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2024 has been another transformative year for advertisers.
For much of the year, marketing teams braced for Google’s long-anticipated deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome…only for the search giant to change its plans for the third time. (At least the preparation wasn’t in vain, as the pivot doesn’t actually change much for marketing teams.)
Meanwhile, generative AI took the industry by storm, and advertisers began to explore how to leverage the technology to drive real impact while avoiding its notable risks.
The TV landscape continued its evolution, with streaming dominating consumers’ (and advertisers’) engagement with the Paris Olympics.
On the regulatory front, industry scrutiny reached new heights: from the TikTok ban bill; to new regulations around consumer privacy, social media, and AI; to the continuation of antitrust cases against Google and Amazon (one of which ended with a ruling labeling Google a monopolist and prompting the US Justice Department to request a forced sale of Chrome).
And we haven’t even gotten into the marketing brilliance behind Charli XCX’s Brat campaign or Nutter Butter’s bizarre yet effective social media strategy! Truly, 2024 was one for the books.
To wrap up the year and set the stage for 2025, we’ve rounded up our most-read articles from 2024. Dive in below to revisit the stories that shaped this past year—and will continue to impact the industry in the year ahead.
From new state-level consumer privacy regulations, to the introduction of a bill that would establish a comprehensive federal consumer privacy framework, to the rise in false advertising lawsuits and regulation, to discussions over how to regulate AI, the regulatory environment evolved considerably in 2024. This comprehensive article explores these developments, as well as how they impact advertising and marketing professionals.
While the oldest members of Generation Alpha are currently only 14 years old, the demographic will outnumber baby boomers by 2025 and garner a whopping $5.46 trillion in spending power by 2029. With these digital natives set to take the market by storm in just a few years, the time for marketing teams to begin understanding them is now. Here, learn how Gen Alpha is poised to transform the ways advertisers connect with their audiences, and see what marketers can do to set themselves up for success.
In April 2024, President Biden signed a bill into law that gives TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, one year to either sell the app to a US company or face a nationwide ban. Despite the lingering risks, TikTok’s transformative impact on the advertising industry endures: Ad spend on the platform has grown 41.2% year-over-year, and it’s projected to grow by another 25.9% in 2025. This piece unpacks the app’s impact on consumers and advertisers from a variety of angles, providing a comprehensive resource for marketers looking to understand both how to make the most of the platform and to navigate the uncertainty surrounding its future.
Gartner has predicted that, by 2026, traditional search engine volume will drop by a quarter due to of the rise of AI-powered chatbots and other virtual agents. While AI is set to transform the search engine marketing landscape, uncertainty remains around just what that will look like and how advertisers can prepare. Here, paid search expert Robert Kurtz, Group VP of Search Media Solutions at Basis, explores what the future may hold and how marketing teams can set themselves up for success.
As generative AI’s use and influence continue to grow, regulators are scrambling to establish frameworks for safeguarding the public from its associated risks. This article examines the current regulatory landscape in the US and abroad and provides guidance for advertisers looking to leverage AI in ethical and compliant ways.
Advertising agencies have been through the ringer in recent years, struggling with economic and financial pressures. These challenges have been compounded by major industry paradigm shifts, like the intensification of signal loss and the rise of AI. To make sense of these evolutions and provide guidance for agency leaders looking to position their organizations to excel in the years to come, we brought together five industry veterans to share their insights and advice.
From automating content creation to optimizing ad targeting, AI is influencing how advertisers approach the fragmented social media landscape. This piece explores how to harness the technology to deliver more personalized and effective campaigns, as well as how to safeguard against the risks associated with some of these AI-driven tools.
As advertisers continue to grapple with signal loss and brace for Chrome’s forthcoming cookie-related changes, they must set up new systems and strategies for approaching campaign measurement and attribution. This article delves into how marketers must reimagine their approach to measurement and evaluates alternative strategies and tools that are better suited to a privacy-first digital environment.
Concerns about social media’s impact on online privacy and mental health have intensified in recent years, particularly when it comes to children and teens. In response, regulators have proposed a variety of new efforts aimed at mitigating these harms. This piece explores the potential implications for advertisers, as well as recommendations for how to approach paid social while staying both compliant and informed.
TV viewing has transformed dramatically over the past decade, evolving from a straightforward experience into a deeply fragmented one. Viewers now navigate a maze of devices, platforms, and content, adding significant complexity to advertisers' work. Here, we explore the rise of convergent TV, illuminating how advertisers can effectively navigate this disjointed and quickly evolving space.
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Looking for insights into the major trends that will impact the advertising landscape in 2025, and how advertisers can use those trends to their advantage? Reality Check: The 2025 Advertising Trends Report covers everything advertisers need to know about the latest in commerce media, CTV, AI, and search.
Advertising agencies are entering 2025 with a mix of excitement and uncertainty.
Nearly two-thirds of agency professionals feel good, optimistic, and/or confident about the future of digital advertising. At the same time, more than seven in 10 say their jobs have become more difficult in the past two years, as inefficient processes, rising costs, and siloed systems hinder progress. On top of that, external forces—such as signal loss, shifting and ever-fragmenting media landscapes, and evolving audience behaviors—have added fresh layers of complexity.
Despite these hurdles, agencies are increasingly focusing on innovation as a way forward. Looking to 2025 and beyond, agencies are preparing for a future that is as much about overcoming challenges as it is about capitalizing on new opportunities. Whether through enhancing and supporting team talent, building more resilient tech stacks, adopting AI and automation solutions, or seeking opportunities for increased transparency, emerging trends are showing how agencies can drive growth and efficiency.
Talent continues to be a key differentiator in the agency world. A staggering 97% of advertisers cite access to talent as a top priority for agencies, yet only 47% feel they have the talent they need. This gap represents a growing challenge as agency leaders look to 2025, particularly as they face increasing pressure to deliver high-impact results.
To address this talent gap, agencies must rethink not only how they equip employees with tools, but also how they attract, retain, and develop their teams. With many agencies continuing to consider and implement RTO policies, creating environments where employees feel supported and empowered to focus on meaningful, high-value tasks is critical—particularly in an industry that has long grappled with widespread burnout.
Automation and AI can play a pivotal role here. By reducing the amount of time spent on low-value, manual, and redundant tasks, leaders can better engage their employees, allowing them to maximize their potential and contribute to more strategic, creative, and profitable work.
“We can use tech to really help people focus on the things that they’re excited about in advertising and to keep people in the industry,” says Michael Thill, VP of Agency Development at Basis. “The attrition rate in advertising is so high, particularly at agencies. But if we can free people up to really do what they’re excited about—to help them get back to the work that got them into the industry to begin with—that’s going to be a win across the board.”
Beyond elevating their talent through tech, leaders should consider other strategies to support and empower their teams. Providing robust professional development opportunities, committing (or re-committing) to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and considering flexible work arrangements can all serve this goal.
Agencies that prioritize empowering their teams through a combination of the intentional use of tech, robust training, and fostering a culture of inclusivity will be better positioned to deliver high-value work. By viewing talent not as a cost center but as a key strategic investment, agencies can foster innovation, drive profitability, and secure a competitive edge.
AI has been dominating industry conversations ever since generative AI burst onto the scene. And though the technology holds significant potential for advertisers, it’s critical to remember that AI has long been foundational to programmatic advertising. For instance, machine learning algorithms have been used for years to optimize ad targeting, enhance bidding strategies, and predict consumer behaviors.
