Laura Quigley, SVP of APAC at IAS shares a few thoughts on how digital advertising will evolve in 2025 in this martech interview:

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Hi Laura, take us through your journey at IAS and highlights from your years in marketing/advertising?

I got my start in ad sales at a New Zealand TV company, gaining exposure in broadcast media and TV advertising. Then, I took on a digital role at New Zealand Media & Entertainment, fuelling my excitement about the possibilities of digital. Expanding my horizons, I moved to the UK and landed a job at global media agency ZenithOptimedia, working on huge integrated campaigns for big brands.

Soon after, I joined Google, which was a turning point in my career as I leapt into programmatic advertising. As digital kept evolving, so continued the learning, feeding my appetite to deep dive and excel in my role. This led me to Infectious Media – the world’s first and only programmatic agency.

In 2016, I moved to Sydney and took on the Head of Business Development role at IAS, where I helped IAS successfully expand their footprint in the region. I was appointed Managing Director of Southeast Asia in April 2019. Continuing my success story at IAS, I was promoted to Senior Vice President of Asia Pacific within a year. I’m currently based in Singapore, where I’m tasked with building strong partnerships with clients, agencies, and publishers and helping them solve their pressing business challenges using cutting-edge IAS technology solutions.

What in your view are the current trends shaping digital media and what trends will dominate the landscape in 2025?

The digital advertising landscape in APAC is transforming dynamically, fueled by a sharp rise in social media and video ad consumption.  Some of the key trends will include:

The continued advancement of AI and machine learning will drive enhanced targeting precision and real-time ad optimisation, ensuring that ads reach the right audience at the right time.

Increased focus on media quality- Brands, agencies, and publishers must collaborate to ensure transparency in media quality by aligning on shared standards and objectives. Partnering with measurement and optimisation companies like IAS will enhance this effort by providing independent, data-driven insights into ad viewability, brand safety, and ad fraud. IAS solutions help ensure ads appear in suitable environments and deliver higher media quality.

Video advertising will continue to grow and Connected TV (CTV) is emerging as a significant trend in APAC, driven by its appeal for customised viewing experiences and rising smart device ownership, which is growing at a 6.5% annual rate. This shift has led 57% of APAC marketers to allocate at least 40% of their ad budgets to CTV.

Can you talk about some of the martech and adtech that will come to the forefront to influence new trends?

Programmatic advertising has seen an uptick in APAC, and according to a recent APAC report by WARC, programmatic advertising is used by 77% of digital advertisers. It is seen as vital to future digital advertising by 92% of respondents, and both buy-side and sell-side respondents believe that programmatic advertising can deliver more efficient and more effective advertising campaigns. However, IAS research has found that media quality threats and lack of transparency still need to be addressed in this field, with the 19th edition of the Media Quality Report (MQR) revealing that programmatic inventory posed almost twice as much brand risk (1.9%) as compared to direct buys (1%).

Advertisers are pushing for greater transparency in their programmatic buys and want to ensure they get quality inventory and results from their ad spend. Widening access to programmatic has caused the same ad inventory to be offered through multiple paths, resulting in increased complexity for advertisers.

IAS’s Total Visibility enables advertisers to get a singular view of their programmatic campaigns’ performance that includes media quality, media cost, supply path, and now, performance metrics—all in one place

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How will CTV ads become more crucial to the overall marketing and advertising mix?

CTV is a game-changer for advertisers, enabling brands to scale household reach while personalizing ad experiences. With 73% of media experts expecting the shift from linear TV to CTV to persist. According to MPA estimates, the APAC video industry’s 5.5% growth in 2023, reaching $145 billion, highlights this momentum and by 2028, revenues are projected to exceed $165 billion.

Ad-supported streaming tiers provide access to highly engaged audiences, while innovations like first-party data, contextual targeting, and shoppable video formats enhance personalisation and privacy compliance. IAS’s research shows that tone-aligned ads improve brand perception by 82% during repeat viewings, fostering deeper emotional connections.

However, CTV’s fragmented ecosystem and increasing user-generated content require advanced solutions like multimedia classification technology. These tools ensure transparent campaign performance, reduce ad fatigue, and elevate user experiences, positioning CTV as a critical advertising platform for the future.

Can you talk about the measurement tactics that marketers and advertisers will need to adopt to drive better data driven processes in 2025?

In 2025, marketers and advertisers must adopt sophisticated measurement tactics to thrive in an increasingly data-driven ecosystem. Attention metrics will emerge as a cornerstone, providing granular insights into ad visibility, user engagement, and contextual relevance. These insights go beyond traditional performance indicators, enabling marketers to fine-tune ad placement, formats, and creative strategies for maximum impact and higher ROI.

Privacy-first solutions, including first-party data strategies and predictive modelling, will redefine personalisation while ensuring compliance with regulations. Advanced contextual targeting will further enhance ad relevance, fostering stronger brand safety and alignment with audience expectations.

Cross-channel attribution will become indispensable, offering a unified view of campaign performance across platforms and illuminating the intricacies of the customer journey. Meanwhile, AI-powered analytics will deliver real-time intelligence, allowing marketers to anticipate shifts in consumer behaviour and respond with agility.

By integrating these advanced approaches, marketers can drive transparency, elevate campaign performance, and achieve sustained growth in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

A few thoughts on the future of AI and martech/ad tech before we wrap up?

AI typically excels in analysing large amounts of data, identifying patterns, and summarising content, which can help in initial assessments of brand safety in complex environments. However, IAS Threat Lab notes that generative AI can be used to create misleading websites, profiles, and impressions, highlighting the importance of sustained human oversight in brand safety efforts.

As the digital landscape evolves, brands must navigate a complex ecosystem to ensure their ads appear in safe, relevant environments. Ad fraud and low-quality content pose significant risks that can erode brand reputation and increase ad spending.

Consumer preferences are constantly evolving. It necessitates adopting a granular approach to gain valuable insights into consumer perceptions, enabling them to adapt their messaging to specific contexts and maintain a competitive edge. Furthermore, the rampant growth in ad fraud will lead to a surge in pre-bid verification solutions to filter out low-quality content and place ads in premium, brand-aligned environments.

Overall, driving performance while preserving brand equity will be key priorities for advertisers and publishers, driving partnerships with measurement and optimisation companies that aid advertisers in avoiding advertising adjacent to risky content and enhancing campaign effectiveness.

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