In this interview, Justin Taylor, managing director UK at Teads, expands on how advertisers can take full advantage of video. He discusses the opportunities presented by outstream video, how advertisers can enhance user experience in video ad placements and the role of AI, as well as looking at the likely trends for video advertising in 2025.

How can advertisers take full advantage of video in their media planning for 2025? 

Looking ahead to 2025, there are a number of reasons for advertisers to be excited about video. I think The Year of Video is a well sunsetted term, but a change is certainly happening in media with regards to video. New formats and opportunities are opening up, across OEMs and CTV Operating Systems, but more importantly those opportunities are being integrated within single buying platforms. That means personal ad experiences like Virtual Try On can be connected to one-to-many experiences through CTV Video and Native, to really connect the big and the small screen. 

The benefits of single platform executions are wide-ranging for brands. Whether that’s simplicity of execution, sophistication of targeting or holistic view of measurement, it really does mean there are some big steps forward in video to be taken next year.

What opportunities are presented by outstream video specifically? 

As mentioned in Charlotte Cook-Anderson’s recent piece, Google’s adoption of the IAB Tech Lab’s changes to the definition of outstream does mean that media plans need to be interrogated. Outstream should be the byword for quality, so choosing partners that deliver outstream within quality environments (MFA-free, in the heart of editorial content) is the first step.

For all of us across the media landscape, it’s our job to ensure that the mission for a sustainable ecosystem we’ve long been pushing for doesn’t fall off the agenda. Great ads that WOW consumers drive healthy revenues for publishers and amazing outcomes for brands. That should always be the standard we strive for, because if we do that then the future looks incredibly bright. 

Outstream video delivers remarkable attention, the opportunity for creativity across the funnel and the ability to make the most of the new omnichannel solutions. We know that 33% of UK consumers read the news as a second screen activity, certainly not something to be sniffed at!

What should be most important for advertisers when considering how to enhance user experience in video ad placements?  

When I think about this question I come back to our work on Attention over the years, research done with agencies and tests across hundreds of brands, and the drivers of attention have become undeniably clear.

No marketer is intentionally ignoring the quality of their creative or trying to make their targeting strategy less creative. In the same way, activating across low quality inventory isn’t anyone’s specific KPI, but equally if you’re not paying attention then it can be easy for quality environments, creative optimisation and relevancy to fall off a priority list. But each of those factors add up to the best possible UX. 

So what does that look like? Well, if you have a CTV video campaign then the first priority is ensuring you’re really buying broadcast-quality CTV and not something else… but also think about how creative and data can be used differently to a linear TV buy. Or how can you emphasise the value exchange?

We have decades of experience of wins, and losses, around user experience. We should by now know how to do the right thing to make sure consumers, brands, agencies and quality media are all succeeding.

What role can AI play? 

AI in video is clearly here, the Christmas Coca Cola ad proved that, and AI in digital media has been around for years. So the question here really is — now that more people have access to AI across advertising, from concept through to execution —what’s going to change?

Is it speed efficiency? Is it cost reduction? My view? What the Coke ad did prove is what we’ve known for a while about AI — quality inputs deliver quality outputs. Whatever AI the team used, they didn’t give it a blank piece of paper, it was based on an advertiser with decades of brand engagement and one of the most familiar festive ads in history. 

So perhaps you’re integrating AI within your creative plans or looking to leverage AI to match audiences to negate cookie deprecation, or perhaps you’re looking to use AI to optimise your assets for dynamic creative that adapts depending on your inventory / sales priorities. There’s no doubt it will be powerful, but the quality of those signals will be imperative to making sure it’s genuinely moving your marketing plan forward.

What do you predict to be the key trends within video advertising for 2025? 

Doubling down on video

As I alluded to earlier, video will continue to represent the most critical digital marketing medium. We know it works across all stages of the sales funnel and is upwards of 60% more effective when delivered across screens.

Responsible advertising

Key trends within video advertising for 2025 will include a focus on responsible advertising and brands supporting quality journalism. This is more necessary than ever in a challenging world with disruptive ​new technologies.

Personally I’m also hopeful to see an increased focus on sustainability, and advertisers optimising to reduce CO2 for their campaigns.

CTV Native

This past year CTV has become a pivotal element of omnichannel advertising, so we expect to see more brands tapping into this medium in 2025, particularly CTV Native ads on smart TV home screens. 

What’s more, demand for personalised shopping experiences continues to grow, so contextually relevant ads that will connect consumers with products at key moments will become more prevalent. To cut through the noise, brands will experiment with creatives, be it using 3D or XR elements, audio signage or QR codes to drive better results.

The quest for quality

Amidst the growth of AI, quality has potential to be the biggest buzzword in 2025. As media investments increase, so does the demand for higher-quality engagement. Publishers need to invest in more quality content, we need to not be afraid of advertising adjacent to harder news and be able to find the content relevant to us more effectively.

Brands must prioritise their strategic partners and premium content providers to cut through the noise, focusing their media dollars to drive both immediate results and long-term brand equity.

No slowing down on retail media

It seems that shopper data will become increasingly commoditised and I believe we will see retailer and shopper media hybrids emerging, with a bigger focus on probabilistic targeting and a firm bedding-in of dynamic creative optimisation and cross-screen sequential messaging in mid-to-lower funnel advertising.