At the 2025 IAB Video Leadership Summit, industry leaders gathered to confront a shared challenge: how to evolve video advertising from legacy metrics to outcome-based performance. Under the theme “Driving to Outcomes,” the summit emphasized that the future of video isn’t just about running ads—it’s about proving they work.
Video is moving beyond traditional exposure metrics toward performance-driven KPIs. Sessions throughout the summit emphasized the importance of aligning video with business outcomes – and when IAB’s 2025 Video Ad Spend Report was shared around this key stat: The #1 reason advertisers reduce spend with a streaming platform is poor business outcome delivery – both the buy side and sell side hit the gas to collaborate on solutions together.
Video is on Track to Move from Paper Maps to GPS
A demand for a consistent KPI framework emerged, with benchmarking by vertical, industry, and funnel stage. Leaders called for transparency, stressed the importance of identity spines, and discussed what data sharing is needed from both buyers and sellers
According to IAB’s 2025 Video Ad Spend Report, store visits and sales are now the most important KPIs for video buyers, signaling a clear reroute toward measurable impact.
AI Accelerates, but Needs Guardrails
AI is reshaping how video is planned, bought, and optimized. 86% of buyers are using or planning to use GenAI to build video ad creative, with expectations that GenAI will power 40% of all video ads by 2026 (Source: IAB 2025 Video Ad Spend Report).
From developing audience targets to optimizing creative based on contextual signals, automation is reducing manual work and improving speed. Still, challenges remain. Scaling across platforms, best use cases, and AI workflow clarity was discussed as a need.
Full-Funnel Video Takes the Wheel
CTV and digital video are no longer just awareness tools—they’re being activated across the entire customer journey. Panelists prompted attendees with provocative thinking, questioning the value (or lack thereof) of last touch attribution for measuring video against lower funnel KPIs.
With CTV ad spend projected to reach $72 billion in 2025, and nearly half of CTV inventory expected to be biddable, the need to deliver business outcomes was heard loud and clear (Source: IAB 2025 Video Ad Spend Report).
Transparency in the Driver’s Seat
Transparency is now table stakes with standardization of what’s shared between brands and publishers being critical. Clear expectations from both the buy side and sell side around data access, performance reporting, and creative accountability are essential to leveraging video to drive outcomes.
Building the Road Together
Collaboration emerged as a central theme throughout the summit. From aligning on transaction methodologies to establishing measurement standards and ensuring tech accessibility for advertisers of all sizes, a clear consensus was made that we all must work together to make outcome-based video buying scalable and sustainable.
The road ahead is clear. Now it’s time to drive.
If you’re interested in joining the IAB’s Video Board to ensure that your company is deeply involved in our video roadmap, please contact [email protected]
Up Next: Digital Video 360 – Built for Buyers, Planners, and Professionals
On September 16, dive into the formats, platforms, and strategies shaping today’s digital video advertising ecosystem with our live, instructor-led training.
