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At IAB NewFronts 2025, Meta, TikTok, and Google showcased AI-powered tools, immersive ad formats, and privacy-first solutions transforming mobile advertising. Highlights include Meta’s AR and e-commerce features, TikTok’s brand-safe content targeting, and Google’s streamlined campaign tools with privacy safeguards. Dario Betti discusses how MEF members might embrace these trends to stay competitive in an evolving, privacy-conscious mobile ecosystem.
The IAB NewFronts 2025 reaffirmed the digital advertising industry’s accelerating pivot toward immersive, intelligent, and privacy-aware mobile experiences. Major players Meta, TikTok, and Google used the stage to unveil new product features, ad formats, and measurement tools — all tailored to the evolving demands of mobile-first consumers and marketers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner column_padding=”padding-5-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”left-right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/2″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][image_with_animation image_url=”165840″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In” animation_easing=”default” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” text_align=”left” row_position=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” pointer_events=”all”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]These announcements are especially relevant to MEF members operating across mobile platforms, marketing technologies, and digital media, as they highlight key shifts in user engagement, content monetization, and data use in the mobile ecosystem.
Meta emphasized its strategic alignment around short-form video, AI-driven creativity, and shoppable experiences. With Reels now a central element of both Instagram and Facebook, the company revealed several new advertising tools designed for native mobile environments.
A standout innovation was the AI-powered Image Expansion tool, which automatically adjusts creative content to fit multiple screen formats, streamlining cross-platform campaigns. Meta also introduced Creator Discovery powered by AI, helping advertisers match with relevant influencers for branded content partnerships — a particularly attractive proposition for marketers looking to scale creator campaigns efficiently.
Meta is still planning a metaverse future, and it further expanded its augmented reality (AR) advertising, integrating interactive AR formats into Facebook Reels, Facebook Stories, and Instagram Reels. These AR placements enhance user engagement and provide immersive brand storytelling in ways that go beyond traditional display or video ads.
E-commerce also received a boost with multi-destination product ads. These swipeable carousel formats within Reels allow consumers to browse multiple products directly in-feed, reducing friction between discovery and purchase. According to Meta, this aligns with rising mobile shopping behavior and delivers improved ROI for advertisers.
To support transparency and brand safety, Meta rolled out third-party viewability measurement for Reels Ads, partnering with DoubleVerify, IAS, and MOAT. This move answers a long-standing advertiser demand for independent performance metrics in mobile-first video formats.
Despite political and regulatory scrutiny in the United States of Americas, TikTok’s NewFronts presentation was assertive and innovation-driven. The platform continues to expand its influence, particularly among younger mobile audiences.
[icon color=”Accent-Color” size=”small” image=”fa-quote-left”] For global mobile ecosystem players, Australia’s SPF is a test case in regulatory co-design. MEF members have the opportunity to influence how innovation and compliance can co-exist—by engaging early, demonstrating leadership, and sharing what works.”
The most notable announcement was the expansion of Pulse Premiere, which gives advertisers access to premium content inventory from partners like NBCUniversal, BuzzFeed, and Condé Nast. This lets brands place their ads adjacent to curated, professionally produced content — a compelling offer for those seeking contextual safety and quality.
Additionally, TikTok introduced Pulse Custom Lineups, a new AI-powered feature that creates tailored content environments based on advertiser objectives. This addresses brand concerns around ad adjacency and offers an alternative to conventional demographic targeting — a notable shift considering changing data privacy norms.
Measurement also featured heavily in TikTok’s update. The platform announced integrations with iSpot.tv and Nielsen, enabling advertisers to measure incremental reach across linear TV, streaming, and mobile. For cross-platform marketers, this kind of insight is increasingly essential in optimizing budgets and understanding how mobile fits into the broader media mix.
While the company acknowledged regulatory challenges, its pitch remained focused on brand safety, scale, and cultural relevance. TikTok positioned itself not just as an entertainment app, but as a full-funnel performance platform.
Google’s announcements focused on helping advertisers navigate complexity and privacy expectations while tapping into a full-stack solution across screens.
The tech giant introduced a centralized demand-side platform (DSP) upgrade within Display & Video 360 (DV360), designed to streamline media buying across formats — including mobile video, in-app, and connected TV. This consolidation makes campaign execution more intuitive and efficient, especially for brands running multi-format initiatives.
Google also showcased generative AI tools embedded within DV360. The new Audience Persona feature uses first-party data and campaign goals to generate fictional profiles representing core audience segments. Meanwhile, Content Optimizer offers automated suggestions for improving creative messaging. Both tools aim to reduce manual work and enable dynamic campaign iteration at scale.
Perhaps most significantly, Google reaffirmed its commitment to privacy with the announcement that it is open-sourcing its Publisher Advertiser Identity Reconciliation (PAIR) tool through the IAB Tech Lab. PAIR allows advertisers and publishers to match audiences without exposing personally identifiable information (PII). As cookie deprecation looms and regulatory scrutiny increases, tools like PAIR represent the industry’s future direction — one that balances personalization with data protection.
Across Meta, TikTok, and Google, several unifying themes emerged at NewFronts 2025 — each with direct relevance for the MEF community. The industry is rapidly coalescing around a new mobile advertising playbook built on four core pillars: AI, immersive media, contextual targeting, and privacy-centric measurement.
Artificial Intelligence is no longer just an operational tool; it’s now a strategic enabler of creative production, audience discovery, and campaign optimization. From Meta’s AI-driven creator matching to Google’s AI-generated personas and TikTok’s custom lineups, advertisers are gaining new ways to scale their efforts intelligently.
Immersive and interactive formats, particularly in AR and short-form video, are becoming table stakes for capturing attention in mobile environments. MEF members involved in creative production, app monetization, and media buying will need to ensure their platforms and partners can support these richer user experiences.
Contextual advertising is re-emerging as a high-value targeting strategy, fuelled by advances in AI and the increasing limitations of third-party data. TikTok and Meta’s focus on premium, brand-safe content adjacency reflects a growing shift toward media environments where ad relevance is driven by context rather than cookies.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” text_align=”left” row_position=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” pointer_events=”all”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”padding-3-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”right” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”5/6″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”default” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column_text]Finally, measurement and privacy are converging priorities. Google’s open-sourced PAIR, Meta’s third-party verification for Reels, and TikTok’s cross-platform measurement tools all reflect an industry responding to regulatory demands without compromising on insight. MEF members — especially those in mobile marketing, analytics, and identity solutions — will play a critical role in defining and implementing the infrastructure needed to support this new landscape.
For MEF’s global membership — spanning operators, app developers, ad tech providers, and identity managers — these trends suggest a moment of both challenge and opportunity. Staying competitive will require continuous investment in creative agility, technical interoperability, and privacy-by-design principles. But for those ready to evolve with the market, the mobile advertising future remains vibrant, innovative, and deeply user-centric.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”left” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” overflow=”visible” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/6″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_text_separator title=”Dario Betti” title_align=”separator_align_left” color=”blue”][image_with_animation image_url=”72123″ image_size=”full” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”Fade In” animation_easing=”default” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default”][vc_column_text]
MEF CEO
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