NEW YORK – July 16, 2025 – Mediaocean, the foundational partner for omnichannel advertising, today released findings from its 2025 H2 Market Report, offering insights into the most pressing trends shaping advertising in the second half of the year. Drawing from a global survey of hundreds of marketing professionals, the report reveals a clear shift from experimentation to execution, with CTV, AI, and identity as core pillars of growth. Marketers are leaning into personalization, performance, and connected systems to fuel cross-channel, full-funnel strategies.
CTV remains the top channel for planned budget increases, with 58% of marketers intending to spend more in H2. As CTV matures, marketers' focus is no longer just on reach, but also on precision and performance. Personalization was the top driver of CTV effectiveness, while cross-platform frequency management and measurement were noted as persistent challenges. Creative versioning, cross-platform optimization, and identity-informed targeting are now considered essential to unlocking CTV’s full-funnel value.
Generative AI tops the list of consumer trends for the second straight wave, with 72% of marketers citing it as a priority—up 15% from H1. This growth was consistent across all vertical industries. Marketers are moving past experimentation, applying AI throughout the ad lifecycle, from creative production and copywriting to media planning, data analysis, and campaign optimization.
Identity and demand generation grew as strategic priorities, rising 41% and 33%, respectively. Marketers can’t drive demand without knowing who they’re talking to. With cookies on the decline and media channels multiplying, marketers are leaning into multi-ID strategies that blend first-party data, partner IDs, and other signals to keep continuity across screens and platforms.
Cultural and political sensitivity also saw a rise in importance, with an 82% increase in marketers flagging it as a priority since H1. As political and advocacy issues increasingly intersect with brand communications, marketers are rethinking messaging and positioning with more nuance, using AI-powered creative tools to adapt in real-time and speak authentically across diverse audiences and contexts.
“Marketers are meeting change with a blend of resilience and reinvention,” said Karsten Weide, Principal & Chief Analyst, W Media Research. “As legacy IDs fade and AI transforms every corner of the ad tech stack, brands are building smarter, more flexible systems—rooted in identity, demand generation, and the measurable performance of channels like CTV. This report shows that the future isn’t something marketers are waiting for, it’s something they’re actively engineering.”
Join the live webinar, The Mediaocean Current: 2025 H2 Market Research, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, to hear takeaways from Mediaocean and featured speakers, including Weide, IAB’s Angelina Eng, Lafayette Media Group’s Jon Lafayette, and Starcom’s Shelby Saville.
“When it comes to omnichannel advertising, we’re seeing a transition from experimentation to expectation,” said Aaron Goldman, CMO, Mediaocean. “Marketers are no longer testing AI, CTV, or multi-ID strategies—they’re building with them. The second half of 2025 will be defined by how well brands align their technology, data, and creative to deliver connected, outcomes-driven experiences.”
The 2025 H2 Market Report is the eighth installment in Mediaocean’s bi-annual research series, bringing together more than 5,500 perspectives from agencies, brands, publishers, and platforms over the past four years. Download the full report to explore what’s shaping advertising in H2 and beyond.
About Mediaocean
Mediaocean is powering the future of the advertising ecosystem with technology that empowers brands and agencies to deliver impactful omnichannel marketing experiences. With over $200 billion in annualized ad spend running through its software products, Mediaocean deploys AI and automation to optimize investments and outcomes. The company’s advertising infrastructure and ad tech tools are used by more than 100,000 people across the globe. Mediaocean owns and operates Prisma, the industry’s trusted system of record for media management and finance, Innovid, the leading independent ad tech platform for creative, delivery, measurement, and optimization, as well as Protected by Mediaocean, an integrated solution for ad verification and brand safety. Visit www.mediaocean.com for more information.
Media Contact
Meg Coyle: mcoyle@mediaocean.com