In 2025, agencies must move beyond hype and experimentation and focus on extracting real value from AI. By pinpointing specific applications of the tech, integrating tools effectively into existing operations, and distinguishing between genuinely transformative innovations and existing tools that have simply been rebranded, agency leaders can unlock AI’s full potential.
Automation stands out as a prime example, given its ability to optimize workflows and centralize data and communications so that teams can prioritize tasks that demand creativity and strategic insights—work that AI can’t replicate. “Many leaders are looking for places where they can create operational efficiencies so that their teams can be freed up to focus on creative thinking and to look at things from a birds-eye view,” says Thill. “Every department inside of an agency wants to find AI-driven automation solutions to do low-value, repetitive tasks.”
As Mike Olson, EVP of Client Development at Basis, points out, the true value of AI and automation lies in the combination of technology and skilled talent. By reducing the time spent on routine tasks, employees are empowered to take on more impactful work that adds value to an agency’s overall objectives.
“Ultimately, it’s your people who will enable you to get the most out of this technology,” says Olson. “Even with the best AI tools, if you don’t have skilled teams to use them—or if high turnover forces you to constantly re-train people—you’ll struggle to unlock their full potential.”
Beyond embracing AI and automation tools, agency leaders need to think carefully about how they tell the story of this tech to their clients. Clients may wonder why they should pay the same fees when AI is handling more tasks, and others may be concerned about how their data is being fed into these tools (and what protections exist).
“Agencies must show clients what guardrails they’re putting in place for compliance, privacy, and security, as well as communicate to clients the higher value work they’re able to produce since their talent is free to do more challenging tasks,” says Thill.
As agencies look to the year ahead, many are focused on identifying ways to further optimize their operations by determining what tools in their tech stacks are essential, which are redundant, and which are obsolete.
Streamlined tech stacks not only improve overall efficiency but also ensure that data is clean, organized, and ready for action—which is particularly critical amidst increasing signal loss. While some agencies grapple with outdated platforms that don’t meet the demands of today’s complex digital advertising landscape, others struggle with disconnection between those platforms. Media and tech stack fragmentation is a driving force behind these problems: More than half of agency professionals juggle six or more tools to manage client campaigns, and 17.3% use 10 or more. Research shows that teams waste 13% of their time and 12% of their effort when different platforms don’t work well together, and this disconnection can lead to missed opportunities, errors, and slower decision-making.
To tackle these challenges, agencies are looking for ways to streamline their tech stacks and increase interoperability between systems. “The real challenge is figuring out how to bridge the gap between different data sources into one single source of truth that allows teams to act on data in accurate and impactful ways and deliver better outcomes for clients,” says Thill. “That allows leaders to see where they can improve their business.”
Without a single source of truth, agencies must navigate crippling fragmentation across geographies, partners, and publishers, making it difficult to operate at the speed clients demand. Solutions like automated advertising platforms can play a key role in improving interoperability, reducing repetitive manual tasks while also serving as that critical single source of truth, thus enabling agencies to better manage disparate data sources. “For billing, in particular, being able to turn to a single automated system means getting payments faster and improving the financial health of the business,” says Olson.
Amidst fluctuating economic uncertainty, signal loss, and other complexities, having a strong and resilient tech stack—one that’s designed for both the present and the future—can become a key differentiator for agencies.
In the face of a rapidly evolving industry, agencies are increasingly prioritizing resilience and future-forward strategies to stay competitive. Among these, transparency stands out as a critical trend for 2025—one that impacts both agencies’ internal operations and client relationships. This push isn’t just a response to external pressures; it’s also driven by the need to build more sustainable, profitable business models.
Agencies’ renumeration models, in particular, have proven to be a significant barrier to increased transparency. Traditional models—such as fixed time-and-materials structures—tend to reinforce behaviors that can limit flexibility and adaptability. For instance, if an agency is paid based on the number of hours worked, there is little incentive to streamline processes or invest in automation tools, since more hours worked means lower revenue. In fact, 87% of advertisers believe agencies are resistant to adopting models that require greater transparency into how they make money.
Failing to adopt such models, however, can lead to burnout, inefficiency, and an erosion of client trust—all of which are already significant problems throughout the industry. In 2024, 43.4% of agency professionals said their agency’s client relationships were more strained than two years prior, and agencies that rely on outdated or opaque pricing models risk worsening client relationships.
There’s also a misconception that embracing transparency will inevitably result in lost revenue—but that doesn’t have to be the case. “As the demand for transparency intensifies, agencies have a unique opportunity to move away from relying on hidden fees for revenue and focus on genuinely adding value for their clients,” says Olson. “The key will be educating clients on what constitutes high-value work and demonstrating how automating low-value tasks not only frees up resources, but also enables teams to engage in more strategic, impactful work that drives better results—and, for the agencies, healthier profit margins.”
Embracing transparency sets agencies up for long-term profitability by building trust, strengthening client relationships, and allowing teams to do their best work. As clients become more aware of the value they’re receiving, agencies that clearly communicate how their services contribute to business success will foster loyalty and repeat clients, cultivating more sustainable revenue streams.
Amidst increasing complexity of client demands, tightening margins, and a deeply fragmented media landscape, agencies must be intentional and proactive in the year ahead. To thrive in this environment, leaders must embrace innovation—whether by leveraging AI and automation, optimizing tech stacks, bolstering their talent, or fostering increased transparency. In doing so, they can take advantage of the opportunities presented by these emerging trends to proactively increase efficiency, improve client relationships, and drive long-term profitability.
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Interested in exploring more of the trends that are set to impact advertising in 2025? Then check out Reality Check: The 2025 Advertising Trends Report.
From the debut of the industry's first fully AI-generated commercials to yet another dramatic pivot in Google’s cookie deprecation timeline, 2024 brought some transformative changes to the advertising industry. The theme of transformation will continue to define the landscape in 2025, with four key trends poised to have profound impact on brands and agencies:
To explore how these trends may impact brands and agencies in 2025, we brought together four industry veterans to share their insights and predictions. Their discussion covered everything from how changes in consumer behavior are driving the need for increased personalization, to how advertisers are managing fragmentation in CTV and commerce media, to the most effective applications of generative AI.
Consumers’ search habits are evolving with the rise of social search and the introduction of AI chatbots. Do these shifts illuminate any broader trends advertisers should look out for in 2025?
Amy Rumpler | SVP, Search and Social Media Services, Basis: I think one of the broader trends these new search behaviors demonstrate is the importance of personalization in media and content. What’s interesting about social search and AI chatbots is how precisely they deliver information: Whether you’re seeking inspiration, a product, or an answer, the information returned can be incredibly exact. As consumers get used to that level of specificity, I think that’s going to drive a new era of urgency around personalization in media strategy, targeting, and content.
Additionally, these evolving search behaviors could reshape the customer journey across media channels. With search becoming increasingly accessible across various environments, the once-complex path to purchase is changing. The ease and availability of these new search experiences—from inspiration to purchase—may lead to a more consolidated customer journey, with less context-switching and more time spent in a single environment. If this shift continues, it could impact how advertisers approach media planning, frequency, and touch points, as they’ll need to adapt to a seamless, all-in-one search-to-purchase experience.
April Weeks | Chief Investment & Media Officer, Basis: I agree with Amy: Personalization is growing more and more critical. As marketing and media become more personalized, I believe we’re going to see the customer journey condensed, because it’s going to be a more relevant journey. And as advertisers increase relevancy through personalization, they may see the impacts of consumers searching less broadly and less comparatively, because the message that’s received by the consumer is more tightly aligned with what they searched for.
