Programmatic DSP in 2025: Hot Trends, Best DSP Platforms, and Tips to Rule The Market

Remember exciting movies about stock brokers yelling numbers at a noisy trading floor? Today, rooms full of servers execute millions of trades every second. They don’t look as thrilling, but their productivity, precision, and accuracy make them irreplaceable. Over the previous years, the same has happened to the advertising field: programmatic advertising technologies replaced ad negotiations and lengthy decision-making processes. And it’s just the beginning!

In this article, we’ll catch a glimpse of the future. We’ll explore current trends in programmatic advertising, discuss the role of demand-side platforms (DSPs) in the programmatic ecosystem, and help you choose the best DSP for achieving outstanding results in 2025. Ready? Let’s go!

Programmatic DSP: What's That and Why You Need It

Programmatic DSP and programmatic advertising aren’t synonyms. Programmatic advertising is the broader term describing automated ad buying and selling in real-time. It includes various technologies and platforms. A demand-side platform (DSP) is a tool for advertisers that allows them to buy ad impressions from multiple ad exchanges through a single interface. DSP and programmatic DSP, however, are synonyms: all DSPs operate programmatically by default.

Programmatic DSP Meaning

To make the programmatic DSP meaning more captivating, imagine a universe with different star systems and spaceships traveling between them. Like a universe with many centers of gravity (different star systems), the programmatic universe has multiple ad exchanges, such as Google Ad Exchange. A spaceship-DSP can travel between these star systems, looking for the best opportunities (ad inventory) for advertisers.

Besides enabling programmatic buying of ad inventory, DSPs allow advertisers to set up targeting (by demographics, behavior, etc.), track performance, and optimize ad campaigns.

How Programmatic DSP Works

Any DSP relies on these fundamental mechanisms:

• Collecting and analyzing the data. Integration with data management platforms (DMP) helps DSPs learn more about and target audiences efficiently.
• Real-time bidding. When a customer visits a website, the DSP scrutinizes their data (interests, demographics, behavior, etc.) and considers the context, such as the time of day, the type of device, etc. Based on this information, the DSP decides whether to bid on this impression. If the answer is positive, the DSP participates in the automated auction, and in a few milliseconds, the visitor sees the winning ad.

The most remarkable thing about DSP is its ability to learn from every auction and improve its performance. With time, it can make better bids, choose better ad placements, and win auctions more often.

So, the answer to the question, “Why do I need DSP?” is quite apparent. Programmatic DSP helps you reach the customers exactly where they are, optimize your campaigns, and stay competitive.

Programmatic Advertising in 2025: What to Expect

In 2024, the programmatic advertising world welcomed many changes. Among the most influential was the beginning of the demise of third-party cookies. They aren’t dead yet, but the news about this has already forced advertisers to look for alternative targeting methods just to be safe if Google comes up with something new.

What else is going to influence publishers and advertisers in 2025? Let’s explore the top trends!

AI and Machine Learning for Ad Campaigns

This trend is old news, you may say since AI has already become an essential part of nearly every programmatic DSP. Still, in 2025, we’ll see even more comprehensive integration. AI will help us perform retargeting more cleverly, increase engagement through creative automation, and hyper-personalize our ads. Also, advanced AI algorithms will provide us with even deeper insights about clients thanks to predictive modeling and other technologies.

What will this trend bring us? The best present of all: higher return on ad spend!

CTV Growth

Around 10 years ago, CTV seemed like an unfamiliar and risky channel for digital advertising. It has made a long way since then, and today, it’s one of the top choices for advertisers. Just look at the numbers: according to Statista, CTV advertising revenue worldwide was 022.8 billion in 2022 and $31.95 billion in 2023. In 2024, it’s projected to reach $38.3 billion, and it will likely grow to $46 billion by 2025. Impressive, isn’t it?

In 2025, we’ll witness more successful campaigns based on a cross-device approach, and yours may be among them. CTV is beneficial for advertisers for many reasons. First of all, you can execute your strategy consistently in different channels. For example, reach mobile app users when they watch CTV, or vice versa. Besides higher efficiency, It’s good for increasing brand awareness, too.

More Formats, More Channels

Getting your campaign right in 2025 will mean executing a consistent strategy across multiple channels and using a variety of formats to deliver your message to the audience. Luckily, modern programmatic DSP platforms offer you all the tools to do so.

You may consider audio and video ads. The global number of listeners will reach 1.6 billion by 2029, so don’t neglect these people! After all, audio content (such as podcasts) presents an excellent opportunity to capture listeners' undivided attention and deliver your message.

Another option to consider is DOOH advertising. This type of advertising is growing fast, and the reason is simple: DOOH ads can reach customers at the right moment, in the right place. For instance, at the shopping mall entrance or the luggage claim at the airport.

So, in 2025, we encourage you to expand your list of digital advertising channels and formats. Who knows, maybe marketing magazines will write about your campaign by the end of the year!

