As over 150,000 innovators, leaders and marketers gathered in Las Vegas for CES 2025, several key trends emerged that are set to drive the next era of impact in advertising.  

Here are the top takeaways, according to the XR team on the ground.

AI in Action

This year, AI discussions shifted from generative hype to practical applications transforming the industry—from data-driven personalization to optimized creative delivery. With AI-powered metrics becoming the standard, brands are uncovering innovative ways to leverage AI to build meaningful audience connections. 

Will these AI metrics replace people? “It’s not AI that’s going to replace you but the colleague who knows how to leverage AI,” said Mastercard SVP of Global Media Jay Altschuler during a panel on the C Space Storytellers Stage moderated by The Female Quotient CEO Shelley Zalis. While AI can help measure, predict and personalize content, XR’s Kristin Wnuk noted, it must be paired with human insight to drive the greatest impact.

Representation in Advertising

Authentic representation emerged as a central theme at CES as well, with The Female Quotient’s Equality Lounge ® holding court with major brands like Mastercard, Delta, TikTok, Samsung, Coach and the Ad Council.  

XR joined the conversation in a compelling session with ReachTV, The Ad Council and MGM Resorts, exploring how data drives authentic content creation.  

With the industry increasingly focused on using data-driven approaches to ensure advertising reflects and resonates with diverse audiences, brands are turning to solutions like XR’s Representation Index (RX) to measure and improve representation in their ads to improve impact.  

“When creative resonates with people and is representative of communities and the world we live in, then it is much more effective and will stay with people long-term,” Wnuk said.

Streaming Gains Ground for Live Events

TV’s transformation was also a central theme, with streaming and live sports driving the conversation among major players like Disney, Fox, NBCUniversal, Roku and Warner Bros. Discovery.  

Perfect creative delivery and unified workflows across linear and CTV environments emerged as must-haves for driving consumer outcomes, especially as digital continues reshaping mass audience events. XR is proud to support the largest streaming platforms to deliver on the promise of the power of live in 2025.  

Tackling Transparency & Trust

As streaming and digital see relentless growth, marketers are raising questions about trust, and better control of data and content across multiple platforms. XR’s James Shears told Ad Monsters that marketers want to build trust with users while maintaining control over data. “The fragmentation of platforms creates opportunities, but it also demands better accountability and transparency,” he said. This emphasis on trust and transparency is also driving demand for solutions that unify workflows into a single ecosystem, optimizing the supply path to ensure the most efficient and direct delivery of flawless creative.

Optimize Impact with Creative Intelligence

Creative intelligence such as XR’s XRIQ is proving critical in the evolution of video content. By evaluating the context of every asset and analyzing utilization alongside creative delivery, marketers now have intelligence to optimize marketing impact. Greater insight around creative will help brands manage risk and brand safety, build better creative and answer multi-million-dollar questions such as “Is my content being utilized, how much is wasted and does it authentically reflect the world we live in?”

CES 2025 demonstrated the immense potential for buyers and sellers to harness the power of creative, AI, and data intelligence. By leveraging these advancements, the industry can drive not only economic growth, but also meaningful social and sustainable impact, shaping a more inclusive and innovative future.