I would also say that these shifts underline the broader trend of advertisers needing to view performance and brand marketing more holistically. The value of brand is coming back in a much bigger and more meaningful way, and advertisers need to start asking themselves how they can successfully incorporate and balance brand and performance across campaigns. I believe we’re going to see this with search, and especially with social search. That’s where personalization comes into play, because you’re reaching consumers in an environment that’s relevant to them, and it’s an opportunity to share a brand message while also driving the call to action.
Katie McAdams | Chief Marketing Officer, Basis: To April’s point, the term “brandformance” has been popping up in a lot of my conversations lately. (Our industry just loves to create these buzzwords, don’t we?) Brandformance highlights the idea that treating brand and performance marketing as separate areas isn’t the most effective way to approach your strategy, especially when budgets tighten. Advertisers need a more integrated approach. For example, in the search space, budgets once focused solely on bottom-funnel KPIs can now support broader brand-building goals. Rather than reserving digital display for brand awareness and search for conversions, marketers should consider how paid search can contribute to brand-building too.
This shift raises the question: What metrics should we use to measure the effectiveness of a brandformance approach? Advertisers will need to reevaluate the metrics they use to ensure they align with both brand and performance objectives.
AW: I agree—those metrics will certainly evolve. We’ll likely see engagement and attention metrics play a bigger role, serving as potential proxies for conversion. For instance, if engagement or attention increases over time, how does that impact the path to conversion, whether it's a purchase, sign-up, or another action?
What trends do you expect to see in the CTV space in 2025? What challenges are advertisers looking to solve when it comes to CTV?
Grace Briscoe | EVP, Client Development, Basis: We’ve seen a significant increase in buying CTV through private marketplaces (PMPs), and I think that will continue. One reason for this is the confusion that surrounds CTV inventory: The same ad slot can be sold by multiple vendors, and often through five or six different channels, which leads to a lot of duplication and sales channel confusion. As a result, advertisers are focused on deduplicating and determining which inventory is unique and valuable.
In addition, many brands and agencies are working to align their linear TV and CTV investments to maximize reach and manage frequency across both channels.
In terms of challenges, measurement and attribution are major concerns. Brands are eager for better systems to evaluate the effectiveness of their CTV investments.
Overall, while I don’t anticipate any radical shifts or dramatic new capabilities in connected TV in 2025, I do think we’re seeing true evolution and maturity in the channel. As that continues, it's just going continue to drive more adoption.
AW: I agree with Grace: 2025 is going to be the year when advertisers begin to figure out how to use CTV and linear together. Marketers will develop an understanding of how the two channels can complement one another, as well as how to evolve measurement. Measurement is a huge challenge because of fragmentation, but the industry is starting to make good inroads.
Fragmentation is still part of the CTV ecosystem, but I believe the industry is becoming more aware of the benefits of coupling CTV with linear, and the opportunities to manage frequency and creative sequencing. Advertisers are starting to see how the interplay between the two can create a better advertising experience for consumers.
What will it take for CTV to reach its potential?
AW: Right now, there’s just too much inventory in too many places. With linear TV advertising, things are pretty simple: If you want to buy Fox, you know where to buy; if you want to buy CBS, you know where to buy. To Grace’s point, the fact that the same inventory is available through many different outlets creates a lot of confusion. For CTV to really capture its full share of spend and potential, it’s got to get a become cleaner and easier from the supply side, which will also help streamline measurement.
What are the main sentiments you’re picking up on in your conversations about AI with brand and agency leaders?
AR: Many of the people I’ve been speaking to have been expressing a strong sense of fear. There’s fear around giving up control over parts of the campaign process that AI can automate, and I think in some cases that fear is very real and valid. This is particularly true in highly regulated industries like healthcare, where advertisers must navigate strict regulations when interacting with consumers. Clients worry that generative AI could create content that not only feels off-brand but could also conflict with legal requirements. I think a lot of advertisers still feel considerable hesitancy around giving up that element of control.
And content generation is only one part of that: There’s also apprehension around the AI embedded in advertising networks, like Google’s PMax and Meta’s Advantage+, where AI decides which audiences see ads. This shift—moving from hands-on, granular targeting to relying on AI for audience selection—is a big leap that many advertisers aren’t fully comfortable with yet.
AW: Everyone likes the idea of generative AI in terms of what it can do to produce large amounts of content or creative very quickly and, potentially, more cost effectively. But advertisers are concerned because AI models are only as good as the data that's going into them, and there's a lot of uncertainty around the quality of data that's feeding these models. It’s likely going to take time to develop models that can be fully trusted, and then fears will lessen over time. But right now, it’s still fairly early to be relying solely on generative AI to produce materials that could potentially have a notable negative impact to a brand if the targeting's off the mark or if the content doesn't strike the right tone.
AR: I do think advertisers are still willing to test these applications of AI, and I think most brands are testing them in some form or fashion. But to April’s point, I agree that most advertisers aren’t ready to go all in on AI quite yet.
KM: On the creative side, I wonder if there’s going to be a perception shift around the quality of AI-generated creative. For me personally, when I see an ad that has some elements that were obviously AI-generated, my first thought is that the marketing team cut some corners to create it. I could see a consumer perception issue emerge where leaning too much into genAI (rather than investing in real photographers and other creative professionals) could potentially weaken a brand’s image or reputation.
AR: I was in a call with a creative vendor last week and they made an interesting point about that. They showed us some more subtle applications of AI for creative content generation, like an ad for an auto brand that featured a real photo of a vehicle but used AI to place the car in various settings. I thought that was an interesting way to think about how to test and utilize genAI in ways that help to scale out and personalize creative assets, rather than using it to generate creative assets from scratch.
KM: Totally—my team did a similar thing with a campaign we have running right now. We’re using generative AI as a tool, not a replacement, to our existing creative resources. It’s a way to help scale the creative.
AW: To bring it back to the trend of personalization that we talked about in the context of consumers’ search habits, personalization has historically been very expensive for brands. This is one area where AI could be really helpful when done correctly—you can strike the right balance of delivering that personalized experience that helps deliver better outcomes, but more effectively and efficiently from a cost standpoint.
How would you predict advertisers’ sentiments around AI will change from now through the end of 2025?
AW: As an industry, we are often quick to hype up anything new. After the hype-up period, we go through a time of learning, testing, and seeing the results. Then, once we understand the efficacy of whatever the new thing might be, it often gets woven into the campaign process and becomes part of the industry ecosystem.
If I were going to make a prediction about where advertisers will be in that cycle in 2025, I think there'll probably be more openness around testing of AI applications—especially with brands needing personalization within their marketing—because brands are still going to be pressuring their agency partners, particularly their creative partners, to find cost-effective ways to deliver at scale. So that's where more agencies may want to lean into generative AI: to help satisfy the volume of creative needed, but also try to do it in a cost-effective way.
The rise of retail media networks (RMNs) and commerce media in general is introducing even more fragmentation and complexity into an already fragmented and complex digital advertising landscape. How do you think this will impact how advertisers invest in RMNs in 2025?
AR: Commerce media operates differently from CTV, where inventory is widely available in various places, as Grace mentioned before. Accessing RMN inventory is much more complex, especially with well over 100 major RMNs now in operation. For brands with products on multiple physical and digital shelves, navigating which RMNs to partner with, how to access their inventory, and whether to use self-service or managed services is a significant challenge for both agencies and advertisers.
This complexity impacts advertisers' ability to invest in these networks effectively and influences their media planning strategies. Some brands aim to be present across numerous networks to maximize reach and drive sales, while others are consolidating their efforts into two or three networks that offer the most value—not just in ROI, but also in added benefits like in-store experiences or exclusive ad products.
