2025 Digital Marketing Programmatic Trends

#1 Programmatic Platform AI Integration… Of Course

Starting right off with the largest overarching trend of AI. While programmatic platforms have been touting their algorithms as machine learning or AI for years, the newer version of AI is much more advanced by enabling real-time data analysis, predictive analytics, and dynamic content creation. This can enable advertisers to tailor ads to individual preferences, behaviors, and even emotional responses in real-time, making campaigns more effective and efficient. The biggest question with AI is if advertisers trust full automation to work and serve ads to brand standards.

#2 Expansion of Connected TV (CTV) and Over-The-Top (OTT) Advertising

People are watching more and more CTV. How they watch is very decentralized with access through many different platforms like Roku, PlayStation, Xbox, YouTube and directly through their smart TVs. In 2025, the trends are more investment, transparency and opportunity. 55% of marketers are planning to increase investment in TV streaming. Advertisers will continue to push for transparency into what people are watching rather than just the platform. Finally, new inventory will expand in live sports, premium programming and Netflix has recently started ads. All this along with better targeting.

#3 Mastering GA4

Since GA4 launched it’s been a frustrating platform with less interactivity than the previous version. While it seems to have gone backwards in user friendliness, the need to build out custom dashboards is where things are going. Look forward in 2025 to functional third-party dashboards that bring back better visualization of the GA data you were used to.

#4 Search: Paid, organic and “zero-click”

Everyone wants organic traffic, it’s the ultimate goal, but it’s not easy. Finding the optimal mix of organic keywords and paid search for website traffic is art and science. Now factoring in zero-click* searches that include AI will be the new measurement in 2025. This can be done with free or paid tools but requires manhours to come up with the best models for tracking and optimization. In 2025, it will take effort to accurately know where traffic is coming from and which is best, but it is possible.

*Zero-click searches are those that search but don’t click on any result but rather, they either read the top snippet at the top of the search results page or they do a new related search without clicking.

#5 Growth of Digital Out-Of-Home (DOOH) Advertising

Programmatic’s expansion into DOOH advertising will allow for real-time, data-driven content on digital billboards and other outdoor displays like gas station pumps and digital displays in stores and doctor offices. This trend will enable more personalized and contextually relevant ads based on real-time data like weather or local events. Choosing hyper-local targeting will continue to get better, choosing DOOH options along a route or small radius around a business is all possible.

#6 Greater Integration of Location Data & Tracking

Brands will increasingly use geofencing to deliver ads to a pinpoint area based on a user’s physical location, enhancing relevance and driving in-store traffic. The newest tactic will be sharing these audiences with other platforms like Meta or Google using a hack. The tracking of phones is a mixed bag, but the technology is there to get actionable data. “Foot traffic tracking” should become more transparent by not just using bloated projections but instead using actual raw numbers or more conservative projections.

#7 Audience Segmentation, Contextual & Data-Driven Personalization

While AI has the potential to revolutionize programmatic advertising by offering enhanced personalization, dynamic creative optimization, and predictive analytics. As mentioned in #1 – can we trust the AI to not have errors (images cut off, wrong image/copy combos, typos, etc.). Rules-based messaging to niche audiences will be built either way, using more manual tools or testing AI. Advertisers will increasingly focus on delivering ads based on the content users are consuming rather than relying solely on behavioral data. The question advertisers must ask themselves is do they trust AI creative to deliver since there won’t be reporting showing what the audience sees because of the many different variations.

#8 Podcast Advertising & Influencers – Product Placement

There’s a podcast or 10 for almost every topic you can think of. If you listen, you’ll notice multiple ad opportunities. On-air reads, host reads in the ad spots and more traditional audio ads. Savvy advertisers will learn the old school method of integrating into popular podcasts and influencer channels with authentic product placement where people don’t know they are seeing ads. This is true with influence on marketing as well.

#9 Cross-Device Targeting

With people consistently using multiple devices, cross-device targeting will become even more crucial. Matching the devices comes through Wi-Fi, device IDs, login data and more. This trend involves creating a seamless advertising experience across all touchpoints, ensuring that ads are relevant and consistent regardless of the device.

#10 Omnichannel Marketing

Similar with cross-device targeting this trend matches channel placements together through a unified platform. This gives the option to deliver a brand story across nearly all the channels, from seeing a display ad on a phone to a video on their TVs. It will enhance the consumer experience and ensure brand messaging is consistent. Targeting through a single data source to all the channels will be utilized as well. Advertisers ability to tell a unified story across channels has never been more accessible. One extreme example is that you could geofence a neighborhood with mobile display ads, then pass that audience over to CTV and Facebook to also reach them with a video and build frequency through targeted native ads. Finally, those mobile devices could be tracked to a business or destination to see if they physically went there.

#11 Emphasis on Privacy and Data Protection

Pros and Cons here. As a normal person, we all want privacy. As an advertiser, however, we know high tech tools are available that pry anonymously into consumer devices. One notable trend over the past years with iPhones blocks location data. Advertisers need to work on targeting people through contextual and first-party data because other methods are getting more difficult.

Bonus. Adoption of Immersive and Interactive Ad Formats… Maybe it will finally take off

The use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in advertising is on the rise, offering immersive experiences that engage consumers in new ways. Augmented reality lets you hold up your phone or tablet and see the space around you in a different way on the device. An empty room in reality, could have animals using your product when AR is added. Similar concepts can be used with VR. The problem has been getting people to use these technologies on a regular basis.

By staying attuned to these trends, advertisers can navigate the evolving programmatic landscape and develop strategies that resonate with modern consumers.