This Month’s Adtech Must-Reads from AI Search to In-Car Ads

Can you believe we're already halfway through August? It's a quieter time of year, and yet it still feels like the industry is running at full tilt. This month we're seeing a fascinating mix of disruption, reinvention, and good old-fashioned competitive edge.

At the heart of it, predictably, is AI. From questions over whether AI-driven search will be trouble for publishers to contextual targeting making ads feel timely and relevant again, the conversation is shifting from "what's possible" to "what's already arrived". Brands are exploring how to build lasting relationships in a new era of advertising.

Measurement is also flexing new muscles, not just over traditional channels but in unexpected spaces like in-car advertising. CTV continues to carve out its territory in Europe whilst retail media is maturing into a data-rich ecosystem with lessons for the rest of the industry.

How do we adapt fast enough to meet all these rapid changes head-on without losing the human touch?

Check out this month's must-reads to find your answers.

August in Adtech

Adtech Innovation & Insights

Optivo by esbconnect lets brands retarget site visitors without ads

Customer acquisition specialist esbconnect has launched Optivo, its new audience retargeting tool. In a UK first, Optivo enables brands to retarget anonymous website visitors not on their CRM system with an email. Retargeting website visitors via email has long been proven to be effective. Mediashotz have all the details - READ IT HERE

If personal AI agents can reshape adtech, surely we can accelerate the payment chain, too?

Revving believe agentic AI is going to be transformative. But as we look to an AI-driven, laser-fast future in terms of the technology being used to reach consumers, it is hard to ignore the fact that critical elements of the adtech ecosystem’s underlying infrastructure – such as its antiquated payment methods – could do with a future-proof transformation of their own. David Mandeno shares his thoughts in MarTech Series – READ IT HERE

Measurement takes the wheel: World-first study tracks in-car advertising’s real brand impact

Brand Metrics has integrated with global news streaming provider LeadStory to precisely measure how in-car advertising delivered through the platform influences consumer perceptions. The results of the campaign have been nothing short of remarkable, with total brand uplift for SAP over three times greater than Brand Metrics’ global benchmark scores. Mobile Marketing Magazine have the details - READ IT HERE

Context is everything: Why advertisers are turning to real-time relevance

Contextual may not be a new trend, but in 2025, it is more relevant to the marketing mix than it has ever been. In this piece from MarTech Series , GumGum dive into the case for contextual and why so many marketers still struggle to act on it, based on their latest research with AdWeek. What's the fix? – FIND OUT HERE

The Latest AI & Contextual Trends

‘How Could It Know?’ the jaw-dropping accuracy of models trained on Large Data

Could AI trained on outcomes accurately predict future campaign performance? Surely it can’t be much harder than making a correct medical diagnosis only from a description of symptoms, or sending a car into traffic without a driver? Brand Metrics tell Advertising Week how it's possible – READ IT HERE

AI search presents ‘existential’ challenge to publishers

The rise of generative-AI search is creating an “existential crisis” for publishers reliant on referral traffic for audience development, according to industry leaders. What happens if that model falls apart and publishers can no longer monetise audiences finding their content via search? Jellyfish 's Natasha Wallace explores the challenge in The Media Leader UK – READ IT HERE

Winning love and loyalty in the age of AI’s infinite memory

Brand loyalty, once linear, is now fluid, thanks to the rise of LLMs, and heightened expectations of personalisation. But in an era of high churn, razor-thin 2% conversion rates, economic headwinds, and fierce competition, how well are brands really keeping up? ExchangeWire dives in with experts such as GumGum , Jellyfish and esbconnect – READ IT HERE

The Rise of Retail Media & CTV

Why Samsung Ads is exploring new formats in the race to reimagine TV ads

With TV no longer limited to the living room thanks to streaming, Samsung Ads sees an opportunity to challenge the supremacy of the 30-second TV ad — and to have a little fun while doing it. They're bringing their gamified ad format, GameBreaks, to the U.K. The Current breaks it down – READ IT HERE

Why in-store retail media and loyalty schemes need to deliver for the customer

The introduction of digital screens into stores presents an opportunity for brands to connect with the customer across the omnichannel journey; but getting the customer experience right is paramount, says Nectar360 ’s Amir Rasekh . Econsultancy finds out more – READ IT HERE

The Festival of Media M&M Global Awards 2025 Shortlist is now live!

The M&M Global Awards have just announced their shortlist for 2025, including their brand new Best Use of Adtech category, created in partnership with us here at The Digital Voice™ !

Huge congrats to every fantastic entrant who shortlisted across the awards, and especially to the Adtech shortlist:

• esbconnect – AA: Paid Social Partnership Drives CPA 37% Below Target
• PHD – Magnum: Ice Ice Maybe? With Data, Baby!
• Revving – RevLifter: RevLifter turns to Revving to solve adtech's secret killer, cash flow
• Teads – Nissan

You can check out the entire shortlist over on Festival of Media's website.

Podcasts of the Week

Legends of Adtech: The Front Runner with Karen Eccles, CCO at The Telegraph

Join hosts Julia Linehan and Kasey Pass as special guest Karen Eccles , Chief Commercial Officer at The Telegraph shares how she balances tradition and transformation across publishing and adtech. From trend-spotting to championing neurodiversity, she unpacks what it takes to lead, give back, and stay ahead in the industry – Listen here!

Six Sells: Advances in CTV Advertising with Lauren Barnett, Head of UK Sales at Samsung Ads

Six Sells ' Mike Nicholson catches up with Lauren Barnett of Samsung Ads to talk about how Samsung have joined up their mobile and CTV offering in order to significantly enhance the targeting, and how brands can leverage the same – Watch here!

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