I also think it’s impacting how advertisers are thinking about media planning. Do brands need to be in 15 different places because these networks exist, or should they pick the three that are going to give them the most incremental sales when it comes to moving product? We’re seeing a mixed bag of advertisers going one direction versus the other: Some that want to be everywhere, and make sure they’re taking advantage of the broadest reach possible to move sales. Others are starting to take the opposite approach, consolidating their efforts into the two or three biggest networks that can give them the most value.
Take Walmart or Target, for example. These networks leverage both in-store and online channels, offering a growing suite of ad products, including in-store experiential options. This aligns with the 'brandformance' approach, as these networks create omnichannel ecosystems that go beyond bottom-funnel objectives. By tapping into their customer base and delivering personalized ads across various touchpoints, RMNs support advertisers in engaging customers throughout their journey. This shift reflects broader trends toward personalization and full-funnel strategies, with many advertisers beginning to embrace these holistic opportunities rather than focusing solely on point-of-purchase ads.
AW: I think advertisers should ask themselves, “What is a retail media network?” Over the past 18-to-24-months, there's been such a proliferation of these networks that almost any entity that has first-party or CRM data is throwing itself into the RMN ring. It reminds me of the very early days of ad networks, where new ad networks were springing up overnight, but the quality of the targeting and the audience varied greatly.
To Amy's point, I think a true RMN looks like more of the full advertising experience offered by networks like Walmart and Target. As the proliferation of these networks increases, it’s going to be critical for advertisers to discern between networks that can deliver real value and consumer experience and those that can’t.
GB: I also think that with this explosion of retail media networks and the fragmentation we’re seeing in that landscape, we are going see some winners and losers. Advertisers are only going to have so much tolerance for buying across all these separate walled garden platforms, so the smaller ones are going to get cut off of buys eventually as advertisers start consolidating to the ones that have the most sophisticated capabilities and ROI. I just don't think the marketplace can tolerate that kind of fragmentation for very long.
Would you say the same considerations are true across all verticals and industries in commerce media, beyond retail media?
AR: Yes, the same considerations will hold true outside of retail media. Just in terms of the measurement aspect of fragmentation in general, the more networks and properties you buy across, the more pressure you put on your measurement framework to make sure you have consistency in how you’re looking at performance and the customer journey across those various partners. As you start to consolidate and understand those handful of partners that are truly providing the most incremental value to the brand, that takes a bit of pressure off the measurement side of things.
I think we’ve seen a similar thing in social. When social exploded five years ago, there were eight or nine major networks and apps that developed. But today, most advertisers only invest in two to three at the most as part of their core media strategy. Because the more you invest in, the more you have to have a really good understanding of how customers are moving between one property to the other. Generally, I think that’s why even in social we’ve seen a bit of contraction in partner mix on plans recently, and folks are only investing in a couple of key platforms. They’re still seeing other options as opportunities to test and learn, but not necessarily as mainstays of their marketing plan.
AW: I think it comes down to effectiveness versus efficiency and finding the right balance. As Amy mentioned, advertisers put a lot of pressure on their measurement frameworks by investing in all these different platforms. At some point, the question is, “Are you effective when you’re over-rotating on your investment?” Probably not.
It’s critical for leaders at agencies and brands to have a thorough understanding of how these four trends are likely to develop over the next year. Check out Reality Check: The 2025 Advertising Trends Report for more insights advertisers can use to gain a competitive edge.
Heading into 2025, more and more marketers find themselves looking past the hype and the upside and, instead, asking that age-old question: “Oh yeah? Prove it.”
The industry is still grappling with a host of challenges that have frustrated advertisers for years—things like addressability, measurement, streaming activation, and new opportunities for reach and incrementality— and advertisers are eager to find real solutions that drive tangible results, and to thread the needle between promise and practicality.
Reality Check: The 2025 Advertising Trends Report provides keen perspective on the trends set to shape 2025, exploring the ways advertisers can bridge the disconnect between expectations and reality while maximizing the potential of new innovations to drive impact across their campaigns in the year ahead. This Executive Summary examines the core themes and trends outlined in the report, providing actionable insights for marketers and advertisers looking to thrive in the evolving digital landscape.
Commerce media is exploding, leveraging the vast potential of first-party data to create new ad networks tailored toward industries of all kinds. As third-party cookies fade and privacy concerns mount, reflects a broader shift in digital advertising where data collaboration and non-traditional vendors/publishers play a significant role in reaching target audiences.
CTV is finally delivering on its long-promised potential, offering advertisers cost-effective, high-quality inventory and precise targeting capabilities. And while CTV’s measurement shortcomings remain, marketers nevertheless have several solutions that can help them piece things together.
With the initial AI frenzy steadily subsiding, marketers are adopting a more pragmatic approach, identifying practical applications and integrating AI into core systems and everyday workflows. The goal, as with all things AI, is not to replace human expertise, but to augment it—giving marketers the tools to ask better questions and get more insightful answers.
Search behavior is transforming, with generative AI starting to syphon off meaningful search traffic and younger generations increasingly relying on social platforms like TikTok and Instagram for discovery. While Google remains an essential channel, marketers can benefit from experimenting with allocating portions of their search budget to places like TikTok, Amazon, commerce media, and elsewhere.
The 2025 advertising landscape presents both opportunities and challenges. By embracing data-driven strategies, leveraging emerging technologies responsibly, and adapting to evolving consumer behaviors, marketers and advertisers can achieve impactful results.
Download the full report to get deeper insights into the trends poised to shape advertising in 2025.
In recent years, the advertising industry has been abuzz with the promise of "game changing" developments. From the potential of Web3 and blockchain to AI, AR/VR, and beyond, marketers and advertisers have fallen and fallen hard—sometimes in love, sometimes right on their faces.
But even optimists and futurists can have their limits, and at a certain point, that curiosity begins to morph into skepticism. Heading into 2025, more and more marketers find themselves looking past the hype and the upside and, instead, asking that age-old question: "Oh yeah? Prove it."
The industry is still grappling with a host of challenges that have frustrated advertisers for years—things like addressability, measurement, streaming activation, and new opportunities for reach and incrementality— and advertisers are eager to find real solutions that drive tangible results, and to thread the needle between promise and practicality.
This report provides actionable insights on the trends set to shape 2025, examining key ways advertisers can bridge the disconnect between expectations and reality, while maximizing the potential of new innovations to drive impact with their campaigns in the year ahead.
Explore trends including:
Uncover the trends and opportunities that will shape advertising in the year ahead: Download Reality Check: The 2025 Advertising Trends Report today!
Over the past several years, connected TV adoption and usage has skyrocketed, as people increasingly turn to CTV as their viewing device of choice. How can advertisers embrace this growth and ensure they’re effectively connecting with consumers where and when they’re watching video?
In this guide, we analyze the latest data, trends, and research to help advertisers uncover everything they need to know about CTV advertising.
In it, you will learn:
Ready to make the most of your CTV ad spend? Download your copy of the guide today!
Digital audio is everywhere: from the podcasts we download for our morning commute, to the tunes we blast at the gym, to the live radio programs we stream while doing the dishes. For marketers, the channel provides an opportunity to connect with consumers when and where they’re listening—and to foster meaningful, personal connections in these moments.
Until now, digital audio’s power has been largely underutilized by advertisers. But the tides are turning, and with people spending more and more time with digital audio, a wave of audio ad spend is cresting on the horizon.
