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A Guide to Future-Proofing Your Programmatic Data Strategy

Jan 16 2025 | Ad Strategy, Data Analytics Tech, Programmatic, Technology

In a recent episode of “The Groove” podcast, Peggy Anne Salz, Chief Analyst and Founder at MobileGroove, sat down with Megan Price, Programmatic Supervisor at FYND Media, and Michael Hew, Director, Reporting & Technology at M&C Saatchi Performance, to explore strategies for marketers to future-proof their programmatic data approaches and technology infrastructures for 2025.

2025: A Year of Shifts

The year ahead will be packed with more change for marketers to be aware of and react to. In measurement, traditional attribution is becoming outdated. New approaches, such as incrementality testing, leveraging first-party data, and Media Mix Models, are set to replace and offer better customer understanding.

Privacy challenges remain a hot topic in the industry, particularly in the in-app space, with SKAdNetwork (SKAN) moving to AdAttributionKit (AKK) and the inevitability of cookie deprecation—these challenges, though frustrating, breeds the need for innovation.

Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) have long been pushing to innovate, moving away from data silos and introducing new channels to include Connected TV (CTV) capabilities or Digital-Out-of-Home, (DOOH), marking a significant trend for 2025.

Practical Steps to be Ready for First-Party Data in 2025

There are three main steps to be fully ready for 2025:

Continuously optimize and maintain your tools
Assess your current tools and their compliance
Close any gaps in your tools and methodologies

The importance of a Measurement Trifecta

While there are other types of measurement like brand lift studies, the Measurement Trifecta relies on three key tools: Attribution, Incrementality Testing, and Media Mix Modeling.

Attribution, the most common tool among marketers, allows understanding of the touchpoints driving a specific conversion. The best approach is to fine-tune the tool and better understand your objectives. While this is a correlative tool, it doesn’t measure causation.

Incrementality testing: measures causation and, in the absence of cookies or device identifiers, is best approached with Geo-Lift testing. In this testing, regions are divided into two: exposed areas (where the marketing campaign is active) and control areas (where the campaign is not active). Performance metrics are tracked in both regions, and the difference in performance between the regions is analyzed to calculate the incremental lift or the additional impact directly attributed to the campaign. This requires expertise to ensure accurate results and actionable insights.

Media Mix Modeling: encapsulates multivariate testing across different variables, including seasonality, competition, spend, etc. Tactically, they assist in determining the optimal allocation of additional budget to campaigns that yield the highest returns. Strategically, they inform annual budget planning by guiding the distribution of funds across various initiatives. A meticulously refined and validated model can effectively provide both types of insights.

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Diversification and Media Spend

2025 is the “Age of 3-Ds” involving diversification, distribution, and Direct-to-Customer, among which diversification will be particularly prominent as brands explore various channels, seize new opportunities, and engage with the open web to enhance their reach and effectiveness.

Diversification enables marketers to adopt a holistic, audience-first approach to media, breaking free from siloed strategies. Programmatic facilitates this by creating a unified ecosystem, allowing targeting across channels and content seamlessly. This approach empowers marketers with agile, real-time optimizations for greater impact.

Developing a well-rounded approach to media and measurement in 2025

In 2025, a well-rounded approach means balancing creative excellence with targeting and measurement. Over-focusing on one set of metrics, like last-click attribution, can lead to overlooking the basics of engaging advertising. Even with precise targeting and advanced measurement, boring creatives will underperform. To achieve long-term success, targeting and creative must work hand in hand.

New Tools and Platforms to Diversify Tech Stacks

Set SMART goals: Define Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound objectives to guide your data strategy.
Adopt a Unified framework: Build a robust measurement framework to ensure measurement tools deliver only the insights you need.
Integrate New Tools: Select tools tailored to your specific data requirements.
Train Your Teams: Equip your team with the knowledge to adapt to evolving attribution methods.
Be Cautious with AI: Avoid relying on overhyped AI tools that fail to deliver on promises.

Download our free Measurement Health Check here to evaluate your measurement tactics.

A Holistic Approach to Measurement Metrics

There is no one-size-fits-all metric. Tools that remain effective through changes in the data environment should work together to deliver results. A metric that’s relevant today might not hold the same value a quarter later. Metrics vary depending on your brand’s phase—those for launching or growing a brand differ significantly from those used during stabilization or user base nurturing.

Aligning Your Creative Strategy and Programmatic Efforts

Ensure your creative strategies and programmatic efforts are aligned to address the nuances of your target audience effectively. Relevant creative messaging is key to connecting with your audience. As audiences evolve over time, your approach must adapt to stay effective.

Top Tips for Brands Preparing for 2025

First-Party Data Management:

First-party data is often an overlooked asset. However, it can be the key to unlocking more effective marketing if managed correctly. By dedicating teams to analyze, optimize, and activate this data, brands can transform it into a powerful tool for driving actionable insights and improved performance.

First-party data optimization:

Keep your first-party data simple and set up programmatic DSP campaigns as simple as possible. Use one or two events to capture enough first-party data to feed the algorithm. With a clear strategy in mind, prioritize quality over quantity and focus on building your audience.

Programmatic Advertising Brand vs Performance:

A common misconception is that programmatic advertising is either for branding or performance, limiting its potential. Programmatic is agile and can effectively combine branding and performance within the same campaign, depending on how you leverage it.

Incrementality Testing:

A non-significant result in incrementality testing doesn’t necessarily mean that your media had no impact. Usually, it is an issue with test design or data quality, such as insufficient sample sizes, poorly defined test & control groups, or external confounding factors. Retesting with a refined approach is key to understanding the true media impact and ensuring robust insights.

Implement the Measurement Trifecta:

Plan your measurement tools carefully, considering their ease of implementation and timeline. Attribution is quick to set up for daily insights and adjustments but doesn’t allow for cross-channel optimization. Modern approaches to Incrementality testing and Media Mix Modeling (MMM) significantly reduce time to insight and your provider will help ensure you have the right data to undertake these approaches. Find out more about the importance of a Measurement Trifecta here. (link to this video What is the Measurement Trifecta?)

Diversifying the Media Portfolio:

Focus on evaluating channels over weeks and months rather than hours and days; this will deliver significant results over time. Ensure your measurement approach enables you to track progress over time accurately, and verify the effectiveness of a media channel with clear metrics and incrementality tests.

Fundamental Shifts and Trends in the Industry:

Programmatic advertising is gaining renewed attention due to privacy challenges and innovations in the space. Marketers are noticing the gap between where users spend time (Open Web) and where budgets are focused (walled gardens). Shifting budgets to the Open Web aligns better with audiences and delivers stronger results, offering valuable insights for optimizing campaigns across channels.

Pressing Challenges in 2025:

Marketing and data go hand in hand. While privacy challenges are gradual, they make traditional tools like cookie-based attribution less effective. Balancing data approaches and leveraging the Measurement Trifecta for actionable insights is crucial.

In Summary

As we progress through 2025, marketers must adapt to significant shifts in measurement, privacy, and media strategies. This guide explores aligning creative and programmatic efforts, diversifying media portfolios, and leveraging the Measurement Trifecta for actionable insights. With privacy challenges driving innovation, marketers are moving towards first-party data and open web strategies, breaking free from walled gardens and traditional silos. Practical steps include evaluating tools, maintaining data quality, and training teams while staying cautious of overpromised AI solutions. Success lies in balancing creative excellence, precise targeting, and flexible measurement to navigate the evolving landscape effectively.

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