Tips for Understanding Programmatic Advertising Trends

This week marks a turning point in programmatic buying. For B2B companies, the sunsetting of the Xandr DSP translates into a fundamental reshaping of the advertising playing field: -Walled gardens will proliferate as platforms lock down behind authenticated data walls. -Invitation-only PMPs will become the baseline for quality, transparency, and compliance. -The black-box problem deepens…closed ecosystems strip away visibility into performance and audiences. -AI-native channels emerge as the ultimate proving ground, with tools like our Agentbase Outcomes Agent transforming raw signals into real-time, conversational campaigns. These shifts will impact buying teams: Buyers will prioritize data unification. Success hinges on activating first-party account signals (and stitching CRM, web analytics, and intent feeds into a single account profile). Buyers will co-create their tech stack. Vendor relationships will evolve into true co-innovation: expect to co-develop PMP integrations, share APIs, and iterate side by side. Buyers will demand unshakeable vendor stability. Buyers will vet DSP providers not just on functionality, but on financial health, roadmaps, and long-term commitment to B2B. We recognized that retrofitted, consumer-grade DSPs and walled gardens simply can’t proliferate seven-person buying committees or nine-month sales cycles. That’s why we built our own B2B DSP from the ground up: a platform that prioritizes the real decision-makers over anonymous cookies and uses AI to balance spend across enterprise tiers and nurture accounts. Context isn’t an afterthought; it’s the very foundation that guides every campaign from first impression to renewal. If you’re wondering what to do today to adapt, here are 3 steps to take right now. 1) Unify your data by merging CRM, web analytics, and intent feeds into a single, buying engine. 2) Identify the handful of suppliers that most influence your ICP. Negotiate PMP access, guaranteed impressions against your target list, and custom data integrations (e.g., matched audiences). 3) Audit your DSP dependence. If your advertising platform owns a purpose-built B2B DSP, you’ve removed the largest single point of failure. Otherwise, list every buy engine you “rent” and identify black-box risks. Identify a backup activation path (alternative DSP, direct publisher buys, or programmatic partner). Consider this “fire drill”: Could you switch in under 24 hours in an emergency if the supply chain is cut off?

#AdTech News update AdTech & Programmatic – 2025 is Shaping the Future of Digital Advertising The pace of change in our industry is relentless—and exciting. Here are some key developments that are redefining how we approach media, measurement, and innovation: Meta's Bold AI Vision Mark Zuckerberg just shook the industry: Meta is building an AI-driven ad engine where advertisers only input objectives and budgets. Creative, targeting, and media buying? All handled by AI. We’re stepping into the era of “infinite creative” automation. Generative AI + Incrementality = Smart Ad Budgets Startups like Paramark are blending GenAI with campaign incrementality to drive smarter ad investments. Their tech forecasts the sales impact of ad variations—next-level insights for performance marketers. Privacy-First Targeting Third-party cookies are nearly obsolete. Contextual, geotargeting, and 1st-party data strategies are no longer “alternatives”—they’re core. Regulators are watching, and so are consumers. CTV & Programmatic Audio On the Rise As linear TV fades, CTV and OTT ad spend are booming. Add to that the rise of programmatic audio (think dynamic, host-read podcast ads), and you’ve got new playgrounds for engagement. Industry Shakeups & Consolidation Google’s antitrust saga could lead to serious restructuring. Meanwhile, smaller players are consolidating to offer full-stack solutions—streamlining for buyers, but a double-edged sword for publishers. The Evolution of Brand Building With attribution limitations and rising CPAs, brands are rethinking performance-only strategies. Real-world communities, creative storytelling, and direct customer relationships are back in vogue. We’re witnessing a fundamental evolution—from channels to ecosystems, from media buying to business outcomes. Are we ready for the AI-led future of advertising? #AdTech #ProgrammaticAdvertising #DigitalMarketing #AIinAdvertising #CTV #FirstPartyData #MarketingStrategy #AdOperations #PerformanceMarketing

I spoke with 35+ 7-9 figure brand founders in the last 30 days: They ALL shared 3 misconceptions about programmatic advertising: 👉 Misconception 1 “Programmatic is all low-quality traffic” For many brands - Their first exposure to programmatic advertising is through platforms like Taboola or Criteo. These are notorious for bot traffic, click fraud, and poor-quality leads. But this perception is outdated. Platforms like The Trade Desk have invested heavily in filtering bad traffic quality. → Double Verify tools are used to validate traffic. → The Trade Desk recently acquired Sincera (specializes in improving click traffic and combating fraud) The result is a cleaner, higher-quality traffic pipeline for programmatic campaigns. 👉Misconception 2: “Programmatic takes forever to optimize” It’s true that traditional programmatic campaigns often required months of optimization. But with our own advanced algorithms and attribution tools - The learning cycle has been reduced from 6 months to just 4-6 weeks. Here’s how: → Programmatic uses pixels & attribution models to track purchases + deliver clear insights → Faster feedback means campaigns can be optimized and reach profitability much sooner. 👉 Misconception 3: “Programmatic is just display ads” Many people associate programmatic with banner ads on news websites. But today, it’s far more versatile. Programmatic can include: → CTV ads on smart TVs like Roku. → Audio ads on platforms like Spotify. → Mobile app ads on games like Candy Crush. This means programmatic campaigns can meet your audience wherever they are - Which sales far beyond what Meta or Google can offer. TL;DR Programmatic advertising has evolved. It’s no longer a niche tool with slow results and low-converting clicks. → Traffic quality is better → The optimization cycles are faster → There are broader ad placements to choose from And IMO: It’s the most scalable, high-impact strategy for modern brands and agencies.