In this guide, we explore how savvy marketers can embrace this unique opportunity to connect with consumers. We analyze the latest trends, insights, and research to help advertisers harness the power of audio in their campaigns.
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As advertisers lose more and more classic signals like cookies and MAIDs, adopting effective alternatives for targeting and attribution is more crucial than ever.
In this episode, Vince Voiro, Sr. Director of Connectivity & Ecosystem at LiveRamp, shares the latest on one of these alternative solutions: identity resolution. Together with host Noor Naseer, Voiro explores what identity resolution is, what data is needed to enable it, how it can improve activations and measurement workflows, and more.
Noor Naseer: Hey, this is Noor Naseer for AdTech Unfiltered. Regardless of what Google says, the cookieless future is still knocking on every advertiser's door demanding the adoption of alternative pathways for campaign success. With classic signals continuing to fade fast, Vince Voiro—Head of Agency and Brand Demand Connectivity & Ecosystem at data onboarding and collaboration platform, LiveRamp—says there's never been a more important time to secure new solutions for addressability and measurement. Vince speaks to me about what people know LiveRamp for and what else they need to know about the long-standing adtech and martech solution provider. We discuss what advertisers can do to prepare for a future where addressability as we know it won't look the same anymore and important steps they can take to test, learn and find what works best for their unique needs. Let's get into this episode on planning for the future of addressability and measurement with Vince right now.
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NN: Vince, thanks for joining me today to talk about all things LiveRamp. There's been a ton of activity going on in the addressability space in a cookieless future that we're still looking forward to. So, appreciate you making time to talk about it.
Vince Voiro: Yeah, thanks for having me. Happy to be here.
NN: There are probably still folks out there who don't even have a baseline premise of LiveRamp. I know it's shocking—if you've been working in the adtech space, it's very likely that you do, but do you want to give me like your 30 second introduction to LiveRamp?
VV: Yeah, I think a lot of people who do know us know us as like an onboarding company. So, we take data and connect it with the platform that they're looking to send it to. But LiveRamp in itself does a lot more than that. We have a collaboration platform where we're working with brands and other partners to be able to share data in a privacy-safe, compliant way. We have measurement solutions that we help to support. So, LiveRamp does a lot of things in the ecosystem, but mainly you can view us as the connective tissue. We're helping to drive connections whether it's for collaboration, measurement, or activation across the ecosystem with all the different partners that are out there.
NN: So, the latest that people are primarily concerned with as we think more and more about the cookieless future is what should I be doing differently and how might I be approaching solution providers, including LiveRamp, differently. So, I think the big thing that we've been hearing from you all more recently has been about identity resolution. Do you want to tell me a little bit more about identity resolution as a mechanism for the cookieless future? Let's just start there and get that framework going.
VV: Yeah, so I think the idea of identity resolution, connectivity, and addressability all play really well together. The basics behind identity resolution is understanding who those consumers are that you're looking to target, regardless of which identifier you're trying to find them using.
So, traditionally, identity resolution for us was understanding who the offline individual is then connected to the online version. And obviously the focus there was cookies and MAIDs and other identifiers. The focus for us today in addition to cookies and MAIDs is using the Ramp identifier to understand who those people are. And the way we think about identity resolution is it's not just who is that person as an email, but it's collectively what are all of the email addresses? What is the first name and last name and postal address that's tied to that person, and how can we connect all of that to a single identifier where possible to allow you to address that person regardless of what information you come to us with it and what information they're providing to the end provider?
So, ultimately we want to generate the connection that allows you to address that individual, even if you may not have collected the same information as the partner on the other side.
NN: How often are you finding that advertisers are prepared to bring those different data elements to the table to build a really robust identity resolution system for themselves?
VV: I think obviously what vertical you're in and what type of data you have access to dictates the quality that you're able to present to us, but I also think that there's a misconception of what data is best suited for identity resolution.
The backbone of what we do at LiveRamp is really rooted in offline to start off with. So: first name, last name, postal address and the 50 plus years of data that's tied to that, but if you're coming to us with just email that's okay; that is definitely something we can work with. So, I think understanding what data assets you have as a brand or as a partner and then how you can utilize them is really the first step before you even jump into the idea of identity resolution, because the quality of your input is going to directly dictate the quality of the output. So, we want to understand what you have at your disposal and then we can come to you and let you know how that plays into what we do at LiveRamp.
NN: How do advertisers that have known LiveRamp historically think about what they can do with identity resolution differently than what they could have done with a LiveRamp let's say five, six, seven years ago?
VV: I think we've transformed the way that we connect data to the open web. So, a lot of the social platforms that we work with, things aren't changing as signals go away. We've always used our connections with them based on PII to allow us to generate who is this individual that the client is sending us to who that individual is on the platform. I’d say identity resolution has changed in the open web when it comes to who is this person that the client has to which cookie is that individual - obviously that's going away. What we've done is we've embedded our IDs and the Ramp IDs into each of the partners in the ecosystem. We've also provided that technology to the publishers in the ecosystem to allow everybody to resolve back to a people-based-identifier rather than relying on these disparate signals of cookies and MAIDs.
I think it's similar concepts, it's just done in a slightly different way and we actually believe it's an improved way of doing it. There's a lot more fidelity in those signals and less data loss. The concept is the same. It's very similar but I think how it has its practical application is maybe a little bit different.
NN: Then something that advertisers are looking for is for maybe in many cases a holy grail solution that's going to fill the void that cookies are going to leave. What won't we be getting from identity resolution? What's impractical for advertisers to be expecting no matter how robust of a data profile they're able to offer to you all in the utilization of your solution?
VV: I think the spirit of the changes really dictate the capability changes. The idea that cookies could passively track somebody across the internet is no longer a thing. We're not looking to recreate a solution that mimics a cookie. We're using authentication, consent-based workflows to generate that connectivity moving forward. I think the major change there is that that individual has to have a relationship with both sides of the equation for us to be able to generate those connections.
I'd also say the gap is, if I go and I create a brand-new Gmail account as an example, it takes time to resolve that data back to the rest of the touch points that we have in our ecosystem. It also takes time for clients of ours to have access to that data whether it's for registration or signups. I think that there is inherently a gap that happens in that type of scenario, but more broadly our ability to connect multiple emails to the same Ramp ID, to the same identifier, allows us to really have a good opportunity to continue to connect at a really high level.
NN: Are there ever scenarios where you know that you suggested that identity resolution can use this myriad of different types of data points and then a client turns back to Vince and says, “But how do I get all this?” Is that ever a question? It's not really your job but that's a part of the earlier part of the relay race but do you ever have to answer that type of question?
VV: Yeah, we do because I think a lot of clients assume that this is like something additional that they need to layer on to what they're already doing and maybe there's a gap in their understanding. They don't necessarily know that this is inherently what you get as part of partnering with LiveRamp.
Our identity resolution is the backbone for our basic products of data onboarding and activation so you're already going to gain access to all of those benefits. What we're then trying to do is extend those benefits across all of the different partners and all of the different workflows. So, you may be using them in an activation workflow, but what about all your measurement workflows? How can you benefit from identity resolution when it comes to measurement? I think that's where we spend a lot of time is refocusing and letting them know that this is something you already have access to. There's just more ways you can use it, more ways you can benefit from everything that you already are contracted for.
NN: Are there any other solution providers that fall into a space that also is qualified as identity resolution?
VV: Yeah, you know there's other partners out there like the Experians, the Axioms, the Transunions of the world. I think a lot of those other partners have similar elements to the way that they do things, but everybody has different data assets, different processes and different rules that underlie the setup and what that they provide.
