5 programmatic advertising trends to watch out for in 2025

Each year, we are trying to take a peek at new programmatic advertising trends. The latest ones included a higher personalization rate, short videos on the rise, and so on. The coming 2025 year is preparing something new for marketers—the programmatic industry is constantly evolving, and users’ behavior is constantly changing. One fact we can take note of is that programmatic will continue to boom next year. According to the forecast, programmatic ad spending is set to approach 800 billion by 2028.

Source: Statista

Let’s dive deeper into new advertising trends in 2025 with our new article. Here, we collected the newest trends and tendencies in the programmatic technology world and gave advice on how to lean into them.

Programmatic DOOH On The Rise

With a rapid change in user behavior and the spread of the omnichannel approach, brands will continue to connect with customers wherever they are—on social media, the open internet, TV, or even offline. That’s why digital OOH may become the number one choice for brands who want to connect with their target audience multichannel. DOOH allows brands to interact with users when they go outside in public places—on the streets, bus stops, shopping centres, and so on. Advertisements are on the screen when the target audience is near the maximum. More about the ad format you can learn here.

This is approved by forecasts: Statista predicts that the value of the global digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising market will grow at a CAGR of 13.2 percent from 2024 to 2032. Moreover, The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is predicted to see DOOH ad revenue grow by 19.1 percent, making it the fastest-growing market globally. 

Fueled with technology and programmatic, brands will pay more attention to this tool in the next 2025 year.

Brand Safety Center Stage & Avoiding Fraud

Each year, fraud becomes more comprehensive and spread wider. Nowadays, digital ad fraud costs advertisers $100 billion annually. Meanwhile, the cost of digital advertising fraud worldwide is expected to reach $172 billion annually by 2028. This way, protecting ad impressions from ad fraud isn’t just a trend; it’s the foundation for long-term success. 

Last year, advertisers were faced with different types of fraud:

• Click Fraud. Fraudsters use bots or click farms to generate fake clicks, wasting ad budgets.
• Domain Spoofing. Fraudsters mimic premium publishers to lure ad spend.
• Ad Stacking. Multiple ads are layered on top of each other, but only the top ad is visible, rendering the rest ineffective.
• Pixel Stuffing. Ads are crammed into a single pixel, making them invisible to users but still counted as “delivered.”

In the language of fact and statistics, the higher percent of spreadness had bot networks—they accounted for almost 40% of click fraud, using a large number of devices to generate fake clicks. The high penetration of fraud might be connected with the imperfection of analytics and verification systems. Advertising on mobile devices got the biggest damage from such shortcomings.

Source: Tapper

A good job is expected to be done in the brand safety field in the programmatic advertising world—as programmatic platforms display ads through the open internet, brand safety remains a top priority. Providing a high level of brand safety allows brands to safeguard their reputation. 

Last but not least, issues with the quality of media, including brand safety, fraud, viewability, and transparency, are still the biggest barriers to programmatic investments.

Source: IAB 

NT Technology has been mastering all nuisances by providing the highest level of brand safety and prevention from ad fraud using modernist AdTech technologies and practices. We can plug in any external pixels for results verification, so data is seamlessly delivered to any dashboard in use. We use automated real-time suspicious activity monitoring as well as Datacenter blacklist to determine fraud on time and protect ad impressions. Our team utilizes unlimited black/white lists, keyword blocklists, placement targeting, and more to safeguard brands fully. 

If you are looking for a reliable programmatic partner to launch ad campaigns, here we are. Our NT team will help you achieve the marketing results you are looking to reach with greater ROI and profit through programmatic NT DSP. Contact us today at info@nt.technology or fill out the form.

Contextual Targeting Takes Step Forward

Despite Google’s solution to leave cookies for advertisers safe, users prioritize their privacy. That’s why brands will look for another way of connecting with potential customers that is not based on their personal data.

