CES 2025: Ushering in the age of hyper-personalization IAB Canada’s Sonia Carreno

This article, originally published in Campaign Magazine, features IAB Canada’s Sonia Carreno as she shares some of her marketing-related takeaways from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.


More than 140,000 attendees converged on the bustling show floors and packed theatres of CES 2025 last week, eager to glimpse the technologies and trends poised to redefine the future. 

This year marked a high point for IAB Canada members, with an impressive turnout spanning ad tech firms, publishers, platforms, marketers, and agencies—all exploring the transformative impact of AI, and the advanced technologies that will define advertising’s next frontier. 

In a sea of innovation sprawling across football field-sized exhibits, we’ve distilled the most compelling trends set to shape 2025. 

BYOA: Bring Your Own Algorithm 

The rapid evolution of platforms and solutions bridging data to action—such as automated DMP-to-media execution systems—is driving advertisers to focus on crafting bespoke intelligence tailored to their businesses. In 2024, the challenge lay in normalizing disparate data sets across organizations. In 2025, the focus shifts to integrating those datasets into actionable pipelines. 

Brands are increasingly turning to immersive experiences that transcend core product and service offerings. Differentiation is paramount, and a competitive race is underway to capture consumer attention through unique, memorable interactions.

Personal Agents: The Next Frontier of Consumer-Brand Interaction 

A groundbreaking concept emerged around personal agents—AI-powered intermediaries that interact with brands on behalf of individuals. Envision avatars handling the deluge of consumer-targeted messages, filtering, prioritizing, and even responding via an automated dashboard. 

This shift could herald a return to pull media environments, with horizontal search queries and curated, hyper-personalized content dominating the landscape. 

Automotive innovations provided a glimpse of this future, as BMW unveiled an AI agent integrated with its new operating system. Drivers can now ask for recommendations—like “the best coffee shop”—and receive curated options driven by still-evolving algorithms.

Crushing Diamonds: The Push for Compact AI Efficiency 

 The rise of AI-powered wearables and devices is bringing practical challenges to the fore. Tech leaders like Nvidia are spearheading efforts to enhance computational efficiency and shrink device footprints. 

AI’s potential rivals the smartphone revolution, but unlocking its ubiquity hinges on overcoming energy and battery limitations. Significant strides are being made to address these hurdles, promising more sustainable and accessible AI applications in the near future. 

Experience Wars: The Battle for Platform Loyalty 

Connected television (CTV) continues its exponential growth, blending commerce with immersive experiences. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are investing heavily in cutting-edge display technologies, enhanced audio systems, and sleek designs to captivate loyal users and attract new ones. 

In a keynote session, Martin Sorrell drew parallels between the influence wielded by tech giants like Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung. These platforms, he argued, command unrivaled  reach by owning audiences and shaping their daily experiences. For consumers, the next wave of innovation promises to elevate everyday interactions, intensifying competition among these industry titans.

PC Handheld Devices: A Console-Like Gaming Revolution 

Another exciting development at CES 2025 was the spotlight on handheld PC devices from brands like Lenovo and Acer. These devices are paving the way for a console-like gaming experience, with Steam leading the charge by collaborating with manufacturers to bring its operating system to a broader range of devices. This innovation not only lowers barriers for gamers, but also opens new opportunities for content creation and advertising experiences tailored to this rapidly growing audience. 

The Democratization of Creation 

Amid the tech spectacle, a broader societal narrative was evident. Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, heralded a “new day” for journalism and freedom of speech, advocating for decentralized journalism led by platforms like X.  

This ethos was palpable across the showroom floor, brimming with tools empowering creators—from video drones and recording devices, to AI-driven editing software. The message was clear: CES 2025 was a showcase for the creators of tomorrow.  

In marketing-focused sessions, brands were encouraged to prepare for a dramatic surge in content production—projected to grow tenfold—in response to hyper-personalization demands. 

Key Takeaway: A Content-Driven Future 

The overarching realization from CES 2025 is that we stand on the cusp of an unprecedented wave of content proliferation. For content creators, this translates to vast monetization opportunities, while brands face mounting pressure to stand out in an increasingly crowded digital ecosystem. Together, these dynamics signal robust growth and innovation for the digital advertising sector.