Long read but anyone in ad tech and programmatic should listen to my words: The programmatic spine is bending and close to breaking. Anyone in ad tech knows it's largely held together by IDs. The buy side's foundation relies heavily on user IDs; remove them, and the whole system collapses. Basic DSP functions like conversion pixels, frequency capping, and exclusion segments all depend on user IDs. As a result, most buy-side solutions discard QPS they don't think you'll transact on. If you're using traditional settings like frequency capping, conversion tracking, or audience exclusions, you're missing out on tons of available inventory. the U of Digital newsletter highlights two key shifts: one, ad spend moving from display to CTV, and two, AI search reducing the QPS that DSPs rely on for transactions. The shift to CTV is driven by two factors. First, CTV is a strong channel worth investing in. Second, and less discussed, CTV allows continued ID targeting, keeping the ad tech spine intact. Does this mean display ads are dead? No way. Are they less effective? Nope. But you need to adjust your approach. My data spine is built on content and consumption patterns, not user IDs, so it holds strong without processing the massive QPS that major DSPs need for buying signals. The future of open web display targeting will have far fewer stable IDs but will focus on specific URLs showing strong user intent. Understanding why those URLs matter to an audience is how you win display ads on the open web. There's still massive scale out there; it just doesn't rely on IDs. You’re reaching users at the moment of their specific interest, not chasing weak ID signals, and you face almost zero competition because competitors are tied to user IDs. This is the future of display ads: just as important, if not more, and way more targeted.

CTV is growing fast — and it’s changing how programmatic works. The real opportunity lies in how you position, activate, and measure it. As CRO of a PE-backed AdTech platform, staying close to industry shifts is part of the job. I recently compiled weeks of internal and market research into a field-tested view of what’s really driving growth in programmatic right now. In this article, I unpack the four biggest forces shaping momentum across the space: ✅ CTV and video grabbing budget from display and linear ✅ The rise of first-party data, clean rooms, and ID-free targeting ✅ AI finally becoming useful (not just buzz) ✅ Buyers reshaping the supply chain — on their terms 👉 Read the full breakdown If you're leading in DSP, agency, PE, or product strategy — would love your POV. What are you seeing? #AdTech #Programmatic #CTV #DigitalAdvertising #PrivateEquity #Leadership #CROperspective

Wrapping up an insightful 2 days at AdExchanger Programmatic IO, catching up with some of the best minds in the industry. There was plenty of discussion around the open web, cookieless strategies, and the expanding role of AI. Here are my 🚀 top takeaways: 🌐 The Open Web: Despite the rise of walled gardens and challenges from signal loss, the open web remains valuable to advertisers, as long as it continues to drive meaningful results. 🤖 Gen AI in Advertising: While predictive AI has long been a part of adtech, the addition of Gen AI is now reshaping programmatic by unlocking new opportunities in content creation, SEO optimization, and contextual targeting. 🔄 Ad Tech Consolidation: Platforms that leverage scale, omnichannel capabilities, and 1P data will lead, but ongoing consolidation of SSPs and DSPs will tighten the value chain, drive efficiency, and increase pricing pressure. 🆔 ID Bridging: With the rise of ID bridging and discrepancies in Mode B traffic impacting value assessments, the IAB Tech Lab updated standards to ensure clear communication of ID roles and matching methods between buyers and sellers. 📱 iOS Audience Importance: iPhone users account for 15-20% of programmatic revenue. As cookies phase out, 1P data and alternative IDs will be essential for reaching this audience, with success depending on scale, accuracy, and end-to-end integration. 🛡️ AI-Driven Brand Safety: Generative and Discriminative AI, combined with human oversight, are making significant strides in brand safety, ensuring ads appear in suitable contexts within fast-evolving content ecosystems. 📈 SPO Best Practices: Streamlining supply paths through direct buying, reducing fees, and optimizing auction logs will be critical for increasing efficiency and transparency. A big thanks to my colleagues and friends in the industry for an amazing couple of days—always great catching up with everyone!

