How you can thrive in 2025…with ‘new’ digital marketing

As 2025 takes hold, our thoughts turn to the trends that will shape the digital marketing industry over the next year. Innovation is driving developments in areas such as curation, connected TV, and privacy, making the next 12 months a potentially exciting prospect to welcome a more transparent and sustainable industry.

Data-driven curation will be the differentiator
Curation attracted a lot of attention in 2024, and we’re going to see that trend continue. Curation itself isn’t new, but as innovative supply-side platforms (SSPs) have leveraged the capabilities of identity graphs and other data signals to innovate in the space, data-driven curation has emerged as a strategic tool for buyers to leverage audience, behavioral, or retail data to efficiently reach qualified consumers at scale and enhance the effectiveness of their working media.

This year, I believe we will also see the infusion of AI technology into curation tools, with deep neural networks and machine learning techniques being applied to identify the most appropriate inventory for advertisers.

This means brands can reach their target consumers at scale in a more cost-efficient way. Traditional curation methodologies limit advertisers to subject-specific inventory, but through AI-powered, data-driven curation they can effectively target their audience wherever they are across multiple environments, ensuring high performance. And media owners can drive greater yield from their inventory.

A more sustainable CTV marketplace will grow
The connected TV marketplace is one area that will benefit hugely from better curation methodologies in 2025. Data-driven curation, combined with premium, biddable inventory can help buyers target highly-engaged audiences at scale, optimising towards campaign outcomes. Media owners can also maximise the value of their CTV inventory, driving revenues which they can reinvest in creating content for consumers, creating a virtuous cycle.

Thanks to these enhanced curation tools, the role of the differentiated SSP has transformed from a transactional platform to that of a trusted advisor; providing publishers and buyers with everything they need to create a robust, high-value programmatic ecosystem from which all sides benefit.

Privacy to be even bigger
The digital advertising industry has been greatly affected by the evolution of privacy regulations in recent years, as well as growing consumer awareness of how data is collected and used. And, more than ever before, privacy will play a pivotal role in how media is sold, bought, and measured this year.

New global and state regulations such as Australia’s Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 and the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act (MODPA) will have a big impact on our industry, and buyers will need to seek out more direct paths to inventory to safeguard against data leakage. They will also have to rely on programmatic partners who deeply understand the downstream effects of regulation.

Meanwhile, publishers will continue to require innovative tools that provide management of available data signals. Again, SSPs who are building innovative tools will play a critical role in helping media owners meet the specific needs of buyers, optimising the value of their inventory without compromising data integrity or security.

Innovation looks set to be a recurring theme for 2025 – driving necessary and overdue improvements for the industry. These future-proofed tools will help brands to supercharge campaign performance and support media owners in realising the full potential of their quality inventory.

Matt Sattel is chief revenue officer at OpenX