2025: The Year Digital Advertising Becomes Responsible and Trusted

Sara Vincent, MD, UK

A better future for digital advertising is within reach—one that drives stronger outcomes and reflects a commitment to responsibility and trust. The time for action is now.

For too long, we’ve accepted the status quo of a fragmented and suboptimal ecosystem instead of fostering growth and innovation, we have adopted a survival-first mentality.

But today, we have the tools to reclaim control, shape the narrative and act with principles that reflect our responsibility as stewards of this industry.

Regulation is evolving, and it’s a development we should embrace—not resist. Privacy and consent should be the foundation of any new technology or solution. It’s straightforward: a virtuous cycle that builds trust and delivers better outcomes.

This starts with gaining valid and transparent consent, and then acting as responsible custodians of that consent. From here we drive better engagement, better understanding of the value exchange and better outcomes for advertisers.  When this happens, we unlock a new world of possibilities:

• Fair pricing for quality content, enabling open-web businesses to thrive.
• A shift in ad spend towards media that reflects a diversity of voices, cultures, and opinions.
• The amplification of accurate, credible information.

This vision is entirely achievable in 2025. The solutions are here and the collective desire to do the right thing is stronger than ever. Let’s take the leap. Let’s build an ecosystem we can be proud of—one that delivers value for businesses, respects users, and champions the open web.