Hybrid Approach for Achieving More

In advertising, there used to be two major goals, rarely intersecting. The first was building a strong brand, and the second was getting customers to take a specific action. Due to this clear distinction, every campaign belonged to either performance or brand advertising. But today, advertisers need something more innovative to conquer the market.

That’s how the hybrid approach was born. It allows advertisers to combine the benefits of both types and achieve synergy. For example, you can utilize the full-funnel integration method. It means creating and executing a holistic strategy, from getting customers acquainted with your brand to making a purchase and even building loyalty.

How would such a strategy look? Imagine the wide top of the funnel: display and video ads on popular platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook etc., CTV, and DOOH. Then, when brand awareness increases, you launch middle-of-the-funnel advertising activities, like retargeting customers and providing them with more information about your product. Finally, at the bottom of the funnel, you try to convert them into buyers with personalized offer emails or display ads with clear CTAs.

As a result, you gather more data, comprehensively understand your customers’ journey, and achieve performance and branding goals.

Advertising Blast: White-Label Programmatic DSP

Let’s say you dream of moving into a new, fully equipped house but don’t want to build it yourself. So, you find a perfect home with all the appliances and just decorate it to reflect your style. The same happens when you aspire to have your own advertising platform but don’t have in-house competencies to develop it from scratch. More and more companies will choose white-label DSPs to solve such requests in 2025.

White-label programmatic DSP is a ready-to-go demand-side platform created by a third-party organization. You can brand it as you wish and use it to launch campaigns for yourself and your clients (if you’re an advertising agency).

The primary reason behind the rise of white-label DSPs is convenience. You can quickly and cost-effectively get vast functionality. You need a relatively short time to personalize the platform – and you’re ready to launch campaigns.

Moreover, every modern write-label programmatic DSP gives customers analytical tools to track performance and money spent. Also, these DSPs allow businesses, such as ad agencies, to scale their operations seamlessly.

The spread of white-label solutions for programmatic buying is a long-term trend. It represents the answer to companies’ desire for customization, data ownership, and affordable yet advanced platforms.

Now you know what the near future will look like (if no black swans arrive!). Don’t forget these trends when planning, launching, and optimizing your campaigns in 2025, and you’ll improve your performance and strengthen your brand identity.

What Programmatic DSP Can Help You Rock in 2025?

Choosing “the one” among many programmatic DSP platforms is tricky. The key here is to know your priorities. Ask yourself, what is the most important to you? What type of campaigns will you launch? What will their objectives be? How will you know that your programmatic DSP is doing a good job?

In the meanwhile, here are some of the trending programmatic DSP platforms.

Google Display & Video 360 (DV360)

Consider this platform if your primary goal is to run large-scale campaigns across many channels. It easily integrates with the Google ecosystem, offers advanced targeting options, and supports CTV and video ad formats. So, if integration with other Google services is vital to you, it’s also a reason to choose DV360.

Amazon DSP

This programmatic DSP is convenient for companies that want to advertise on Amazon (but not solely so). It’s a strong choice for e-commerce businesses and retailers. Since Amazon collects enormous amounts of user data, it can provide valuable tools for targeting by behavior and interests.

The Trade Desk

Are you looking for a variety of ad formats and the omnichannel approach? Then, check out this programmatic DSP. It’s suitable even for small businesses, and its inventory list is impressive: CTV, audio, video, mobile, in-app, and even DOOH formats. Moreover, it’s known for excellent transparency and advanced reporting features.

Xandr

This DSP may be the right choice if you value premium ad inventory and focus on video and CTV advertising. It stands out among other programmatic DSP platforms because it’s part of the Microsoft advertising ecosystem. Therefore, it easily integrates with other Microsoft solutions. Advanced performance tracking and analyzing features make Xandr a competitive player and a solid choice for businesses of different sizes.

Criteo DSP

Remember the full-funnel approach we discussed earlier? This programmatic DSP can implement it. It’s also well-known for its retargeting solutions and integration with retail media. If your business operates in e-commerce and wants to launch successful direct-response campaigns, consider Criteo DSP.

Epom DSP

Epom demand-side platform is white-label, so you can set it up quickly and get your own platform in just a couple of weeks. It supports various ad formats, including native ads, interstitials, videos, and popunders. Also, it has numerous targeting and retargeting options to reach customers who haven’t converted yet. And real-time analytics makes it easy to track performance and optimize campaigns. For example, you can block underperforming traffic sources in a couple of clicks.

Making the Most of Your Programmatic DSP in 2025

Let’s add something else to choosing the best DSP and knowing the hottest trends. We’ve collected best practices that can help you boost your performance in 2025.

Using the Right Metrics When Setting Objectives

In the year ahead, consider trying new metrics (if you haven’t used them yet). For example, cost per acquisition (CPA) for lead generation. The formula isn’t complicated:

Another helpful metric is the return on ad spend (ROAS), which you can count as follows:

Also, when launching brand awareness campaigns, remember engagement metrics such as click-through rate (CTR).

