More than 2,000 marketers and media owners from around the globe gathered in San Francisco for RampUp 2025 – the premier event for advertising innovators using data collaboration to accelerate their business. Over three dynamic days, attendees experienced more than 45 sessions, product showcases with demos, and inspiring insights from 100+ industry leaders (and, of course, networking over ping-pong and a cocktail or two).
This year’s theme – The Power of the Collaborative Network – resonated across conversations spanning activation to AI and measurement to media networks. One thing was clear – the brands that lean into collaboration and data-driven partnerships are the ones redefining what’s possible.
Dive into every conversation in our RampUp Session Library – or read on for the top 25 actionable priorities shared by industry leaders at this year’s event. Which move will you make first?
Advertising Innovators Embrace the Collaborative Network
Partnerships and data collaboration are the keys to unlocking innovation, insights, and outcomes that no single company can achieve alone. “The winners are going to be the ones who connect the silos,” said LiveRamp CEO Scott Howe, “The ones who realize everything is connected and bring the right information together at the right moment in time.”
1. Leverage interoperability. Think about what companies might have complimentary data for your business and start a conversation about how to potentially collaborate. Take it from Pinterest, whose retail partnership with Albertson’s helped drive in-store sales for its CPG partner Mondelez International, resulting in a 16% sales lift in units and a 19% sales lift by buyers.
2. Collaborate, don’t recreate. Before replacing technology or processes, consider whether partnerships could help you achieve better results. Connecting with companies that have complementary capabilities could be the missing piece to accelerating your growth.
Unified Identity Propels the Companies That Win
A robust first-party identity strategy is the foundation for understanding your audience, optimizing marketing efforts, and scaling new use cases across your business. “You have to start with who your customers are and how they want to engage with you,” said Brian Enderlein, Director, Growth Hacking at Harley-Davidson, “Without that identification, without that data foundation, you really can’t build out personalization or engage with them the way they want to be engaged with.”
3. Build a strong first-party data foundation. Align online, offline, app, and behavioral data to create a comprehensive view of your audience – the bedrock of future initiatives from activation to measurement to application of AI and machine learning. Hear how Harley-Davidson’s Identity Foundation Improves Experiences and Revenue.
4. Democratize data across your organization. Data collaboration starts with breaking internal data silos. Empower cross-functional teams with access to first-party data, enabling them to apply insights directly to their roles and objectives.
5. Connect the data dots you already have – no ocean boiling required. An identity strategy is your starting line, not the finish. Test signals, build simple models, and take incremental steps. The worst move is standing still.
Personalization Isn’t a Perk – It’s a Demand
Understanding your audience is at the heart of creating meaningful connections. The goal isn’t just to reach more people – it’s to reach the right people with experiences that matter, everywhere it matters. “Customers expect communication and personalization,” continued Enderlein, “They expect you as a brand to know more about them than you probably do. So it’s really important to have good partners in place.”
6. Hunt for hidden interests – with data. Use behavioral insights to surface unexpected passions and preferences, guiding your audience toward new discoveries. Let data reveal what your brand – or even your customers – didn’t know they were looking for. Just see what BookTok did for the NHL in the RampUp session Insights from the Ice: How the NHL Delivers Data-driven Delight to Every Fan.
“In terms of outreach and exposure, how do we get beyond the people who already know about us?” said Curran Raclin, SVP, Fan Engagement, Analytics & Research at the NHL. “What we’re trying to focus on is playing this long game and reaching out to people who may not be traditional sports fans who may not know much about hockey but are interested in the culture and the players and everything else.”
7. Let go of outdated top-of-funnel metrics in favor of audience quality. Accept the trade-off between liability and commercial benefit driven by signal loss. Moving toward a first-party data foundation improves both audience understanding and risk qualification for your company.
8. Consider TV tactics at every stage of the funnel. Linear and CTV are becoming more performance-oriented. Automation capabilities are unlocking measurement and real-time campaign optimization that mirror digital channels, offering opportunities to reach and measure across the entire funnel.
“Now all of that [live linear feed and programming partner] inventory will look the same, operate the same, and then can be measured the same, which I think is a big unlock,” said Larry Allen VP & GM, Data & Addressable Enablement at Comcast Advertising in the RampUp session Has TV Really Tipped? Unlocking Real Results in Data-Driven TV. “It comes back to this performance mechanism where it’s not just a reach vehicle, but by targeting audiences you can re-aggregate reach and also be able to measure that appropriately so that a client knows that they’re getting their value.”
Measurement Mastery is the New Competitive Advantage
Marketers are moving beyond guesswork as measurement becomes more standardized and accessible, leveraging first-party data and collaborating with partners to connect marketing actions directly to outcomes – then connecting those insights into a full picture of performance with LiveRamp’s industry-shifting Cross-Media Intelligence solution.
9. Help your organization be curious. Foster stakeholder buy-in on your measurement journey by providing easy access to insights and encouraging teams to ask better questions to understand how this data relates to their roles. Discover Subway’s approach in the RampUp session The Secret’s in the (Data) Sauce: How Subway Serves Measurement Success.
10. Establish a measurement pilot. Start with a simple pilot to assess audience engagement and overlap. Treat even small wins as stepping stones to bigger successes.
