By Art Zeidman, Managing Director of Agencies at Permutive
For years, digital advertising was built on a deterministic foundation. Companies sought to identify and target every user with cookies and device IDs. But that era is ending. With at least 70% of the internet already cookieless and signal loss accelerating, proxies like third-party IDs no longer deliver the reach or precision they once did.
At the same time, the pressure on marketing budgets has never been higher. CMOs are being asked to prove real business outcomes over softer brand metrics. To succeed in 2025 and beyond, advertisers must leave behind legacy tactics and embrace an outcomes-driven, privacy-first approach to programmatic advertising that can deliver performance equal to or better than that of the walled gardens.
Adopting these five strategies will ensure that every media dollar counts:
Adopt a multi-signal approach to overcome signal loss
Signal loss is not a distant problem. It’s disrupting programmatic buying right now. The shrinking pool of IDs simply can’t sustain performance on its own. The solution is to adopt a multi-signal approach, blending three essential inputs: identity, contextual, and audience cohort signals. Together, these provide the scale and insight needed to reach audiences effectively across the open internet.
Ask yourself: Is my strategy still overly dependent on IDs or 3rd-party solutions? If so, it it’s time to rebalance with contextual and cohort data to expand reach and unlock performance.
Use data collaboration to predict your next customer
First-party data is invaluable, but its power comes when it’s used as a foundation for prediction. Advertisers are increasingly working with publishers in privacy-safe ways to combine signals and identify the next set of customers, moving beyond the 30% of audiences they can see today. Advances in AI and machine learning make predictive buying possible, shifting the focus from deterministic retargeting to forward-looking audience growth.
Ask yourself: Am I using my data to discover future customers, not just chase existing ones? Am I exploring the kinds of partnerships that can help me unlock predictive insights?
Demand performance on the open internet
The assumption that the open internet can’t perform as well as walled gardens is outdated. With stronger collaboration and predictive approaches, campaigns on premium publisher inventory are already delivering incremental sales and outcomes. The key is to challenge long-held assumptions and demand proof of performance across every channel, not just the tech giants.
Ask yourself: Do I still believe the old narrative that the open web is second-best?
Measure what matters: true incrementality
Legacy attribution models like last-click and multi-touch often produced inflated results. Many leading advertisers are turning to incrementality testing and matched market methods to understand what’s really driving business outcomes. By moving beyond vanity metrics, marketers can hold every partner accountable for delivering not just activity, but also measurable lift.
Ask yourself: Is my measurement framework proving incremental growth, or is it still rewarding proxies that don’t reflect true business impact?
Build a full-funnel strategy with publisher and retail media data
Retail media provides unmatched bottom-of-funnel conversion signals, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Premium publishers offer rich mid- and upper-funnel data, such as content consumption, interest signals, and lifestyle insights that drive awareness and consideration. The most effective strategies in the future will integrate both. They’ll use publisher data for scaled reach and brand influence, and retail media data to close the loop at conversion.
Ask yourself: Am I combining complementary data sources to maximize impact across the entire customer journey?
The new standard for advertising
The advertising industry is at a turning point. Success will no longer be measured by proxies like IDs or clicks, but by provable, incremental outcomes. Winning in this new era requires a predictive mindset, a multi-signal strategy, and a commitment to measuring what truly matters.
By focusing on these five areas, advertisers can unlock the full potential of the open internet. In so doing, they can make every impression, every signal, and every dollar deliver real business value.
