It’s one thing to live in interesting times. However, the main message at the 2025 IAB NewFronts Main Stage is that digital TV platforms and advertisers are currently living in uncertain times.
“Uncertainty has become a feature, not a bug,” IAB CEO David Cohen observed at the top of the day-long event, held at Convene 225 Liberty Street in New York on Wednesday. “Even in the most stable of times, certainty has been a little bit of a mirage. The future is never fully knowable.”
Much like Sarah Connor, though, the 20+ companies that graced the IAB stage chose to find hope in the unknown future rolling toward us all. Returning champs like Revry and Teads and first-timers like CheckedUp and Dr. Phil’s MeritTV embraced Cohen’s invitation to “stay open to change, new opportunities, and making great decisions.” (Find a full list of presenters here.)
Here are the three big takeaways for how the industry is forging a concrete path through uncertain terrain.
1. Show up and stay relevant
Here’s one thing you can be certain of: You’re guaranteed to miss the hundreds of millions of consumers you don’t try to reach. Ameneh Atai, Nielsen’s gm of audience measurement, indicated as much when she cited data showing that 50% of brands aren’t mixing up their media investments enough to achieve a decent ROI.
Instead of going all-in on digital platforms, Atai suggested that advertisers scale their investments so they show up where audiences are across a range of media, from radio to social video. “Nuance in audience matters,” she emphasized. “Reliable data and solutions that allow you to do cross-platform planning and measurement matter, because they allow you to layer the nuance of the audience to better maximize all the business outcomes you’re looking to achieve.”
And once you’re on a mix of platforms, make sure that you’re showing up in a relevant way. “Consumers want ads that are relevant to their lives,” noted Kelly MacLean, vp of engineering, science, and product at Amazon Ads and Amazon DSP.
By way of example, MacLean brought on PepsiCo paid media director Drew Ingram to walk through a case study of its partnership on Lay’s Do Us a Flavor campaign that put precise audience targeting at its crunchy center. “We didn’t want to be targeting messages to people who aren’t responsive,” Ingram said.