11. Then, work toward measuring the full picture of your media performance. For the first time, marketers can access single, deduplicated reporting across screens and platforms with LiveRamp’s Cross-Media Intelligence solution.
Clean Rooms Take Off as Barriers Ease
Marketers are increasingly adopting clean rooms to push measurement forward but often face legal and technical hurdles. New tools and mindsets are helping advertisers simplify and accelerate data collaboration in clean rooms. “I’m honestly a small child before Christmas in terms of what we’re able to access [with clean rooms now],” said Joe Keating, Sr. Analytics Director at Hill’s Pet Nutrition. “My advice to anyone who’s thinking about it is the best thing to do is start. Finding the right partner who can help you with implementation is important.”
12. Identify a proof-of-concept clean room use case. Start small – choose one use case that makes a clear impact, then test, learn, and iterate as you build collaboration muscle. Discover the top five use cases with real-world examples of the business outcomes they unlock in the Clean Room Explainer.
13. Get the right folks talking. Ensure internal experts across analytics, privacy, and legal are aligned with your partners to streamline collaboration and maximize results. Shared goals and workflows pave the way for collaboration to take flight.
14. Adopt a clean room playbook. Embrace a continuous learning mindset when operationalizing clean rooms. Define clear outcomes, align teams, and iterate as you go. Discover how Hill’s Pet Nutrition developed a learning agenda to define outcomes and measure progress with clean rooms in the session Beyond Measurement: Unlocking Cross-Media Intelligence that Powers Smarter Strategy.
15. Find strategic partners that align with your use case. Evaluate third-party data providers through the lens of your specific objectives, ensuring alignment with your long-term vision.
16. Speed up your clean room time to value. Leverage solutions like LiveRamp’s Quick Start Insights to access turnkey media insights from your top publisher partners in days, not months. Learn how in The Advertiser’s Guide to Quick Start Media Insights.
Commerce Media Evolves Toward Transparency and Simplicity
Commerce media is growing up. Whether you’re a brand or a media network owner, focusing on quality, transparency, and partnerships is key. “The new discussion is not going to be: do you have a retail media network?” said Kristi Argyilan, Global Head of Advertising at Uber. “It’s: how are you bringing it to market to actually lift up the entire market by choosing a very specific partner ecosystem?”
17. Choose quality over quantity. Whether you’re a brand or media network owner, focus on fewer, higher-quality partnerships to drive better results.
18. For advertisers, complement traditional ad spend with commerce media. Leverage retail media networks to enhance, not replace, your existing media mix.
19. For media networks, be transparent and standardize to grow. Media networks must establish measurement standards to build trust and allow space for future innovation.
“When we talk about precision, we’re talking accurate, actionable, reliable, and timely,” said Drew Frost, Director, Strategy Digital Partnerships Walgreens Advertising Group, Walgreens. “How do we make sure that we have underlying data quality that we can trust, that our brands can trust, and more importantly, how fast can we actually get that to them?” Discover Walgreen’s approach in the session Winning with Precision: Transform Your Media Network Through Smarter Measurement.
20. Take inspiration from outside your industry. Look beyond your immediate competitors and gain inspiration from other industries and audiences. What are industries new to media networks – like casinos – doing that you might learn from? How are new buyer groups like Gen Z impacting the shopping behavior of older generations? Dig into these questions in the session Media Networks Aren’t Just for Retailers: Fuel a Flywheel of Growth with Your Consumer Data.
AI and Privacy Continue to Reshape Marketing
It’s no surprise that AI and privacy are propelling industry experimentation and evolution. Success lies in embracing new technologies responsibly, with a clear focus on use cases and consumer trust.
21. Ensure a strong data foundation before adopting AI tools. AI is only as valuable as the data it’s working with. Your data foundation is a prerequisite for successfully using AI and machine learning to deliver on your use case outcomes.
22. Familiarize yourself with agentic models. “Agent orchestration” is a new paradigm for how humans and AI systems will collaborate, with agents connecting and interoperating across companies and systems. Explore three real-world applications of AI in marketing that are available today in the session The Future of Marketing with AI: Trends, Tools, and Transformations.
23. Make privacy your competitive advantage. Competition is starting to drive more responsible use of data. Investing in choice mechanisms that put consumer privacy first is just good business.
“You’ve got more competition, more firms out there trying to attract customers on all sides of the equation, and you’ve got more consumer choice, which historically has always led to better outcomes,” said Jared Sher, VP & Deputy General Counsel, Global Public Policy at Roku. “That’s where you can see [privacy and competition] complimenting one another.”
24. Think like an owner, not a renter. Responsible use of data is everyone’s duty. No matter your role, understand where risks lie and make decisions that prioritize long-term trust.
25. Test, learn, and don’t be afraid to fail. Innovation comes from action. Whatever your goals or use case, collaborate with partners, iterate quickly, and embrace a test-and-learn mindset. We’re all in this together.
Ready to Make Your Move?
RampUp is more than an event – it’s a launchpad for action. The insights shared and connections made are catalysts for change, but the next step is yours to take.
If you’re working with LiveRamp, you’re already connected to a vast network of partners, destinations, and data solutions. Yet, many have only scratched the surface. Now is the time to dig deeper, embrace collaboration, and turn possibilities into results. For those new to LiveRamp, the door is open to a world where data works smarter, partnerships thrive, and every action drives meaningful impact.
Let’s make it happen.