Alexa, Evolve Marketing: 5 Emerging Ad Formats to Know

The advertising and marketing industry is constantly battling for audience attention as behaviours change, new technologies emerge, and new media channels evolve. People expect relevance and convenience from the content and media they consume, giving rise to new ad formats that deliver more personalisation, interactivity, and even outcomes.

For marketers, winning attention is only part of the battle – the other heavier lift is inspiring action from the consumer. The biggest opportunity is online: where technology and creativity converge to deliver scroll-stopping content and ads with tangible outcomes. From AI chatbot commercials to video game activations, here are 5 digital marketing ad formats carving out new ground in the commerce media economy.

LLM and Search-Powered Conversational Shopping

What is it?

Online shopping via LLM interfaces such as ChatGPT and Gemini. This conversational, AI search-based shopping means results can be presented in a natural dialogue format, where product recommendations can favour particular brands and products through sponsored ad placement or algorithmic relevance.

Why is this a format to keep an eye on?

There’s no doubt that LLMs and AI continue to be hot topics, with major players racing to introduce shopping capabilities. Online shopping is already shifting away from the traditional eCommerce journey of search, site clicks, and multi-step checkouts. This in turn presents an opportunity for advertisers to optimise the way their products appear on these platforms, whether by paid means or organic optimisation.

Current challenges?

ChatGPT’s conversational product recommendations are currently independently populated and are not influenced by advertising. While OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously voiced his reservations about traditional ad models, he has since softened his stance, suggesting that positioning ads in a more neutral and unbiased way, such as through affiliate links, could be a viable approach. The platform’s rapid growth in usage means it’s only a matter of time that the platform will be commercialised. That being said, it is still very advantageous to optimise eCommerce listings to be more likely to appear on GPT’s recommendations.

Real-world example

Google recently rolled out a host of shopping-enabled features as part of the AI Mode search tool. Ads have also started appearing in their prominent AI Overviews, meaning shopping ads have another placement to be hotly contested. Perplexity has also rolled out sponsored content as follow-up questions in their chat interface, giving brands an opportunity to advertise themselves.

Image: Perplexity

Voice-Activated Ads

What is it?

Advertising delivered through interactive voice platforms such as virtual assistants and smart speakers. These ads may be served as recited recommendations or sponsored interactions in response to a voice query.

Why is this format one to keep an eye (or ear) on?

Audio advertising is not a new channel – it’s where the phrase “spots and dots” originates from – but the way it is being delivered over the airwaves is always progressing. Hands-free search in particular has taken off in recent years as 35% of American adults own a smart speaker system and interact with it via voice. For advertisers, voice-activated ads have the advantage of being personalised for each user, are more immune to ad blockers, and can be delivered during moments where attention is high but hands are busy. This makes them well-suited to today’s increasingly multitasking consumer behaviour.

Popular products, including Amazon Echo, Google Nest, and Apple HomePod have all significantly expanded their smart speaker offerings, enabling seamless integration with services and products. These devices are also tapping into the opportunity to connect first-party subscriber data with audio-driven interactions. This opens up powerful possibilities for targeted, context-aware voice advertising.

Current challenges?

Consumers are still wary of aspects related to voice advertising such as privacy concerns. For marketers, measurement and attribution are evolving areas, and the audio-only format limits visual creativity. However, voice-activated ads are still valuable for brand awareness and interactions with clever usage of the format.

Real-world example

Dog treat brand Milk-Bone ran interactive audio ads on Amazon Music, whereby listeners on Alexa-enabled smart devices, including Echo home speakers and Fire TVs, could learn more about the brand by saying, “Alexa, more dog.” This branded placement also enabled handsfree purchasing with the prompt “Alexa, add to cart”.

Image: Amazon

Connected TV (CTV) Advertising

What is it?

Advertising via CTV devices and streaming platforms. The ads can be personalised to the viewer by using first- and third-party data as opposed to traditional broadcast TV, which targets broad audiences watching scheduled programming. 

Why is this format one to keep an eye on?

CTV is a very well-established medium thanks to streaming services and on-demand viewing. It offers the scale of traditional television combined with the precision of digital targeting. With increasingly sophisticated ad tech, CTV now supports interactive formats, dynamic creatives, and enhanced data-driven personalisation, making it an appealing option for marketers seeking measurable impact. 

Current challenges?

