Eight months into 2025, the media landscape is shifting fast.
CTV is scaling, retail media is surging, and AI is gaining traction, but rising complexity is slowing execution for many independent agencies. This mid-year pulse check breaks down what’s playing out as expected, what’s falling short, and what agencies can do now to stay ahead.

Legacy systems are slowing agencies down, and it’s costing performance. Discover how agile media execution helps media buyers adapt faster, test smarter, and scale campaigns across 20+ channels without losing strategic control.

Media buyers are facing mounting pressure from fragmented tools, rising digital complexity, and performance demands. The solution isn’t more tech, but a smarter, more agile execution model.

At the 2025 Ad Age Small Agency Conference, Pink Rebel Media and Continuum shared how they scaled smarter using a Media Execution Partner. This recap breaks down how agile execution helps independent agencies pitch bigger and move faster.

Pathlabs’ Senior Marketing Specialist Dylan Notturno has been named to the University of Montana’s 25 Under 25 list, recognizing his standout contributions to data-driven marketing and rapid impact as a young industry leader.

Want to make your CTV ad spend count? Learn how top agencies combine programmatic tech and precise targeting to drive better performance.

Learn why Pinterest ads are a cost-effective way to reach high-intent, visually driven audiences and offer strong ROI for brands with the right creative strategy.

Learn about the value of adopting a channel-flip strategy that shifts linear TV budgets toward CTV for better targeting and efficiency while using live sports on linear for unmatched reach.

Meet the 2025 Pathlabs interns and learn how the YourPath program builds career-ready talent through real-world experience and mentorship.

Explore Pathlabs’ insights on high-performing teams and building authentic agency growth from our time at AMIN Worldwide’s Crossroads 2025.

Independent agencies are built on grit, creativity, and efficiency, but media execution is where even the best-run ships start to stall.

In this post, we’re previewing our upcoming executive guide, 10 Media Execution Myths That Are Costing Your Agency Growth and Profitability, and showing how smart agency leaders are breaking free from outdated assumptions and scaling with confidence.

From gym owner to CEO, William Lapointe’s nontraditional path and human-first leadership style earned him a spot among Digiday’s 2025 Future Leader finalists. Read the full story.

What if you could turn interest into action with just a few strategic moves? That’s the power of demand generation. In this blog we’ll outline eight powerful demand-generation tactics and how agencies can combine them with robust data measurement and analytics to drive scalable growth throughout the customer journey.

Two of Pathlabs leading CTV experts, Vice President of Agency Growth, JC Clarke, and Vice President of Media Products, Nick Lange, sat down with Real Time Solutions’ SVP of Media, Jen Pera, to discuss four hurdles keeping many independent agencies from taking advantage of the CTV boom and strategies to bridge the gap between linear and CTV advertising.

80% of media buyers say managing campaigns over multiple platforms is their top challenge. Yet only 31% feel they have the infrastructure to execute effectively. See how Pulse by Pathlabs streamlines media execution .

Pathlabs is a finalist for the Best Agency Partnership Award by the Digiday Media Buying & Planning Awards. Learn more about our work with Cayenne Creative.

Performance isn’t just a promise - it’s what we deliver. Independent agencies partner with Pathlabs as their Media Execution Partner (MEP) because we drive real results. When your clients grow, your agency grows. That’s our commitment.

AI is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a game-changer for media execution. In 2025, agencies will leverage AI to optimize campaigns, enhance audience targeting, and streamline reporting. Learn how AI is transforming the way advertisers plan and execute their media strategies.

Retail Media Networks are reshaping digital advertising, with ad spend projected to grow 22% year-over-year in 2025. Discover key trends, challenges, and strategies for agencies to unlock the full potential of RMNs in this preview of Pathlabs' 2025 Media Execution Trends e-book.