Source: AIB

The leader in alternative solutions for 2025 is contextual targeting. Contextual targeting is making a resurgence as a privacy-compliant and effective solution. Instead of relying on user-specific data, it focuses on delivering ads based on the content of a webpage, ensuring relevance without compromising user privacy. For example, a brand selling running shoes might place ads on articles about marathon training or fitness tips, reaching an audience already interested in related topics. Modern contextual targeting goes beyond keyword matching. It incorporates sentiment analysis, natural language processing (NLP), and image recognition to understand the deeper context of content.

One of the biggest benefits of contextual targeting is privacy compliance and respecting users’ privacy, as the technology isn’t based on personal data or tracking cookies. Another one includes relevancy. Ads displayed in the context of the webpage’s content are more likely to capture user interest. One of the greatest benefits for advertisers is cost efficiency. Contextual targeting reduces the dependency on expensive third-party data. Instead, it uses real-time content analysis to deliver precise ad placements, saving costs while maintaining high performance.

This combination of privacy compliance, relevancy, cost savings, brand safety, and improved engagement makes contextual targeting a must-have strategy for brands in 2025 and beyond.

Programmatic CTV Gains More Popularity

Connected TV (CTV) advertising has rapidly emerged as one of the most impactful trends in programmatic advertising—nowadays, 75% of all transactions for CTV ad impressions are made by programmatic platforms. With the rise of streaming platforms and the decline of traditional cable TV, CTV offers brands an opportunity to engage with audiences in a premium, non-disruptive environment.

Source: AIB

The biggest driver for the channel growth is changing audiences’ behavior. Users are seeking more personalized experiences and fewer ad interruptions. As a result, we can see the accelerating demand for on-demand content from the transition from traditional TV to streaming platforms. Also, over the past year, users have been switching to a more engaging and storytelling format of content than just a picture—videos. This type of content demonstrates how products and services can help users achieve life goals, relax, smile, and so on. This is also one of the reasons the channel grew year by year. 

Another reason is ad-supported streaming platforms. Ad-supported streaming services like Hulu (with ads) and Peacock have increased due to subscription fatigue, providing premium inventory for advertisers. One more includes high viewability. Ads on CTV are shown on large screens in a distraction-free environment, leading to higher viewability and completion rates.

Source: StreamTV Insider

Summing up, programmatic advertising on CTV will grow this year and the next. CTV will remain a foundational component of programmatic advertising strategies as the technology and ecosystem mature, resulting in both scale and measurable results.

Source: Statista

Learn more about CTV advertising in our article here.

Omnichannel Approach Grow

In 2025, the omnichannel approach is no longer optional but essential for brands seeking to deliver seamless, cohesive, and impactful advertising experiences across multiple touchpoints. Alongside this, the ability to measure campaign performance accurately across these channels has become a cornerstone of successful advertising strategies.

Nowadays, the average user uses 3.6 devices daily to browse, shop, and engage with content. Modern customer journeys are non-linear, involving multiple touchpoints before conversion. For instance, a customer might see an ad on Instagram, research the product on a desktop, and complete the purchase on a mobile app. In order to achieve success and stand out from competitors, it’s crucial for brands to be near their customers on social media, different websites, search engines, and mobile apps. Omnichannel strategies and programmatic DSP platforms ensure brands stay visible and relevant throughout this journey. 

The omnichannel approach, paired with precise measurement, ensures that every ad dollar works harder by delivering consistent, data-driven, and impactful campaigns. Brands that embrace this trend will not only achieve greater ROI but also build deeper connections with their audiences. That’s why more and more brands invest their budgets in omnichannel programmatic solutions.

Source: AIB

Conclusion

Programmatic advertising continues to evolve at a rapid pace, reshaping the digital advertising landscape. In this dynamic environment, success will depend on the ability to adapt to these trends, leverage advanced technologies, and prioritize consumer trust through privacy-first solutions like contextual targeting. Those who invest in understanding and implementing these advancements will be better equipped to navigate the complexities of the advertising ecosystem and deliver campaigns that resonate, engage, and convert.

NT Technology would be glad to boost your ad performance in 2025, launching highly efficient programmatic ad campaigns for your business. Contact us today at info@nt.technology or fill out the form here.