“Most people assume that advertising needs to feel disruptive to gain attention,” says Ashley Firmstone, senior vice-president at Rokt, who was in conversation with The Drum at Advertising Week New York as part of our Media that Moves video series.
That’s a big misconception that Rokt sets out to change, as the focus turns to how e-commerce advertising is being reimagined around consumer expectations, not as an interrupter but an enhancer.
“What we’re seeing in consumer behavior is they’re wanting more relevant, seamless experiences in how they interact online,” says Firmstone. “The landscape is so crowded today, so how do [advertisers] get cut through and get your offer in front of a customer when intent is high?”
Rokt’s approach centers on making advertising additive rather than intrusive. “We really like offers to feel organic and native to that customer experience and make it feel very fluid,” she says. “We often see that there’s a negative impact when you’re very disruptive to that.”
Trust is a major pillar of this strategy. “Trust is a cornerstone for everything that we do,” she says. “[Rokt] is a closed ecosystem, which is very different to programmatic [where] you’re not really sure where your ad is going to show. Our ads and offers are always serving real customers that are transacting online.”
Relevance, powered by AI, is the second. “Everything that we’re deciding to serve in front of a consumer, we want to make sure that it does feel relevant and it’s additive to the experience,” she says. That means tying placements to high-intent moments, “not just serving offers to drive clicks or engagement.”
The results speak to business impact. “We don’t focus on really clicks or impressions,” she says. “We let performance be the leading indicator.” Whether it’s cost per acquisition (CPA), return on ad spend (ROAS) or customer lifetime value (LTV), she notes, Rokt enables brands to tailor campaigns to measurable outcomes.
Looking ahead, the next shift is already on the horizon. “I do think we will continue to see a shift in the power of the consumer,” she says. “And I think we will start to see shopping online become more dynamic or organic based on a consumer’s preferences.” That includes creating “shoppable ad units in those moments” and “remov[ing] all the friction points” in the e-commerce journey.
Watch the full conversation to hear Firmstone’s vision for an e-commerce future built on trust, relevance and results, not disruption.