We are back for our third year of programmatic predictions. Jeremy Freedman and I have the great privilege of working with the largest, most sophisticated advertisers and agencies in the country and this is what we see coming in 2025. ➡️ CTV: 2024 saw an influx of ad-supported streaming options in the Canadian market, so yeah, CTV is a pretty big deal. But in 2025, it will hit a new gear when we start to really see the walls between linear and digital break down. More and more marketers and agencies will break down these silos, bringing teams together to take advantage of technical prowess and content expertise in one place... Ultimately, this will lead to more efficient use of ad budgets and better marketing campaigns for consumers. ➡️ Cross Channel Activation: Many agencies and marketers set up centres of excellence in programmatic, search and social. This has served the industry well to drive best in class use of each channel, but the structure is hitting its limit. By the end of 2025, we predict we’ll see an influx in marketers and agencies who consolidate activation teams across all major buying channels. This will generate greater insight sharing, and increasingly fluid budgets across channels. Both of which mean better performance. ➡️ Doubling Down on Education: We work in a complex industry with, dare we say, a lot of buzzwords. As that complexity increases, the need to cut through the noise increases, and we think education will be something that the best partners lean into heavily in 2025. At Google, this means evolving agency and marketer education programs like Digital U to meet the AI moment and help customers thrive. This also requires increased partnership with existing centres of excellence at agencies and marketers to bring existing expertise across more teams. And what about our predictions for 2024? Last year, we focused much more on technical capabilities and tactical execution. Not surprisingly, clients did end up focusing on efficiency and measurement. Although, while AI continues to garner headlines, we are still just scratching the surface of its impact in programmatic. If we allowed ourselves a 4th prediction, it would be on AI. While we have said this before, we are truly grateful to get the chance to work with and be inspired by so many marketers and agencies that are tireless in their pursuit of excellence for their brands. It is a privilege to play a small part in this and can’t wait to crush 2025 together. #Programmatic #DigitalAdvertising #FutureofMedia

Most people don't fully understand programmatic advertising—so here’s what I’ve learned about programmatic over the years: 👉 Why it works: Programmatic isn’t about throwing ads into the void—it’s about precision. Our research shows that marketers using programmatic see 37% more revenue growth and 60% higher confidence in targeting their ideal customer profiles compared to non-users. 👉 Where it shines: With channels like display, video, native, and even connected TV, programmatic meets your audience where they already are. Whether it’s a banner ad or a custom audience on Hulu, the reach is unparalleled. 👉 How to improve it: - Use behavioral and intent signals for targeting. - Optimize with predictive analytics and customer lifetime value data. - Combine with other tactics like content syndication to boost confidence in your strategy by up to 71%. I’ve seen how programmatic transforms campaigns when done right. It’s a strategy that brings together data, targeting, and creativity to drive ROI. Don't you think?

As global investment in gaming media accelerates, programmatic is proving to be a catalyst in how brands engage with gamers. WARC’s "Future of #Programmatic 2024" report reveals that programmatic spend now accounts for 74.5% of total digital ad spend, growing 10.9% YoY! 🚀 Key takeaways from the report: 1️⃣ Walled Gardens: With just five major platforms projected to capture over half of global ad spend, in-game advertising must adapt to these ecosystems. Programmatic tools can help brands achieve precise targeting while fostering strong relationships with gaming publishers. 2️⃣ Consumer Behavior Shift: Gamers are spending more time in open platforms and immersive game environments, but ad spend remains concentrated in walled gardens. This discrepancy signals a major opportunity to scale programmatic in-game ads and capitalize on gaming as a powerful marketing platform. 🎮 3️⃣ Channel Growth: Just like CTV and display, in-game advertising is benefiting from the YoY programmatic growth. Real-time bidding (RTB) and advanced targeting are making in-game ads more relevant and less intrusive, enhancing the player experience. 4️⃣ Direct Programmatic: Advertisers are increasingly turning to programmatic direct models (like private marketplaces) to secure brand-safe, premium placements in games, ultimately driving revenue while keeping players engaged. Check out the full report via the link below! 📖 #InGameAdvertising #Gametech #AdTech #DigitalMarketing #WARC #GamingMarketing Livewire | Tom Simpson Anthony Alexander

The future of digital advertising is shifting—and if you’re not keeping up, you could be missing out on some serious opportunities. Programmatic advertising is essentially automated ad buying, using data and algorithms to target the right audience with precision. It’s streamlining how brands reach their customers, driving efficiency, and boosting ROI. Here’s why it matters: • It reduces wasted spend by ensuring your ads are shown to the right people at the right time. • It leverages real-time data to adjust campaigns on the fly, making your advertising more effective. What’s changing in 2024? • AI-Powered Campaigns: Real-time data is making targeting sharper and boosting ROI. • Contextual Targeting: Ads now match the content consumers are already engaging with—no need for personal data. • Cross-Device Attribution: Track the complete customer journey across all devices. • Attention as the New KPI: It’s not just about views and clicks—engagement is the new measure. • Privacy First: Prioritizing user privacy while delivering relevant ads. The landscape is shifting, and if you’re ready to adapt, programmatic advertising could be a game-changer for your business. Which trend are you most excited to dive into for 2024?