Fragmentation across devices, platforms and ad formats in the CTV ecosystem makes it challenging to standardise targeting, attribution, and campaign execution. This complexity is further compounded by major CTV providers operating within walled gardens, which limits cross-platform attribution, frequency capping, and unified reporting. Additionally, increasing scrutiny around data privacy may impact the future of personalised targeting.

Real-world example

Mattel launched their first-ever global shoppable media campaign on Tubi using Vudoo’s Commerce TV technology. Viewers are able to scan an on-screen QR code during the ad to load a curated product interface and mobile-friendly checkout, accelerating inspiration to purchase. For marketers, it’s more than just a QR code: the Vudoo technology layer enables first-party data capture, cross-channel attribution, and measurable outcomes that connect media exposure to commerce. This level of data detail helps create a clearer picture of conversion drivers and the mechanics that move audiences from interest to action.

In-Game Ads

What is it?

Advertising content within computer, console and mobile games, ranging from sponsored placements to programmatic display. Formats include static display like a branded banner to advanced activations such as a live in-game event or pop-up.

Why is this format one to keep an eye on?

Video games are an increasingly relevant advertising channel, with nearly 3 billion players globally that can be exposed to ads. In-game environments offer strong brand exposure thanks to the high participation rate, and transactable moments can deliver ROAS. This can be built into gameplay mechanics, such as rewarding players for viewing the ad or purchasing physical products as part of the experience.

Current challenges?

Limited standardisation across formats, platforms, and reporting makes it challenging to scale in-game ads and demonstrate clear ROAS. Programmatic advertising within gaming is still emerging, with limited inventory and creative flexibility. Player sentiment also matters: excessive or intrusive ads that disrupt gameplay can backfire, making thoughtful integration essential. That said, momentum is growing. An eMarketer study found that while players are split on the usefulness of in-game ads, they’re more receptive when ads are relevant to the game content and do not disrupt the gameplay experience. 

Real-world example?

Clothing label Ralph Lauren partnered with online game Fortnite to release limited-edition player “skins” that could be obtained using in-game currency (which in turn is purchasable using real money). The brand also released a clothing collection styled like the in-game items through their boutiques. This is a prominent example of “phygital” advertising involving both physical and digital activations achieving brand awareness and measurable outcomes.

Image: Epic Games/Ralph Lauren

Shoppable Ads

What is it?

Digital advertising that allows browsing and purchasing within the ad unit, as opposed to leaving the web page. Shoppable formats have been around for several years, most commonly through social commerce and click-to-buy ads. There are two main types to be aware of; one is click-out shoppable ads, which redirect users to an external website or checkout. The other more recent advancement is transactable ads, which enable the entire purchase process to happen entirely within the ad unit itself.  

Why is this format one to keep an eye on?

With consumers increasingly expecting frictionless, on the spot transactions, as proven within social commerce, marketers are leaning into formats that support impulse shopping and eliminate unnecessary clicks, making shoppable ads the next logical step in digital advertising. Research shows that marketers are actively preparing for this shift, prioritising experiences that streamline the path to purchase. Beyond convenience, shoppable ads also unlock valuable commerce and intent data, bridging brand and performance objectives within a single unit.  

Current challenges?

In many organisations, brand and performance teams still operate in silos. However, shoppable, transactable ads require closer collaboration between the two to be executed effectively. This dual objective of driving both brand and conversion also demands more nuanced creative strategy. With measurement frameworks still evolving, defining success across both goals can be complex, particularly as platforms different in how they support and report on transactable formats. Marketers should expect incremental sales rather than a big conversion uplift as achieving both awareness and sales can be challenging.

Real-world example

Shopping within social media platforms is commonplace today thanks to features like product tagging and deep link checkout pages. Static feed ads have evolved into livestream shopping platforms, including TikTok Shop Live and Alibaba TaoBao Live. But when it comes to fully transactable formats, Vudoo technology powers seamless shopping experiences within display ads, interactive video, and native articles. 

Conclusion

Changing consumer behaviour always presents a challenge to grab attention and captivate passive audiences into active customers, but savvy marketers see this as an opportunity to innovate. Advertising is no longer a peripheral component of the media and content consumers simply ignore; effective formats satisfy their expectations of engaging inspiration, personalised messaging, and instantaneous shopping – all at once.

Of course, there is always a balance between exposing consumers to new formats with unascertained effectiveness and using tried and true methods to deliver results. However, any adept digital practitioner will use a mixture of ad formats as part of a well-rounded marketing strategy to meet consumers wherever they are online and in real life.