As I write this, my son is gearing up for another Friday night under the lights at a new high school as a Junior, and I’m reminded that fall has always been about fresh starts and new momentum. In AdTech, this September feels particularly charged with possibility, and necessary change.
The Creative Revolution is Here
We’re witnessing something I haven’t seen in my time in this industry. Creative is finally getting the respect it deserves. For too long, we’ve been obsessed with what I call “bullshit metrics”. Click-through rates and viewability standards that are so low they’re meaningless. It’s like judging a restored automobile by whether the horn works, while ignoring the carburetor, transmission, and everything that actually makes it run.
The data is impossible to ignore. According to research from Nielsen, 86% of a brand’s sales lift from advertising is attributed to the quality of the creative. That’s not a minor factor, that’s the engine. Yet, somehow, we’ve spent years treating it like an afterthought while obsessing over targeting precision and measurement sophistication. Yes, I know that I was one of the many championing audience targeting over 15 years ago, but I always assumed it would be in addition to, and not a replacement for engaging and immersive creative.
Retail Media’s Maturation Moment
This fall, I’m watching retail media evolve into something more sophisticated. According to eMarketer, US retail media ad spend on CTV skyrocketed 335.5% year-over-year in 2024. The smartest retailers are realizing they’re not just selling shelf space anymore. When brands can connect emotional video content with precise purchase data, magic happens. It would be even better if Amazon and Roku enable their partnership to extend my shopping behavior to my preferred device. They already do it in FireTV – why not extend that to other platforms.
The Google Reckoning
I think we’re past asking if Google’s ad tech stack will be broken up. The question is what happens when it happens, and I believe that timeline is shorter than most people think.
Behind closed doors, I’m hearing about concessions being made ahead of the court dates scheduled for later this month to prevent even more focus on search, Chrome, Gemini and YouTube. The industry needs to stop preparing for “what if” and start preparing for “what’s next.” The winners will be the companies that have built real value beyond just scale. The ones focused on creative excellence, authentic publisher relationships, and genuine innovation.
AI Gets Real (Finally)
The AI conversation is shifting from buzzword to business impact. Data from Kroger reveals 1.3x greater incremental ROAS from AI-optimized audiences, but more importantly, we’re seeing AI that enhances human creativity rather than replacing it.
At TripleLift, our AI technology isn’t about generating generic creative, it’s about making creative smarter, more contextual and more effective. AI is a creative enabler and process accelerator. The “next UI” should be thought of as your “last UI”
What Success Looks Like
As I tell new hires at TripleLift, success isn’t just hitting our numbers. It’s reestablishing our industry as one that actually drives value for brands. The companies that win this fall will be the ones that remember advertising is ultimately about human connection. All our sophisticated targeting and AI and programmatic machinery means nothing if we can’t help a brand tell a story that resonates.
The Road Ahead
This September feels like a turning point. The industry is finally ready to evolve beyond the efficiency-obsessed model that’s dominated for the past decade. Creative is getting its due. Retail media is maturing. Google’s stranglehold is loosening. AI is becoming genuinely useful.
The question isn’t whether change is coming, it’s whether we’re ready to lead it.
And just like restoring a classic car, the real satisfaction comes not from making it run, but from making it run better than it ever did before. That’s where AdTech is headed this fall, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what we build together.
Dave Helmreich is CEO of TripleLift, the industry’s leading Creative SSP.
