GumGum and The Trade Desk partner on AI-powered campaign brief automation

This launch represents a significant shift from manual keyword-based contextual targeting to automated, agentic AI workflows. By allowing the direct translation of strategy documents into technical segments, GumGum reduces friction in the planning-to-execution pipeline for programmatic video and display. For the streaming ecosystem, this offers a scalable, identity-free solution for reaching receptive audiences as third-party cookies continue to degrade. The partnership with The Trade Desk ensures that these high-intent segments are immediately available to the market's largest independent pool of demand. Watch for whether other major DSPs secure similar agentic integrations to compete for mid-market self-service advertisers.

The push toward automated contextual targeting comes as the industry faces structural shifts in addressability. Per AI Digital in March 2026, over 75% of global internet traffic now flows through environments where third-party cookies are restricted or unavailable, forcing a move toward environments-based targeting. This shift is reflected in market projections, with Agility Ads reporting in September 2025 that the global contextual advertising market is expected to reach $562.1 billion by 2030, driven by a 16.7% CAGR in the U.S. alone.

The Trade Desk’s involvement aligns with its recent focus on agentic AI within its own ecosystem. According to company announcements from late 2025, the firm introduced 'Audience Unlimited' and 'Koa Adaptive Trading Modes' to its Kokai platform, specifically designed to use AI co-pilots for scoring third-party data relevance and optimizing bids in real-time. This broader strategy aims to lower the barrier to entry for advertisers; per MarTech in May 2026, small and mid-sized advertiser adoption of streaming and CTV jumped from 60% in 2024 to 85% in 2026, largely due to self-service AI tools that simplify complex activation.

Furthermore, the evolution of 'mindset' targeting is increasingly essential for video and Connected TV (CTV). GumGum’s own research from February 2025 indicated that 94% of video viewers prefer contextual-based ads over identity-based spots, with 80% more likely to engage when an ad relates directly to the content being watched. This consumer preference is coinciding with massive investment shifts; per IAB and MarTech reporting in May 2026, U.S. digital video ad spend is projected to grow 11% year-over-year, accounting for more than 60% of total TV and video spend for the first time.