These metrics help you measure performance and compare different campaigns to achieve more.

Understanding Your Customers First

The omnichannel approach allows you to reach a broader audience, but selecting channels should be done after researching customers. Most programmatic DSP platforms offer advanced targeting features, which can help you fully understand your audience and its journey.

For instance, find out what the main touchpoints are for your customers. What are their typical decision-making moments? How is their behavior different depending on the channel or device?

Also, it’s invaluable to map out the journey from awareness to conversion for all primary customer segments.

In 2025, you can achieve a competitive advantage by implementing a flexible segmentation approach. It includes the following practices:

• Create dynamic segments. Different criteria, such as purchasing behavior and seasonal patterns, may be used. The main idea is not to define customer segments once and for all but to change them according to behavior shifts.
• Create micro-segments. It means breaking down larger segments based on loyalty, preferences, or even life events. For instance, if a customer gets married, they can move to another micro-segment.
• Create hypotheses and test them. A/B testing is your best friend! Don’t forget to measure and compare results, and never stop optimizing your performance.

Moreover, you can turn to AI to help divide your audience into new segments. The algorithms can notice behavioral patterns or changes you couldn’t see.

Diversifying Channels

Your customers use multiple channels; you should reach them where they are. That’s why, in 2025, it makes sense to try new channels. For instance, CTV to reach people watching video content or DOOH to show your ads to customers in popular physical spaces. Another valuable option is programmatic audio. This format allows you to increase your audience with podcast listeners.

Sure, every decision must be based on thorough analysis. Explore cost-per-acquisition trends and engagement rates, then invest in the channels with the highest potential.

Implementing Privacy-First Approach

With third-party cookies declining, first-party data becomes the centerpiece of advertising strategies. This means that companies must implement ethical methods of collecting data, such as sign-ups, purchases, etc. Moreover, the privacy-first approach refers to building trust-based relationships with your audience. It’s not an easy task in an environment where we’re used to buying third-party data, but it needs to be done. After all, the future of programmatic advertising requires establishing meaningful connections with customers with a focus on privacy.

In 2025, companies that adopt an audience-centric, privacy-first, and consistent omnichannel approach have much more chances to scale and increase revenues than others. Now you know what to do to become one of them!

How to Overcome Programmatic DSP Challenges in 2025

Sure, tomorrow isn’t all golden. As technologies become increasingly complex and ever-changing, the future demands constant action from us. What can we do to prepare for the challenges ahead?

First, the abovementioned data privacy makes it harder to target customers cost-effectively. To overcome this challenge, you should choose your DSP carefully. When researching different programmatic DSP platforms, consider their data transparency and privacy policies.

The second challenge is ad fraud. It’s becoming more dangerous and widespread, so we must prevent accidents. Again, look at your programmatic DSP: What fraud-detecting features does it utilize? The ideal DSP also provides a detailed ad spend report.

Finally, in 2025, you can face rising costs, especially if you buy premium ad inventory. To mitigate this risk, you can optimize your bidding strategies. Many DSPs allow you to improve bidding tactics based on previous campaign performance.

Wrapping Up With Style

Welcome aboard aircraft-2025! The flight may not be easy, and we’ll likely face turbulence more than once. Still, now you’re prepared for the ride. You know the trends, you can choose a programmatic DSP that meets your needs, and you know how to make your trip more enjoyable.

We wish you a pleasant flight and remind you that we’re here to help! If you want a DPS that can be seamlessly and quickly tailored to your taste, try Epom White-Label DSP.

FAQ

• What is a programmatic DSP?

  A demand-side platform (DSP) is a tool for advertisers that enables programmatic buying of ad inventory, allows advertisers to set up targeting (by demographics, behavior, etc.), track performance, and optimize ad campaigns.

• What is the difference between DSP and programmatic advertising?

  Programmatic advertising is the broader term describing automated ad buying and selling in real-time. It includes various technologies and platforms. A demand-side platform (DSP) is a tool for advertisers that allows them to buy ad impressions from multiple ad exchanges through a single interface.

• What are the main trends in programmatic advertising in 2025?

  Among the most influential is the beginning of the demise of third-party cookies. They aren’t dead yet, but this process has already forced advertisers to find alternative targeting methods, such as contextual targeting.

  Another trend is executing a consistent strategy across multiple channels and using various formats to deliver messages to an audience.

  Also, the spread of white-label solutions for programmatic buying is a long-term trend. It represents the answer to companies’ desire for customization, data ownership, and affordable yet advanced platforms.

• How can I improve my ad campaign performance in 2025?

  Consider trying new metrics, such as cost per acquisition (CPA) for lead generation or return on ad spend (ROAS). Also, in 2025, you can achieve a competitive advantage by implementing a flexible segmentation approach.

• What are the main programmatic DSP challenges in 2025?

  The top three are the rise of data privacy issues, ad fraud, and increased costs, especially when buying premium ad inventory.