I think for us, one of the major differentiators is that we have the ability to do identity resolution as an input, but then we have such strong connective tissue as an output for activation that ultimately that makes a major difference in the way that we can interact with our clients. I also think our network is really strong. From a collaboration standpoint we have environments that we can support collaboration in. We also are interoperable with outside environments if that's the way that brands choose to collaborate.
We're agnostic to the way that they go about doing these things and, ultimately, I think that provides a ton of value. You come to us with a solution you've already built. We figure out a way that we can integrate with that rather than forcing you into a more narrow solution. I think that's one of the real benefits of LiveRamp.
NN: Just to expand on something-- I heard you say something like this; as far as having a sort of an expansive network or many different ways to work with you, what have you had to do internally to make yourself so accessible and flexible to work in different ways? Is it building a lot of different types of partnerships, integrations? Can you just expand on what labor you all have done so that you can be easy to work with?
VV: Yeah, so I put it into three buckets, and you listed two of them. I think the partnership element of it is huge: Partnering with Snowflake and AWS and all those cloud providers to allow us to gain access to their platforms. The integrations to build our technology natively into those applications and to allow our brands to directly connect to things that they're using within our platform today. And then I'd say acquisition is the third part. Our recent acquisition of Habu allows brands to expand those use cases. So, if you were using Databricks and we didn't have an integration with them, Habu does. So, it adds in these additional elements that maybe we hadn't generated the partnership or generated the integration yet. They may have some of those, which actually allows us to be more flexible. So, I'd say those are the three ways that we're going about doing that.
NN: I'm going to bounce back to asking about the data piece. There are advertisers out there that really struggle with the collection of first-party data. It's just not as natural for them to be doing a lot of collection, especially if they've historically been using third-party cookie data or other types of data sourcing that has helped them do some really precise types of targeting. How do you help those kinds of advertisers that are just never going to have this really robust profile of first-party data, but are still looking to understand how to work with you?
VV: Yeah, I think we are trying to reset the expectation of what first-party data is and how you can collect it. Everybody assumes that this means you have to generate a login when somebody visits the website for the first time; and sure, that will help but we also understand the downside of doing it. So, we try to present them with a large number of different ways that they can generate authentications whether it's whitepapers or blogs or downloads.
Then the other thing for those that have a ton of trouble is, can you present the consumer with an ‘or’ scenario? And what I mean by that is, they can access this whitepaper or you can have it emailed to you. So, it doesn't necessarily blockade any information. It gives the consumer options, but it also presents the opportunity for the brand or the client to generate some first-party data. I think knowing that we've seen different ways it could be implemented, and then relying on information back to brands who are having a tough time implementing strategies, is definitely something that we try to do. We work with four or 500 different brands, so we see a lot out there. I think a lot of these brands are very focused on what they're doing. We can provide some of those consulting ideas as well.
NN: Vince, what does LiveRamp bring to the table for aiding with measurement, specifically for understanding conversion metrics?
VV: We do a lot with measurement as part of our connection with the end platform for activation. We can also bring data back into our platform and deliver it to whatever measurement partner or environment that brands are looking to do that with. So, converting all of your data to a single identifier, the Ramp ID, and doing measurement. So, you pull in your conversion data, you pull in your impression data, and you join those together in that privacy-safe way, and it gives you the flexibility to understand how well your media is operating—but also to generate new audiences to then connect that data back out for activation. So that's kind of full funnel. Where that's not possible, we've generated partnerships with the different conversion APIs to allow brands to share their data with those partners in a privacy-safe way.
We're going wherever the partner needs us to go if the client is interested in doing that but we're also trying to provide the flexibility to do more individual measurement where possible.
NN: Holistically speaking, where have you observed advertisers being overall too casual or too optimistic about the cookieless future? When I ask that question, what I mean is they're just waiting for things to sort out and may not be doing a lot of exploration with you and/or other partners to really prepare themselves for what the final flicker of that cookie full light is bringing to them and their media plans.
VV: Yeah, I think there's a couple of thoughts that brands bring to us and it's like you know, is this actually going to happen? Do we really need to worry about this because we don't know if the end is actually going to happen? We think it is. We think that each delay makes that a little bit more challenging to convey that, to have that brand have faith in the end result here, but we do think it's going to happen. We think that the more work a brand puts in up front to set up all those workflows and better understand what the impact is going to be, the better off they are in the long run. Not to mention the fact that there's benefits in the near-term. Fifty percent of the web is already cookieless. You're already missing out on a relatively large section of the internet today.
So how can these different products or partnerships benefit you in the now, while also setting you up for the benefits in the future? I think that gets lost in a lot of those thought processes. We definitely try to push that agenda. We obviously make sure that that's clear in the conversations. We also let them know what the near-term benefits are as well as the improvements they can make in their overall processes for when the cookies actually do fully go away.
NN: I want to also ask about just knowing that you all have a lot of solutions and we're not going to cover in detail on all of them, but I'm sure that plenty of advertisers are curious about what that suite looks like. How do you help any advertiser make sure that they understand at least from a top-level what they may want to get more informed on so that they are taking advantage of the solutions that would be most helpful for the type of work they want to do in the digital advertising world or advertising world at-large?
VV: I think it comes down to generating just that overarching partnership. We don't want to be viewed just as a vendor. We want to be viewed as someone who can come in and understand your business, understand what the challenges are, and then present to you products that fill those gaps.
Yes, we do activation, yes we do measurement, and yes we do collaboration; but we have a data marketplace, we have other measurement solutions we've built in-house. Not everything is a good fit for every client that we work with. So, we want to come in and we want to understand where your pain points are. We want to understand how we can help to fill some of those voids, whether it's through connecting you with a partner of ours or providing a solution of our own. We're happy to do both of those things because we're looking at this as much more of a long-term relationship than we are something that's very transactional—trying to generate those relationships that allow you to feel comfortable with the products we're presenting to you, and then ultimately making sure you're using those products so you see the value, because shelfware is not something that we're looking to provide.
NN: You mentioned data collaboration a couple times now in our conversation. Where are there misconceptions about what data collaboration is? What do you want to clarify about how data collaboration is integral to what you offer and what advertisers should know more about it?
VV: Yeah, data collaboration comes up in all the different workflows that we've talked about. From an activation standpoint there can be collaboration with first and third-party data. There can be collaboration across two marketers. I think the easy example is a retailer and a CPG that want to work together. Collaboration also takes form in measurement, too; so, it's understanding how your media is effective with some of the social partners that may be working with us.
I think the biggest thing that we like to convey is LiveRamp has a collaboration platform and we're happy to work with you within our platform but, like we've talked about previously, if you're already working in Snowflake, we can help to support collaboration and Snowflake-- we can help to support that elsewhere. I think there's just more flexibility to it than brands may give it credit. They may think of it as very much a retail media-focus, but there's a lot of different ways that brands are coming to us looking to collaborate. Whether it's loyalty programs to, you know, let's say an airline with a hotel program or maybe a rideshare program that wants to do things.
There's a lot of different ways that you can look at this, but I think the benefits are the same. You get more access to data, you do it in a privacy-safe way, and it also allows you to do the activation at the end of the day, too, and that's the biggest piece on the LiveRamp side in my opinion. I think allowing you to connect that data to the partners that you can then serve media too is something that is missing from some of the other solutions that are out there.
NN: How do you really inform conversation about the points of separation between authenticated identity versus identity resolution, since they're both mentioned so often in the marketplace?
