Ads everywhere, impact nowhere? Navigating the new media maze

Back in 2021, quantitative marketer and author of Freemium Economics, Eric Seufert, declared that ‘everything is an ad network’. Three years later, his words have never rung truer.

The advertising industry is awash with inventory and channels, with global ad revenues set to surpass $1 trillion in 2024, according to GroupM. Digital platforms are poised to capture nearly three-quarters of this spend by 2025, and retail media is on track to overtake global TV ad revenues within the same timeframe.

The adage ‘the medium shapes the message’ is more relevant than ever today. With Indian consumers increasingly engaging with digital platforms, brands must adapt to the evolving media landscape.

Each digital touchpoint offers a unique experience, requiring advertisers to assess its impact, fine-tune strategies, and tailor their approach for maximum effectiveness. From Uber’s $1 billion ad network to Zomato’s social ads and digital out-of-home (DOOH) placements in grocery aisles, advertising has infiltrated unexpected spaces.

With airlines, hotels, and quick commerce platforms doubling as ad networks, it raises the question: Are we heading toward an ad-saturated world? And more importantly, how can advertisers navigate this explosion of inventory while maintaining effectiveness and quality?

Anthony Katsur, CEO of IAB Tech Lab, acknowledges that commerce media is a major growth area for advertisers. “With users at commerce media sites and apps already looking to purchase, they offer audiences with clear intent. Moreover, these are authenticated, signed-in users that advertisers can match with known customers,” he told Campaign.

However, scale comes with challenges. Ensuring quality, fraud prevention, and privacy compliance are key. Katsur emphasises the need for industry standards. “Existing standards like Open Measurement SDK (OM SDK) ensure impressions are verified and viewable. Tools like ads.txt and sellers.json authorise programmatic buys, and the Global Privacy Protocol (GPP) helps uphold privacy regulations,” he added.

Advertisers have to ensure that they follow the standards to ensure quality and effectiveness. Yet, the reality remains: As the number of platforms increases, so does the difficulty of managing brand consistency across them.

“In the ever-shifting digital arena, brands must be in a constant state of evolution. With each platform bringing its own rules, formats, and quirks, maintaining a seamless identity isn’t just a challenge—it’s an art of adaptation,” rued Kirti Dhar, a senior media planner in an ad agency.

Retail media versus mass media: A new equilibrium?

Retail media’s rapid rise has led some to question whether traditional mass media is losing relevance. By 2025, retail media is expected to hit $176.9 billion in ad spend, overtaking global TV advertising.

Katsur believes the definition of mass media is evolving. “Consumers today engage across a fragmented landscape—websites, apps, podcasts, Connected TV (CTV), streaming services, social media, and digital commerce. That’s today’s mass media. YouTube podcasts, for example, just reached one billion monthly active users—it’s the new radio and TV,” he claimed.

The takeaway? Traditional mass media isn’t disappearing, but its dominance is waning. Advertisers need to recalibrate their strategies to engage audiences across multiple, often unpredictable, touchpoints.

The AI Paradox: Advanced Targeting, But No Full Automation—Yet

AI is revolutionizing ad targeting, yet full automation of ad buying remains elusive. Katsur is optimistic about AI’s trajectory: “AI and deep machine learning are already activating audiences and refining buying algorithms. The delay in full automation is not due to roadblocks but rather the time required to integrate new technology while managing privacy and data compliance.”

As Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) gain traction, AI-driven advertising will accelerate. Katsur envisions a future where advertisers issue high-level directives—for example sell 20% more shoes to professional women in leadership roles—and AI does the rest, from audience segmentation to media planning and creative execution. For now, brands must prepare by upskilling their teams, ensuring they have the knowledge to leverage AI tools effectively.

With third-party cookies disappearing, first-party data has become the industry’s most valuable asset. But how can advertisers balance innovation with ethical data use?

Katsur highlights IAB Tech Lab’s initiatives. The non-profit research and development consortium has developed standards for data clean rooms, such as PAIR and AdMAP protocols, to enable first-party data activation.

“Additionally, our Curated Audience Framework supports responsible data use for publishers and advertisers,” he added. In other words, industry bodies are working to create a structured ecosystem where data-driven advertising thrives without crossing ethical lines.

The streaming boom

Streaming platforms are heavily investing in live sports, opening fresh ad opportunities. Netflix has firmly positioned itself among the giants of live sports broadcasting, just as traditional networks secure record-breaking rights deals. Sports organisations saw an influx of external capital, with private equity playing a major role as leagues adjusted regulations to welcome institutional investment. In India, Reliance Industries and Disney finalised a merger, forming an $8.5 billion (Rs 70,352 crore) joint venture that streams all live sports, including the IPL, the Jiostar app.

A PwC report, Engaging Younger Sports Fans, highlights a shift in viewing habits. Only 19% of younger fans watch an entire game at home, and even then, multitasking is the norm. Over two-thirds engage with social media during a match, 47% browse the web, and 24% play video games. A mere 1% focus solely on the game.

However, CTV advertising remains fragmented. To address this, Shivendra Mishra, APAC Director at IAB Tech Lab, stresses the need for standardisation. “We need to consolidate CTV and video measurement. Last year, we launched the Ad Creative ID Framework (ACIF) to unify measurement across platforms, and Ad Format Hero to standardise CTV ad formats,” he explained.

The fragmentation issue is critical, especially as linear TV declines. In 2025, streaming TV ad revenues are projected to grow by 19.3%, while linear TV shrinks by 3.4%. With streaming platforms capping ad loads at 4–5 minutes per hour compared to linear TV’s 12 minutes, the industry must rethink ad effectiveness in shorter windows.

Cross-platform attribution: The holy grail of retail media?

Retail media promises closed-loop measurement, but as the ecosystem expands, cross-network performance comparison remains a challenge. Advertisers struggle to measure effectiveness consistently across platforms.

Moreover, despite its growing influence, this channel has yet to command the full attention of the C-suite. As media channels multiply, reaching consumers has never been easier—but engaging them is more challenging than ever.

Retail media has the power to transform brand-consumer interactions, making it a vital strategic asset. To truly deliver value, retail media networks must provide advertisers with deeper insights and data beyond what traditional partners have offered.

Mishra points to emerging standards, “AdMAP and CAPI will enable standardised measurement criteria and attribution models. OM SDK ensures consistent baseline measurement across screens and platforms.”

However, interoperability remains a concern. Without universal adoption of standards, advertisers may still face walled gardens that hinder direct performance comparisons.

Contextual advertising’s comeback in a DOOH world

With the proliferation of digital screens—from grocery stores to EV charging stations—contextual advertising is making a resurgence. Mishra underscores the importance of standardised frameworks. “DOOH going digital and programmatic is a major development,” he firmly believes.

Tech Lab provides the core standard for managing contextual advertising with Content Taxonomy 3.0. Mishra urges brands to align their buys with this taxonomy to compare relevance across different media.

For advertisers, this means rethinking how they balance reach with relevance. Instead of chasing every new channel, brands must prioritise high-impact placements tailored to consumer context.

As advertising expands into every corner of consumer life, the industry faces a paradox: unprecedented reach, yet greater fragmentation. Advertisers must refine their strategies, balancing quality with scale and leveraging technology to manage complexity.

Retail media’s rise signals a new era, but it doesn’t mark the end of mass media—rather, a redefinition. AI will transform ad buying, but it’s not plug-and-play just yet. Privacy will shape the future, but industry standards will be the bridge between innovation and ethics.

One thing is certain: the days of a one-size-fits-all advertising approach are long gone. The winners will be those who adapt, innovate, and embrace the ever-evolving media landscape.