Attending Programmatic I/O 2024 was a great opportunity to reconnect with industry peers and gain insights into the evolving landscape of programmatic advertising. The event served as a reminder that whether you’re on the brand side, agency side, or vendor side, we’re all facing similar challenges and there is opportunity to learn from it. From the rise of AI to the complexities of measurement and data loss, the industry is grappling with big questions that don’t have easy answers.

While there was so much actionable content over the course of two days to capture, below are a few key takeaways and recurring themes across all the sessions. 

The Role of AI: Task Augmentation, Not Automation

One key theme was the role of AI in marketing. While AI is often touted as a cost-cutting and efficiency-boosting tool, it’s still not a solution for full automation, yet. Human oversight remains essential.

Rather than automating entire processes, AI is being used to augment tasks, enhancing the work humans already do. Its strengths lie in streamlining operations, improving content creation workflows, sharpening analytics, and optimizing media strategies. AI tools are increasingly sophisticated in assisting with repetitive tasks, data analysis, and even predictive decision-making, but they still require human judgment to guide them.

While the future might bring us closer to full automation, we are still in a phase where AI is an aid rather than a replacement. The collaboration between humans and AI will continue to shape how marketing is done, with AI serving as a tool for enhancing productivity, not eliminating the need for human input.

Signal Loss: Targeting, Measurement, and Optimization Are All Impacted

With privacy changes from Apple, Google, and other major platforms, marketers are facing a significant loss of valuable signals, which is fundamentally reshaping how we target, measure, and optimize campaigns. These shifts, including the restrictions on third-party cookies and app tracking, have made it more difficult for brands to gather insights and personalize marketing efforts. To stay competitive, brands must regain control by capturing signals and personally identifiable information (PII) directly from their audience through tactics like loyalty programs, email sign-ups, and direct interactions. However, the uncertainty surrounding Chrome’s future privacy updates, such as the phase-out of third-party cookies, makes long-term planning a challenge. 

As a result, efficient use of first-party data, including the development of robust data strategies and privacy-compliant methods of collection, will be critical in overcoming these obstacles. Brands that can successfully adapt to this new landscape will be better positioned to maintain and even improve their campaign performance in an era of heightened privacy concerns.

Creative as a Performance Lever

Creativity is becoming just as vital as bids and budgets when it comes to driving performance in today’s competitive digital landscape. As the digital ecosystem evolves, brands can no longer rely solely on traditional ads and formulaic approaches to capture attention. Instead, they must embrace creative content that feels organic and native to each platform, whether it’s TikTok’s dynamic short-form videos or Instagram’s polished, lifestyle-focused visuals. The importance of testing various creative assets can’t be overstated—experimenting with different formats, tones, and visual styles allows brands to discover what resonates most with their audiences, boosting engagement and conversions.

Furthermore, creativity should no longer be seen as an afterthought or secondary to budget and bidding strategies. In fact, creative execution is increasingly becoming the primary lever for performance. Campaigns driven by compelling, authentic creative are more likely to break through the noise, build deeper emotional connections with consumers, and ultimately drive stronger results. As targeting capabilities become more restricted due to privacy changes, investing in high-quality, platform-specific creative is one of the most effective ways for brands to differentiate themselves and maintain a competitive edge. Shifting focus from just bidding and budgets to prioritizing creative can significantly enhance campaign performance, helping brands succeed in an increasingly crowded and dynamic market.

The Complexity of Measurement

Measurement remains one of the biggest challenges for marketers as the digital ecosystem becomes more fragmented. With multiple devices, platforms, and identifiers in use, achieving accurate measurement is becoming increasingly complex. Relying solely on platform data can result in misleading optimizations that negatively impact business outcomes. 

To drive long-term success, marketers must combine and analyze data from various sources, despite the difficulty. Ensuring that optimizations are based on comprehensive, reliable data—not just surface-level platform metrics—is crucial for sustained growth and performance.

We are on a Shared Journey Without a Silver Bullet

While Programmatic I/O 2024 was highly informative, one clear takeaway was that there is no single solution to the industry’s challenges. We’re all working toward the same goal of figuring it out, and that’s both exciting and frustrating. The journey ahead is one of continuous adaptation, but the shared determination across the industry is undeniable.

If you would like to get in touch with one of our experts or learn more about our capabilities, please contact [email protected].

Corey Levine, VP of Integrated Media, Direct Agents