VV: Identity resolution kind of underpins the whole scenario. Authenticated identity is an example of you go to your favorite news website and you're logging in to gain access to content; that to me is authenticated identity where there's an opt-out that's available for that consumer to be able to remove their data—and we are using that as a piece of the puzzle. But the connectivity that brands are looking for requires the authenticated ID but the identity resolution bolsters that authenticated ID. It makes it so that we're more flexible on what data you can send to us. It makes it so that we can expand where we know that that individual has more than one touchpoint that's out there in the ecosystem. So, these two things are independent, but they also work together to allow us to provide kind of a stronger solution. Especially when it comes to cookieless where we're going to be so reliant on consented data and authenticated data, you want to have the flexibility and the improved match rates wherever possible.
NN: Do you think the industry anticipates that authenticated ID is going to face similar pressures that third-party cookies currently are?
VV: I don't think so. I think that there's a lot of alternative solutions that may be posing as authenticated IDs but aren't really. There's definitely a fingerprinting problem in the industry—and for anybody who's not familiar, it's using passive IDs that are similar to a cookie to understand who the person is without them consenting. Our solution doesn't follow that path. We think that any solution like that is slowly going to be stamped out. Different pieces of that identity is going to be removed, like IP address and user agent; and a lot of the partners out there have already promised to do that. So, I think truly authenticated IDs are in a really good place. I think some of those that sit in a gray area or aren't authenticated are going to have trouble over the coming year or two.
NN: Something you and I have talked about before is: How confusing it can be out there right now where there are solutions that are being suggested to be cookieless solutions, but incidentally they're still using cookies. And one of the most visible ways that that is happening is with fingerprinting. How do you encourage or educate advertisers or anyone that you engage with on trying to better understand and distinguish when a solution is truly cookieless versus when it probably is invested and involved with fingerprinting or something else that is inevitably going to be taken off the table when cookies are finally done away with?
VV: I think we just encourage them to ask a lot of questions. If something doesn't seem to line up or make sense then it's very likely that they're doing something that doesn't fit the change of the consent framework that we're looking to go to. So, asking questions, making sure you have a good understanding of the product suite for that partner. If something sounds too good to be true then it likely is. I think trusting the partner that you work with and knowing that they're transparent with everything that they're doing, they're forthright with how the product is built—a lot of black box solutions out there. I think we tried to be less of a black box solution. We try to give you exactly how we're doing some of these partnerships and how we're generating these IDs. Ultimately you have to feel comfortable from a privacy and security standpoint that you're not going to end up in front of your favorite news outlet at the end of the day. No brand wants to be there, and I think avoiding that at all costs is really important because there's a financial toll. There's a reputation toll that also comes with it, too. So, we are definitely looking to generate products and partnerships that keep brands out of trouble.
NN: You said black box solutions—somebody at Basis uses the term “magic solutions,” and that there is no “magic” and if you don't understand the origins of how a solution is orienting and giving you something cookieless that very much seems it's giving you not just cross-device but cross-site tracking that there's some “magic” (I'm using air quotes in a podcast that that's being applied). Do you ever have that more confrontative conversation of saying ‘that is fingerprinting’?
VV: Yeah. If you have to ask multiple times in a conversation and you still can't get a straight answer, then you're likely looking at something that you're not going to want to partner with. It's definitely challenging because I think there's a lot of buzzwords that come into play and people are looking for options and different privacy teams have different comfort levels about what their partners are doing. So I think the impetus is really on whoever's leading that partnership to ask the right questions, to speak with everybody, to see if the responses are different from all the different parties that you're talking to and to really have faith that what the partner is conveying is actually how they're going about doing things and that they're transparent in the way that they can go about doing that.
If they're willing to connect you, with the publishers, or the platforms, and have them ask those questions directly to that partner and say, “Look, how is LiveRamp doing this?” they can give you transparency. I would definitely encourage that. If you speak to that partner fact channel and they're like “We don't even work with that provider,” obviously there's something a little fishy going on with that.
So yeah, just asking a lot of questions—a lot of “how” questions—I think is helpful, and if it's too good to be true, it likely is.
NN: For an advertiser that is just trying to better themselves when it comes to addressability at a high-level. Maybe we're not getting into the full consultative conversation with a particular client, but they want to inform themselves before reaching out to you on how they should be thinking about working with LiveRamp, how they should be thinking about preparing themselves to take advantage of some of what you can bring to the table – is there any advice that you would give to an advertiser so that they can do a little bit of leg work to see if there's an opportunity for partnership?
VV: Yeah. I think that we put up a ton of good material on our website that gives brands an idea of the type of workflows, the type of benefits clients are seeing for what they're doing today. You could reach out to LiveRamp. We have people that are dedicated to almost every account that's out there that can give you the 101 without you having to really do much. We're happy to educate you on your behalf. We're happy to kind of have those conversations up front and really give you the information that you need. I also think if you're a little bit further down the line, there's a lot of our current clients that are happy to talk with prospect clients and give them a better idea of what they're doing with us today and how that's impacted their business. So, a lot of different ways to go about that, but I would say reach out. We have resources that are willing to have those conversations even if you're not a client to give you an idea of how you could benefit from our products and services—and we're more than happy to do that.
NN: Is there anything happening from an addressability standpoint that you think is particularly exciting that advertisers should be knowledgeable about that's on the horizon or that you're actively releasing or on the precipice of releasing?
VV: Yeah, I’d say there's a few things. CTV is a growing focus. I think across the industry, but especially at LiveRamp. Partnerships with NBCU or Disney or other CTV providers become really important for the brands that we work with. I think direct partnerships with large publishers like the New York Times that we released recently are definitely going to grow in their impact and their usage on the LiveRamp side. Then I think on the measurement side, understanding how the pixels—let's say, on your website—are working today. What workflows are going to be impacted and how can you solve for some of that impact; that's something that we're also really seeing, really focusing on, because we know it plays a really big role in the process for the brands that we work with.
So, things like the conversion APIs, like I mentioned before, is another thing we're really focusing on the addressability side of things because without measurement, activation is always in trouble, so you need to solidify both sides of the equation.
NN: Well, there's no shortage of things to learn about LiveRamp and I feel like I've covered not even 1% of what can be discussed about you all. Obviously, we've got a partnership with you and we're also evangelists for what you all are doing. We appreciate the time and the conversation and looking forward to learning more as you guys keep on chugging all on.
VV: Yeah, it's a pleasure. Thanks for having me.
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NN: Thanks again to Vince Voiro, Head of Brand and Agency Demand Connectivity & Ecosystem at LiveRamp. There's no question about it: A lot of explorative work and scenario consideration will need to be done by advertisers to find the unique suite of solutions that works best for them. We heard some important thoughts from Vince on how to think more deeply around an established partner that's committed to helping move addressability for the future forward. That's it for this episode of AdTech Unfiltered. I'm Noor Naseer. We'll talk again real soon.
Advertisers face increased barriers to connecting with target audiences, as Google moves ahead with its plans to give consumers a choice over how third-party cookies are used in their Chrome browsers. Social media, however, remains a channel where advertisers can continue to achieve the targeting and personalization they’re used to—at least, in theory.
Evolutions in the social media landscape present significant new challenges to marketing teams looking to take advantage of personalization opportunities. The source of many of these challenges? Fragmentation.
While the internet users of 10 years ago were actively engaged with an average of four social networks, social media users today toggle between an average of 6.7 different social platforms each month. As such, marketing teams are tasked with evaluating how to effectively find and connect with target audiences across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, Reddit, and more.
