As we turn the calendar to 2025, let’s reflect on the topics that resonated with ad industry thought leaders this year.
The columns below were the most popular pieces penned by AdExchanger’s guest contributors in 2024. They offer a snapshot of an industry in flux – and one that’s grown cynical due to repeated promises of unrealized change.
All the major storylines are here: from analysis of the top industry players to attempts to grapple with digital advertising’s most complicated technical challenges and thorniest ethical conundrums.
There was plenty of discussion about the headwinds faced by publishers. And more than a few passioned pleas for advertisers to abandon outdated and outmoded practices.
Third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome generated a ton of interest, as did Google’s cookie alternative, the Privacy Sandbox. And frustration with all things Google was obvious even before it revised its cookie plans yet again, pulling the rug out from under the industry for the third time in five years.
Similarly, Google’s changing priorities in its search business – which was officially branded as a monopoly by the US government this year – likewise drew attention to the tech giant’s influence over the online ecosystem.
Here’s a look back at the year in ad tech. Let’s see which of these topics we’re still talking about this time next year.
1. Why Publicis Is Winning
By Terence Kawaja, LUMA Partners
Kawaja’s study on the stock market valuations of top agency holdcos hit just before Omnicom announced its acquisition of IPG in December – and promptly surged ahead of every other entry on this list. His past predictions of agency M&A priorities proved prescient. But whether his endorsement of Publicis as top dog holds true amid a resurgence in agency consolidation remains to be seen.
2. CAPI Isn’t A Band-Aid For Cookie Deprecation. It’s An Essential Solution
By Eb Adeyeri, Jellyfish
Conversion APIs are often overlooked in any discussion of third-party cookie alternatives. But as Jellyfish’s social media expert points out, they’re essential for interfacing with the walled gardens where users spend their time online.
3. What Do We Say To Emily? The Human Cost Of Advertising Data Abuse
By Arielle Garcia, Check My Ads
Publicis’ $350 million settlement for marketing opioids to doctors on behalf of Purdue Pharma put the amorality of modern digital advertising in sharp focus. Then a Publicis employee, Emily Deschamps, shared the ethical quandary she faced as someone who had lost loved ones to opioid addiction. That prompted Garcia, UM Worldwide’s former privacy and responsibility chief, to challenge the industry to rediscover its sense of shame.
4. Don’t Be Distracted By Cookie Drama. Google’s Search Changes Are The Real Existential Threat
By Eric Hochberger, Mediavine
In a year marked by Google Chrome’s “will-they-won’t-they” relationship with third-party cookies, Mediavine’s top exec pointed to greater threats: the constant changes in Google’s algorithms, the dawn of generative AI search platforms and the potential for publishers to lose even more traffic to Big Tech’s walled gardens.
5. The Precipice of Peril: Publishers And Ad Tech Face A Harsh 2024
By Scott Messer, Messer Media
Speaking of headwinds faced by publishers, monetization consultant Scott Messer kicked the year off with a list of looming threats and trends for media owners to watch out for. And man, was he spot-on: From the rise of deal curation and attention-based targeting to the panic over ID bridging, Messer was ahead of the curve.
6. Privacy Sandbox’s Latency Issues Will Cost Publishers
By Amanda Martin, Mediavine
Six Critical Business Challenges The Privacy Sandbox Must Address
By Shailley Singh, IAB Tech Lab
Google’s Privacy Sandbox Isn’t As Bad As Critics Claim
By Bosko Milekic, Optable
The first two of these three columns took Google to task over the Privacy Sandbox’s shortcomings. They were part of a steady stream of Sandbox grievances from regulators and industry experts that likely helped doom Google’s cookie-killing plans. Meanwhile, Bosko Milekic’s counterpoint gave Google props for at least trying to establish an alternative before turning off a valuable audience signal – which can’t be said for other platforms.
7. CPMs Are The Wrong Metrics To Prioritize In CTV Advertising
By Dan Larkman, Keynes Digital
You knew there had to be at least one column about CTV. This one invoked another recurring theme this year: The need for marketers to abandon old strategies when confronting new challenges in new media channels.
8. Publishers Can Boost Their Value On The Open Exchange – Without Cookies
By Emry DowningHall, Unwind Media
Unwind’s programmatic revenue expert sketched a road map for post-cookie monetization. This primer has plenty of tips for integrating alternative IDs, cutting unnecessary SSPs, sending smarter bid requests and capitalizing on deal curation. Share it with your most pessimistic publisher friend.
9. Prepare For the Worst, But Don’t Expect Cookie Deprecation To Stick
By Jason Bier, Adstra
Here’s a take that aged like fine wine: Adstra’s privacy chief read the tea leaves back in February and predicted that Google would not, in fact, deprecate cookies as planned – months before Google announced it was reversing course yet again. But he advised the industry to not follow Google’s lead and forge ahead with post-cookie planning anyway. After all, omnichannel addressability is just good for business.
10. CMOs: It’s Time To End The Age Of BS
By Chris Gadek, AdQuick
Digital advertising is rife with waste, but CMOs haven’t gotten the wakeup call. Gadek calls BS on a host of flawed marketing practices in this fiery call to action. And he implores the industry to take advantage of the fresh start offered by signal loss and the global push for data privacy.
Honorable mentions
These columns fell just shy of the top spots, but they’re worth highlighting nonetheless.
The Magic Cookie, Longtime Enabler Of Ad Tech, Dies At 30
By Martin Kihn, Salesforce Marketing Cloud
In hindsight, Kihn’s tongue-in-cheek eulogy may have been a bit premature. But it’s still a great history lesson on the much-maligned cookie.
The End Of GARM Is A Reset, Not A Setback
By Arielle Garcia, Check My Ads
Garcia makes a second appearance on this list with her take on Elon Musk suing the Global Alliance for Responsible Media out of existence. She says the end of GARM is a chance to rewrite misguided brand safety standards – if advertisers are up to the task.
Shopping Has Transformed. It’s Time For The Marketing Funnel To Catch Up
By Nancy Hall, Mindshare
A best of 2024 list wouldn’t be complete without some mention of retail media. Hall explains how a narrow focus on the bottom of the funnel and overly cautious data strategy can limit retail media’s potential.
9 Measurement Questions Every Marketer Should Ask Retail Media Partners
By Keshav Parthasarathy, Retail Media Insights
And just in case that last column has you rethinking your approach, here are some tips for choosing the right partners among the explosion of retail media networks.
