2025 isn’t just another year for digital advertising — it’s shaping up to be a defining chapter in how brands connect with their audiences.
The APAC region, already a powerhouse, is on track to hit a projected net revenue of US$290 billion by 2029, cementing its role as a global leader. And as digital media continues its reign, the question isn’t if change is coming but how fast it will reshape the rules of engagement.
Marketers are bracing for an adventure in uncharted terrain, where rapid tech leaps, shifting consumer expectations, and tightening data privacy laws collide. The stakes and potential rewards have never been higher. So, how do we chart a course for success in a landscape that seems to evolve with every scroll, click, and swipe? Here’s a look at the key strategies to unlock growth, seize new opportunities, and build a winning playbook for 2025.
More action, less talk with data
The digital advertising landscape has heard so much chatter around data and identity for years. While the conversation is always changing, one constant remains: consumers’ desire for data privacy and security.
In 2025, more consumers will opt out of tracking, given Google’s decision to offer users this choice. We’ve already seen this with Apple’s app tracking transparency feature where 76% opted out, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The difference this time around? The opt-out numbers will swell to a considerable amount and advertisers will begin to see significant campaign performance degradation if they’re still relying on cookies and other dying user identifiers.
The data and identity conversation has already died down, but there is a majority consensus across the industry that more work still needs to be done. A recent study by Yahoo Demand-Side Platform (DSP) – Yahoo Singapore Digital Marketers Pulse – revealed that data privacy, signal loss, and identity constraints are top concerns for 73% of marketers in Singapore.
A little less talk and a lot more action is the right way to go in 2025. Marketers must adapt and be prepared to replace or supplement cookies with privacy-centric options that include a mix of first-party data, ID-less targeting and modeled conversions to support audience targeting, activation, and understand the impact on measurement.
Lower risk, more opportunities with a diversified ad spend
As more prioritise performance and effectiveness in 2025, marketers will seek to reduce risk and increase opportunities. Diversifying their ad spend will be a major part of this as they expand their media mix and explore alternative channels – something we’ve already seen in bits and pieces in 2024 where marketers increased their spend on open web platforms. The by-product to achieve this goal will see brands experimenting with innovative ad formats and technologies, potentially leading to more creative and engaging ad experiences and better campaign performance. Smaller platforms will also benefit as marketers diversify their ad spend across platforms, and in doing so advertisers can reach niche markets and communities that may be overlooked by larger platforms.
A prime example of a promising channel that offers great opportunities for advertisers is Connected TV (CTV).The format is nothing new, and in fact has already gained significant traction in markets like the US and Australia. However, the uptake in other markets including Singapore has been comparably muted due to a variety of challenges.
This year, we’ve seen significant strides for the CTV format, particularly in terms of the ad tech required for it to scale and reach its full potential within omnichannel strategies. As the industry matures and best practices from more advanced CTV markets like the US and Australia are implemented, 2025 is expected to be the year where we’ll see a spike in adoption from advertisers, in Singapore and other similar markets, that are looking to tap on CTV’s advanced capabilities and rising popularity.
Leveraging the AI-human synergy
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool for marketers, garnering significant interest in the industry.
Marketers have expressed that AI is a priority in the new year and they are eager to explore the power of AI and machine-learning solutions. It’s already transforming ad solutions in the market, giving advertisers an edge with benefits such as enhanced decision-making, improved targeting with audience insights and prediction capabilities, and optimised ad performance. But fret not; AI won’t replace our jobs (yet).
If marketers have learnt from the mishaps in 2024, 2025 will see a more hands-on, guided approach to AI. While AI-powered tools offer immense potential for automation and optimisation, human ingenuity remains essential to harness its full potential and reduce risks.
It is about striking a fine balance; AI insights can drive outcomes, but human control is necessary for oversight and understanding the impact of the change. A blend of intelligent tools and hands-on guidance will bring more flexibility, precision and effectiveness to campaigns, transforming data into actionable, result-oriented decisions for better business outcomes.
With bottom-line pressures, there will also be a sharper focus on the use of AI and marketers will demand demonstrable results. Rather than being the golden ticket to any and every problem, we’ll see marketers identify specific use cases where they hope to reap its benefits – beyond generative AI, these will be campaign optimisation and predictive analytics. And with this targeted approach, we’ll see a greater emphasis on measurable outcomes, whether it might be time or cost savings. So less black box, more transparency.
By harnessing the power of data, AI, emerging channels like CTV, and adopting a diversified ad spend approach, advertisers can navigate challenges and supercharge their strategies. As we step into 2025, let’s not just seize the opportunities that lie ahead but redefine the future of digital advertising, one campaign at a time.
