In the digital world, where user attention is fragmented and competition is only a click away, the most important factor is no longer who advertises louder, but who understands the user better and addresses their needs effectively at the right moment. Data, especially that which companies collect directly from their customers (so-called first-party data), has become the foundation of trust and relevant communication. Particularly valuable are data gathered through loyalty programs, which are now becoming a central pillar of advertising and media strategies.

Since 2018, Marketing magazin has been presenting the award Zlati likalnik at the DIGGIT conference to individuals for their contributions to the Slovenian digital landscape. In seven years, these awards become a significant professional benchmark. In its July–August issue, the Marketing magazin editorial team presented this year’s recipient and looked back and spoke with previous winners, including Simon Cetin, founder and partner at iPROM, who received the award in 2019.

In its July–August issue, Marketing Magazin featured a best practice case study on Ljubljana Airport FLY, an advanced digital advertising platform developed by iPROM in collaboration with Fraport Slovenija. The solution is based on the use of artificial intelligence and first-party data, enabling real-time automated ad optimization. By integrating reinforcement learning and behavioral microsegmentation, the platform increased conversions by over 30% while reducing the cost per conversion by nearly a third. The project was awarded both the Golden and Grand DIGGIT Awards for innovative use of data and advertising effectiveness.

A new chapter is opening in the world of digital advertising. Success is no longer just about running campaigns effectively. While these remain important, the real difference increasingly lies in a company’s ability to understand advertising as a complete system. By 2025, the focus will be on seeing advertising as an integrated structure that combines business objectives, data, communication channels, and technology into a single, coherent platform. While advertising campaigns still hold value, they are most powerful when they are embedded in a broader, strategically designed approach. Fraport Slovenia is already implementing this approach. The company is focusing on building systems that ensure the resilience, scalability, flexibility, and long-term impact of its advertising activities.

Simon Cetin, founder and partner at iPROM and founder and head of the Retoba laboratory, spoke with the Slovenian Marketing Association about the future of marketing in the age of artificial intelligence. In the interview, he emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer merely a tool for increasing efficiency, but a strategic interlocutor in thinking, creating, and decision-making. He shared his insights with the Slovenian Marketing Association on how AI will reshape marketing practices and what opportunities and responsibilities this transformation brings for companies and individuals.

Today, the question is no longer whether to advertise on digital channels, but whether to do so as a first and deliberate strategic choice. The focus has shifted from justifying digital advertising to evaluating the maturity and targeting of the digital approach. Businesses that do not yet recognise the importance of digital today risk losing visibility, market presence, and effectiveness tomorrow. Although market conditions are unpredictable and change rapidly, digital advertising remains a rare constant. Its value is not derived from its current popularity, but from its ability to connect data sources, advanced technologies and business objectives in real time. Compared to traditional channels, digital advertising offers faster response times, a higher degree of flexibility and more precise targeting. Today, it is a key tool for resilience and long-term growth.

Display advertising will remain the dominant form of digital advertising in 2025. Today, its role is reinforced by first-party data, artificial intelligence and new technological capabilities. Advertisers are increasingly using enriched data, predictive analytics and AI tools to segment audiences, dynamically adapt creatives and optimise media budgets in real time. This combination allows display advertising to function as a precisely targeted, measurable and effective tactic within the modern digital media ecosystem.

In the digital age, data is no longer just a support tool – it lies at the heart of business decisions. In digital advertising in particular, success increasingly depends on the quality of data. Among all types, first-party data is a stand-out. This is the data that companies collect directly from users through their own channels, such as websites, mobile apps or emails. Because it’s obtained transparently and legally from a direct source, it is considered the most reliable insight into users’ needs, behaviours and intentions. And yet – although many companies are aware of this – steps towards the active use of first-party data often remain unmade.

Simon Cetin, founder and partner at iPROM and head of the Retoba Lab, emphasized the importance of data sovereignty in digital advertising in an article for Marketing magazin. He argued that companies without the vision to build their own data ecosystems end up paying others to access and activate their own data, which in the long run puts them in a dependent position and drives up marketing costs.

Advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning are having a significant impact on the evolution of digital advertising. With sophisticated algorithms, advertisers can better understand user behaviour, predict purchase intent more accurately and create more relevant and effective advertising messages. These innovations are driving better results and an improved user experience. However, many advertisers still have limited access to their own data, which is often locked within the closed ecosystems of global platforms. In this blog, I will outline how companies that want more control over their data and greater independence in their digital advertising can use iPROM Private DMP to develop their own data management strategy.