Last week, the advertising industry came together in New York for Advertising Week 2025. With themes ranging from the inescapable influence of AI to evolving strategies in data collaboration, this year’s sessions highlighted how rapidly the advertising ecosystem is changing, and where it’s headed.
LiveRamp led many of these conversations, with four of our executives sharing insights on the future of marketing, media, and data. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from our time at Advertising Week New York.
The AI Shift: From Experimentation to Execution
AI took center stage, and for good reason. It’s no longer a question of if marketers should embrace AI, but how to do so responsibly and effectively. AI is rapidly transforming how consumers discover, evaluate, and engage with brands, collapsing the traditional consumer journey into a streamlined, single interface. As more journeys begin and end within AI platforms, marketers must rethink where and how they connect with audiences to meet changing expectations.
From hyper-personalized creative to smarter measurement and optimization, AI is becoming foundational across the entire marketing lifecycle. The focus has shifted from experimentation to education. Marketers are ready to make AI real for their organizations, with an emphasis on driving performance, scaling campaigns, and eliminating inefficiencies.
LiveRamp is leading this evolution. Shortly after introducing agentic tools, segmentation, and search on our data collaboration platform, we took the stage to discuss how AI is re-writing the rules of advertising. LiveRamp CEO Scott Howe encouraged marketers to harness both the power of their proprietary and partner data to fuel AI for long-term success.
Meanwhile, LiveRamp Chief Connectivity & Ecosystem Officer Travis Clinger led a panel of AI and search leaders from Microsoft Advertising, TikTok, Vivaldi, and Yahoo to explore how marketers who want to take advantage of AI need to reframe their thinking around the consumer funnel. During the session, panelists shared research showing a 194% increase in purchases after a consumer has a “shopping intent” conversation with an agent. This signals that advertisers need to reframe their thinking around the marketing funnel, and instead of focusing on a linear journey, focus on being ready at the right moment to interact with consumers.
The Collaboration Shift: The New Era of Data Partnerships
While commerce media networks aren’t a new topic for Advertising Week, this year, many brands and networks were focused on sharing new ways of partnering with one another, with data collaboration at the center. Brands and media networks are redefining partnerships by creating more long-term, insight-driven collaborations with those that have complementary data sets, unlocking new ways to enhance the customer experience.
This evolution was on full display in a panel moderated by LiveRamp CRO Vihan Sharma, featuring leaders from Delta and Uber Advertising. The discussion highlighted how media networks have evolved from a simple campaign line item into a strategic growth engine at the intersection of media, data, and commerce. By prioritizing partnerships rooted in customer loyalty and shared objectives, brands are not only able to unlock new ways to surprise and delight consumers, but also gain insights from the closed-loop measurement that media networks offer. Learn more about how Delta delivers first-class customer experiences with LiveRamp.
The CTV Advantage: Premium, Measurable, Full-Funnel
One of the most prominent themes at Advertising Week 2025 was the rapid evolution of premium channels such as CTV and its growing role in delivering full-funnel performance. No longer confined to just upper-funnel tactics, CTV is emerging as a holistic channel that drives both brand impact and measurable business outcomes.
In a fireside chat, LiveRamp CMO Jessica Shapiro and Comcast Advertising explored how CTV enables marketers to reach the right audiences at the right moments, from live sports to cultural tentpoles to local events. They encouraged marketers aiming to maximize their budgets to prioritize the quality of the media they buy, the data they use, and the partners they work with. Ensuring each drives the engagement, accuracy, and flexibility needed to achieve the results brands are looking for.
From AWNY to What’s Next: Putting It All Into Action
Advertising Week 2025 made one thing clear – the future of marketing is collaborative, intelligent, and outcomes-driven. At LiveRamp, we’re committed to helping our partners lead in this new era by giving them the tools to connect data, unlock insights, and activate across the ecosystem with trust at the center.
Contact us today to learn how you can harness the power of data collaboration and drive smarter, more impactful marketing outcomes.