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Programmatic Advertising: Where We Are, And Where We’re Headed

Programmatic advertising has been the pulse of modern digital marketing for the past decade. When digital advertising took the leap from manual processes to Real-Time Bidding (RTB), it was nothing short of transformative, though it raised a lot of questions about ad fraud and data silos, especially among early adopters. 

Today, the Unilevers of the world are using programmatic to grow market segments, product lines, and to expand globally. 

But what direction is it going? We’ve got some predictions. 

Present: The Current Landscape 

With more 1st party data as well as AI, programmatic advertising has become more precise, and the demand for precision has only grown stronger as media consumption becomes more fragmented, with the average person carrying multiple devices. Initially, programmatic was a smaller investment, augmenting larger marketing investments like TV, Billboard, social media, and big spreads on major publications. The integration of mobile, Connected TV (CTV), and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) indicated a sharp shift to mostly digital strategy. We live in a 95% digital world which lends itself to an attention economy even more saturated, but also ripe with accessible opportunities. Connected TV itself is expected to yield a 34.40 billion dollar investment by advertisers in 2025.

The demand for better targeting however, was curtailed this year as Google Chrome, which holds a majority market share of web browsers, eradicated 3rd party cookie tracking, and later edited this change to allow users to decide and change their settings to disallow cookie tracking

As the recent Google antitrust lawsuit ruled that Google is a monopolist, it’s uncertain how this will affect the search engine’s usual operations, and how users will be finding their information moving forward. 

Future: Emerging Trends and Predictions 

What we can say with certainty is that the future will be about balance—marrying creativity with the precision of automation. But there will be a heavier emphasis on creativity this decade. 

As third-party cookies phase out, first-party data and contextual targeting will take center stage, with innovations like Universal IDs setting new standards for tracking. Business and personal emails and device IPs are going to be better ways to target, and campaign goals will need to evolve as audience targeting options shift; CPMs only matter if you have a very clear idea of who those people might be. 

Privacy and compliance will remain critical, but so will the need for creativity that cuts through the noise. Expect AI and machine learning to continue evolving, making the future of programmatic a playground for those willing to innovate. 

Adaptability is your asset. The ability to innovate quickly will be an important trait to adopt at your agency or brand. Things change fast, and those who adapt fast, set the pace. 

Want to stay adaptable? Stay in the know. Subscribe to Klever’s weekly newsletter to stay ahead. 

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