Marketers prioritize CTV, Identity, and Generative AI amid resilient Ad spending in H2 2025

The advertising industry enters the second half of 2025 with measured optimism and a sharper focus on personalization, efficiency, and data-driven growth, according to Mediaocean’s "2025 H2 Market Report". Based on surveys of 464 marketing professionals conducted in May 2025, the report paints a picture of an industry resilient to economic uncertainty, with connected TV (CTV), generative AI, and identity solutions emerging as the cornerstones of current strategies.

Even as seven out of ten marketers acknowledged more frequent budget cuts across media channels, 58% still plan to increase CTV spend — up from 55% in the prior wave — outpacing every other media type. Social platforms (56%) and digital display/video (52%) follow, though both showed slight declines compared to earlier in the year. Conversely, search advertising saw the steepest drop, down 22%, which the report links to the growing use of AI chatbots by consumers for discovery and research.

Karsten Weide, Principal & Chief Analyst at W Media Research, noted in the foreword that “marketers are reallocating budgets with precision rather than retreating,” pointing out the dual emphasis on brand-building and measurable performance. The shift is also reflected in strategic priorities: the share of marketers focusing on identity solutions jumped 41%, responding to the erosion of third-party cookies and Google’s privacy changes, while demand generation rose by 33% as brands sought to foster customer relationships more effectively in an uncertain economy.

Generative AI has become the most important consumer trend, cited by 72% of respondents — a 15% increase from late 2024. This dominance reflects both advances in AI tools, such as GPT-4.5, Claude 4, Gemini 2.5, and text-to-video platforms like OpenAI’s Sora and Runway Gen-3, and their application in marketing operations. Marketers are embedding AI not just in data analysis and market research (47% and 46%, respectively) but also in creative workflows. Copywriting (34%), creative versioning (27%), and website development (up more than 70% from November 2024) saw significant adoption, demonstrating AI’s growing role in dynamic creative optimization and scalable personalization.

The report also underscores the industry’s heightened sensitivity to societal and political advocacy trends, which rose 82% in perceived importance compared to early 2025. Brands are recalibrating their messaging to align with increasingly vocal, values-driven audiences while maintaining measurable impact.

CTV’s role as a full-funnel channel is cementing, with marketers demanding more dynamic personalization and accountability. Personalizing ads with relevant creative was cited by 28% of respondents as the top factor for driving CTV performance, while measuring reach, frequency, and outcomes followed at 24%. However, 52% still see limited cross-channel visibility and fragmented measurement as key hurdles, emphasizing the need for unified tools and data strategies.

Mediaocean’s report concludes that the second half of 2025 will be defined by agility, intelligent systems, and future-ready investments. Jon Lafayette of Lafayette Media Group emphasized in the afterword that “the factor most likely to flip the script on marketing is AI,” advising marketers to proactively architect systems that integrate AI while preserving experienced human oversight.

As the report notes, despite persistent economic and societal turbulence, marketers continue to see advertising as a resilient and evolving driver of connection, growth, and measurable results — shifting from merely adapting to actively shaping the future of the industry.