In this context, media teams are under more strain than ever before as they work to craft tailored strategies not only for each platform they choose to invest in, but also for the specific audiences they seek to engage across those platforms. The challenge grows even more complex considering the rise of niche platforms like Letterboxd and chat apps like Telegram, which have gained traction as users seek more personalized, private, and community-driven spaces. These newer platforms offer significant opportunities to connect with specific audiences, but the task of considering if, when, and how to test ad options on each one only increases complexity for marketing teams.
To maximize social media's potential for reaching targeted audiences with personalized messages, advertisers must afford their teams the time and resources they need to navigate this complex landscape efficiently. Adopting systems for gaining deeper audience insights and automating as many campaign processes as possible will be critical for success.
Many factors have contributed to the rise of social media fragmentation in recent years. One is simply the maturation of consumers’ interactions with these platforms: As social media usage has grown, so has the proliferation of content on social platforms, driving users to seek more personalized spaces and communities. Agency executives say they started to notice this shift around 2016 or 2017. The trend was then likely accelerated a few years later by the COVID-19 pandemic, as people in lockdown craved more social connection and sought it out within niche digital spaces.
These shifts in consumer behavior have contributed to the rise of more niche social networks like Nextdoor (a hub for locals in specific neighborhoods to connect online) and Discord (a platform for users to connect over channels, which are often centered around shared interests like gaming, hobbies, or fandoms). And this movement towards more private and hyper-specific communities has been embraced by major social platforms as well—think Meta’s focus on Facebook groups in the late twenty-teens, or X’s communities feature, which was rolled out in 2021.
Major social platforms’ curation of more community-minded experiences demonstrates another trend that’s contributing to fragmentation in the social space: Copycatting. Digiday dubbed 2022 the “year of copycats,” as many social companies introduced new features that resembled TikTok’s feed in order to keep up with the platform. This trend of copycatting has continued in the years since, as social media companies seek to adopt their competitors’ popular features in an effort to prevent users from leaving their platforms. The result is that while platforms like Facebook, X, and Snapchat used to be more distinct, the big players in the space are growing increasingly homogeneous. In this context, some advertisers are finding that focusing on specific communities within these broader platforms is the only way to cut through the noise. While specific communities offer new opportunities for advertisers to connect with targeted groups, it also increases complexity for marketing teams, as they must personalize their content to those communities—and then further personalize it to match the feel of the different social platforms they invest in.
Beyond the trend towards niche communities and the increasing homogeneity of major social platforms, other factors have led to the fragmentation of advertisers' social budgets. In the early 2020s, brands began rethinking their spend on Meta as costs rose and ad space grew saturated on the platform. Meta’s standing with advertisers has further fluctuated during bad press cycles , from the Cambridge Analytica scandal to reports that the platform’s algorithm amplifies misinformation and hate speech. Combine that with advertisers’ continuing exodus from X (the platform’s ad revenues dropped by 98% YOY from January through September 2023, and over one-fourth of advertisers plan to cut their spending on the platform in 2025,) the rise of TikTok, and moves made by other social platforms including Pinterest, Reddit, and Snapchat to improve their ad offerings in a bid to earn some of advertisers’ budgets, and it’s clear that fragmentation in the social space is driven by a variety of factors, none of which show any sign of letting up in the near future.
Fragmentation in the social landscape demonstrates a broader shift that advertising leaders must contend with to stay relevant in the coming years: the growing demand for hyper-personalized experiences, a shift driven largely by younger audiences.
Indeed, Gen Z is a major driver of fragmentation in the social space, as advertisers work to reach the generation across their favorite channels—namely, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat (although considerable portions of the demographic are also on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, X, and Reddit). And the urgency around personalizing content to audiences on these platforms will only increase as time goes on. While Gen Z accounts for about one-fifth of the population, the generation that comes after it, Gen Alpha, is expected to surpass baby boomers in number by 2025. Given that 65% of Gen Alpha kids aged 8-10 are already spending up to four hours a day on social, there’s no doubt that when they come of age as consumers, they’ll be as digitally savvy and as expectant of personalization on the social platforms they use as Gen Z, if not more so.
To reach these social media users across multiple platforms requires considerable time and effort, given that each platform requires a different strategy and, oftentimes, calls for distinct creative: Instagrammers expect a more polished approach, for example, while messy short-form realness reigns supreme on TikTok, and YouTube is generally geared toward longer-form content.
Advertisers must also navigate the complexities of balancing media plans across the fragmented social media landscape. Incorporating disparate social media platforms into cohesive campaigns presents a major challenge to marketing teams. Advertisers need to be able to holistically (and accurately) measure performance across all these platforms in order to optimize spend, make mid-flight adjustments, and gain insights to enhance future campaigns. But many agencies and marketing teams aren’t yet equipped to do this without investing significant human resources. In this context, social media advertisers need more time and better tools with which to achieve holistic campaigns that meet social media users in the places where they spend time.
The challenges presented to marketing teams as a result of fragmentation in the social space and the urgency to meet consumers—especially younger consumers—with hyper-personalized messaging are clear. First, teams need more time and/or resources to manage campaigns across an increasing number of social platforms (and digital marketing channels in general); and second, teams need access to data that’s unified, organized, and compliant to inform that personalization.
Adding head count is one way to bolster marketing teams’ ability to personalize across channels, but marketing organizations will need to level up their tech stacks as well. Strategically investing in tools that serve to automate manual tasks will be a key component of this. As marketing organizations strategize around how to invest in AI, they should ensure that they’re evaluating solutions that free up time for their teams. For example, marketing leaders may want to make the most of AI’s ability to quickly analyze large data sets across platforms in real time to identify which channels and audience segments are delivering the best results, then allocating (or reallocating) spend to top performers—or, alternatively, adjusting creative to boost lagging channels.
Automation is another key area that advertisers may want to consider adopting to mitigate rising media fragmentation and complexity. Solutions that reduce manual labor by automating parts of the campaign process—from automated in-flight campaign optimizations to automated reporting dashboards—save marketing teams time that they can use for more strategic tasks.
Finally, advertisers must optimize their tech stacks as it relates to the collection, standardization, compliance, unification, and activation of data. Though social media fragmentation poses many challenges, it also presents brands with an exciting opportunity to use their spend more efficiently and effectively by targeting groups of consumers in hyper-personalized ways. But to do so, they must thoroughly understand their target audiences. By investing in tools like CDPs, which help to collect, standardize, organize, and activate on first-party data (increasingly important in context of signal loss), and platforms that can unify data from multiple social platforms in one place, advertisers can make these processes easier, more effective, and less time consuming for their teams.
As advertisers lose more and more signals and the digital media landscape continues to fragment, they will continue to see social media as an appealing destination for their media dollars. But despite those platforms’ targeting capabilities, marketing teams won’t have the time or resources they need to maximize their media budgets and deliver optimized, personalized journeys without levelling up their tech stacks. Those teams that invest in solutions that can automate as much of the campaign process as possible—with a specific focus on solutions that gather, organize, and unify both customer and reporting data—will set themselves up for success not only in connecting with target audiences, but making the most of each touchpoint.
As digital advertising grapples with fragmentation within social media and other channels, the stakes are clear: Marketing teams must find ways to streamline and unify their campaigns across platforms in order to meet a consumer base that expects highly personalized, omnichannel advertising approaches. To connect with the consumers of today and to set themselves up for success in connecting with the consumers of tomorrow, brand and agency leaders must level up their tech stacks in order to empower their teams and facilitate the agility required by the current media ecosystem. By harnessing these tools, brands can thrive in a fragmented social landscape and build stronger, more personalized connections with their audiences.