DoubleVerify has released its 2025 Global Insights: AI, Automation and the Future of Digital Advertising report. Drawing from DV’s platform intelligence, campaign-level analytics, and a global survey of 1,970 marketing and advertising decision-makers, the report uncovers how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping digital advertising at scale.
Marketers Stuck as “Campaign Facilitators”
A key finding of the report is the mounting operational burden placed on marketers, particularly in programmatic media buying. DV’s research shows that campaign managers dedicate 26% of their time — more than 10 hours per week — to manual optimizations such as bid adjustments, budget reallocations, and performance threshold tweaks.
For North American agencies, this translates to over $17,000 per year, per team member, spent on repetitive tasks instead of strategy and innovation.
“Campaign managers are often trapped in reactive workflows, functioning more like campaign facilitators than strategists,” said Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify. “With DV’s AI-powered solutions, we can reverse that dynamic—automating routine tasks so teams can prioritize high-level strategy and performance optimization.”
AI Integration Accelerates Across Campaign Workflows
The report points to a sharp rise in AI adoption, with marketers increasingly relying on automation to counter inefficiencies:
- Campaign activation surged 32% year-over-year, the most significant jump across workflows.
- Bidding and mid-flight optimization climbed 12% YoY, reflecting the growing complexity of media performance that AI is uniquely positioned to manage.
- Summarizing media briefs increased 11%, while dynamic creative optimization rose 8%.
Notably, 91% of marketers report they are either using or planning to use third-party AI or automated bidding tools beyond their DSPs to improve campaign performance and streamline operations.
“As the media environment grows more fragmented and fast-paced, AI enables marketers to take back control and deliver smarter, outcome-based campaigns,” Zagorski added. “This isn’t just automation for efficiency’s sake—it’s about empowering teams to craft strategies that maximize return on investment. Our new AI-driven solution, DV Authentic AdVantage™, specifically addresses walled garden challenges, enhancing media performance and driving cost efficiency.”