‘Tired of hearing about scale without proof’: Hot takes from AWNY 2025
Illustration by Robyn Phelps / Getty / Shutterstock / The Current
Advertising Week New York can deliver a lot of bluster. But there’s also no shortage of hot takes and key insights.
That was still the case during this year’s conference, which was held last week. From AI to connected TV (CTV) measurement to the Google ad tech remedies trial, industry professionals had a lot on their minds during panels and conversations.Stacy DeRiso, global CEO at Initiative, captured the atmosphere perfectly in an interview with The Current: “The pace of change is faster than it’s ever been, and it will never be this slow again.”
From sharp commentary to fresh angles, here are the moments that punctured the noise at this year’s AWNY.
AI
Mac Hagel, president, head of media and client lead, Razorfish: “What stood out at Advertising Week New York is that AI is finally moving from buzz to business. The conversations weren’t about potential; they were about proof.”
Jennifer Laing, SVP of operations, Causal: “We’re definitely seeing more scrutiny than ever [from clients] in our [AI] practices. On the flip side, [advertisers are] also saying they’re building their own internal AI tools. So, we’re feeling the pressure that we must be doing something with AI while also being under a level of scrutiny that we’ve never seen before.”
Ryan Nelsen, CMO, StackAdapt: “What I kept hearing at AWNY is that marketers are done with one-size-fits-all creative. Dynamic creative optimization is being recognized as the engine for omnichannel campaigns, whether it’s CTV, audio, display or digital out-of-home.”
Rich Raddon, co-founder and co-CEO, Zefr: “I have no doubt that [Big Tech’s] AI solutions will be top notch. But it will ultimately only serve their purpose for increasing margins and revenue, as opposed to independent companies, which are more aligned with the customer because they don’t have hidden agendas associated with advertising spend. Their agenda is satisfying the customer.”
CTV
Jason Fairchild, CEO, tvScientific: “At AWNY, the conversation around CTV felt different. People are tired of hearing about scale without proof. The expectation now is simple. If CTV cannot perform like search and social, it will not earn its share of budgets.”
Bryan Goski, CRO, VideoAmp: “What I kept hearing at AWNY is that currency debates only matter if they improve outcomes. Buyers want measurement that reconciles linear and streaming, exposes the math and holds every impression to the same standard.”
Lisa Mallen, SVP of agency and client partnerships, AMC Networks: “From an operational standpoint, it’s a lot to move the Titanic. While everyone has the right intentions [in navigating the evolution of TV measurement], there’s years and years of data that have been built on certain legacy systems.”
Rajeev Goel, CEO, PubMatic: “We think Google is a 60% player in the exchange space. We have a 4% share. Each point of market share is worth $50 million to $75 million in revenue to us, and 80% to 90% of that is profit.”
Adam Soroca, chief product officer, Magnite: “What was very clearly established over the last two weeks is that Google can’t be trusted.” (sharing his opinion on the Google antitrust remedies trial)
Chris Brooklier contributed reporting for this story.