and missed value, and they leave buyers and vendors both worse off. The ANA and CartographAI joined forces to help teams build the technical acumen to avoid that.
How brand teams operate
The ANA brings deep knowledge of marketer needs, procurement practice and the realities of running a sourcing process inside large organizations.
How the technology fits together
CartographAI brings an independent map of the AdTech and MarTech ecosystem, with expert assessments of hundreds of vendors across ten practice areas.
The ANA knows how brand teams operate. CartographAI knows how the technology fits together. Better insights lead to better decisions.
One guide for each of the ten CartographAI practice areas
The series follows the CartographAI taxonomy, so every guide maps directly to the vendor categories and assessments on the platform.
Content Supply Chain
Ad Server, CMS, DAM, DCO, Creative Generation and Production, Creative Analytics, Creative Automation
Media Buying & Activation
DSP, SSP, Trafficking and Order Management, Social, Media Planning, Search, AI Native Ad Platforms, Mobile UA
Measurement Suites
Media Measurement (MMM, Incrementality, Attribution), Consumer Insights and Social Listening, Call Tracking
Identity & Activation
CDP, CRM, Identity Resolution, Customer Engagement and Lifecycle Marketing, Audience and Data Providers
Brand Inventory & Quality
Brand Safety and Verification, Curation and Custom Algorithms
PR, Influencers & Comms
Influencer Management and Measurement, Public Relations, Community and Reviews, Loyalty and Referral
Commerce & Retail Media Enablement
E-commerce Platforms, Retail and Commerce Media, Affiliate and Creator Commerce
Mobile, Web & Content
A/B Testing, Personalization, Tag and SDK Management, SEO, AEO/GEO, Mobile Measurement, App Store Optimization
Governance, Workflows, Operations
Marketing Workflow, Quality Assurance for marketing ops, data and creative
Data, Infrastructure, Clean Rooms
Analytics and BI, Data Collaboration and Clean Rooms, Marketing Data Infrastructure
From diagnosis to a defensible shortlist
Each guide follows the same structure, so teams can move from understanding a category to running a rigorous evaluation in one document.
| Dimension | 1Fragmented | 3Functional | 5Optimized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asset findability | Assets live in shared drives and email | DAM exists, search is inconsistent | Single source of truth, AI-assisted search |
| Workflow governance | Approvals via email and spreadsheets | Tools in place, no enforcement | Automated approvals, SLAs, full audit trail |
| Creative measurement | No visibility into what performs | Basic reporting, not linked to variants | Creative attributes tied to outcomes |
- OverviewWhat this tech area doesA plain-language map of the components in the category and how they connect.
- DiagnoseDiagnosing your current stateA 1 to 5 self-assessment, observable symptoms, a build vs. buy vs. configure spectrum, and which component to prioritize.
- ScreenQuick screeningThe top ten questions to ask before committing to a full RFP.
- WatchRed flagsWhat to look for in vendor responses, from closed ecosystems to AI that never connects to measurement.
- TargetWhat good looks likeA clear picture of the future-state architecture, sized to your business rather than the biggest suite.
- MeasureBusiness impact and KPIsThe outcomes to expect and hold vendors to: cycle time, reuse, cost per asset, performance uplift.
- FindAdMap mappingHow the category maps to CartographAI, so you can move straight to independent vendor research.
- AppendixDetailed RFP questions and glossaryA ready-to-use question bank for formal RFPs, plus shared definitions for every stakeholder.
One shared language for marketing and procurement
The best technology decisions happen when marketers and procurement evaluate together. The guides give both teams the same framework, the same questions and the same definition of success.
Buy for the outcome, not the demo
- Understand what a category actually does before talking to vendors
- Pinpoint where your stack is underperforming and what to fix first
- Separate genuine AI capability from roadmap promises
- Tie technology choices to measurable business impact
Run a sharper, faster, fairer process
- Scope RFPs to the right layer instead of the whole stack
- Use a vetted question bank that compares vendors like for like
- Spot red flags in vendor responses early
- Consider fix, configure and extend options before replacement
Also useful for IT and data teams assessing integration, interoperability and governance.
The stack is getting harder to buy well
Every platform claims to do everything
Overlapping capabilities make it difficult to see what a vendor owns, what it integrates, and where it truly excels.
AI is moving faster than evaluation
The pace of AI-driven product development makes it harder to separate real capability from marketing. Structured questions restore clarity.
Better RFPs benefit everyone
Clear requirements shorten sales cycles, reduce wasted spend and help strong vendors show what they do best.