Digital marketing is no longer merely evolving – it’s transforming at full speed.
According to Mediaocean’s H2 Market Report for 2025, what was considered experimental just months ago has rapidly become standard practice.
The bi-annual survey, based on insights from over 500 marketing professionals, reveals how AI, Connected TV (CTV), and identity-based strategies are now firmly embedded in the modern marketer’s toolkit.
AI Leads the Charge in Marketing Priorities
Nearly three-quarters of marketers surveyed have cited artificial intelligence as a top priority, making it the most dominant force in marketing today.
Its applications span across multiple areas – from generating creative and writing copy to media planning, campaign optimisation, and data analysis. The efficiency, scale, and intelligence AI introduces are revolutionising workflows across the marketing spectrum.
Yet this isn’t just hype. The use of AI has transitioned from pilot projects to practical, daily execution.
Marketers are not simply dabbling in automation; they are restructuring their strategies to integrate AI at every touchpoint – from the initial planning phases to campaign delivery and post-campaign analytics.
CTV Set to Soar with Precision Targeting Capabilities
Among the many emerging technologies, Connected TV has quickly risen in the ranks of media investment.
As traditional TV viewing declines and streaming consumption continues to grow, CTV is proving to be a high-value channel. What’s particularly appealing to marketers is its promise of better targeting.
Thanks to more sophisticated identification metrics from streaming platforms and broadcasters, marketers are shifting from a “spray and pray” method focused on mass reach, to a far more precise and performance-driven approach.
Budget allocations suggest that CTV is poised for the largest increase in ad spend this year, with marketers seeking measurable results and one-to-one audience engagement.
Cracking the Code on Identity in a Post-Cookie World
Marketers are now putting greater emphasis on identity – not just as a trend, but as a necessity.
With the decline of cookies and the proliferation of digital channels, customer identification is becoming both more complex and more crucial. The report notes that marketers are leaning on a combination of first-party and third-party data, along with “probabilistic approaches,” to build robust customer profiles.
The importance of this shift extends beyond ad delivery. Identity-driven marketing is key to unlocking deeper personalisation, which is now expected by consumers. Brands must also tread carefully, as their messaging increasingly intersects with socio-political issues.
Cultural sensitivity and the ability to rapidly adapt communications in response to real-world events have become critical parts of modern brand strategy.
Privacy and Compliance: Less Talk, More Action
Interestingly, the importance placed on privacy and compliance initiatives appears to be waning.
According to Mediaocean’s findings, marketers are now investing more in identity-based solutions that proactively shape customer relationships rather than reacting to regulatory pressures.
This doesn’t mean privacy is being ignored – but it signals a maturity in how it’s being handled. Rather than being the headline issue, it’s becoming an embedded, background standard of responsible marketing.
Search Spend Declines as AI Disrupts SERPs
One of the more surprising developments in the report is the 22% drop in search advertising spend compared to the first half of the year.
With AI-generated results increasingly dominating the top of search engine results pages, traditional keyword and link-based SEO is no longer enough.
Optimising for AI means understanding complex technical changes, many of which fall outside traditional marketing expertise. For instance, brands now need to consider server-side rendering of JavaScript – technical territory usually reserved for developers.
The rise of AI-powered search is pushing marketers to rethink how they build, structure, and present content online.
Data Unification: A Persistent Challenge
Despite the optimism and innovation, digital marketing still faces one persistent technical hurdle: data unification. Marketers continue to struggle with pulling together insights from multiple, disparate platforms.
As tools and channels evolve quickly, data aggregation tech often lags behind, causing gaps in analysis and decision-making. Unifying these fragmented data sources remains a critical bottleneck in achieving the full potential of AI-driven and personalised marketing.
Resilience and Reinvention: The New Marketing Mantra
In summary, the Mediaocean H2 2025 report paints a clear picture of a marketing industry in flux – driven by innovation, adapting with speed, and navigating complexity with resilience. AI, CTV, and identity aren’t just buzzwords anymore – they’re the cornerstones of today’s most successful strategies.
A spokesperson for Mediaocean concluded that these technologies have now graduated from experimental to essential. The ability for brands to align their creative, data, and tech capabilities will define their success in the months ahead.
In a landscape where yesterday’s innovations are today’s expectations, marketers must continue to blend agility with strategic foresight – because standing still is no longer an option.
