Trade Desk expands AI creative marketplace with Rembrand partnership
The Trade Desk integrates Rembrand's spatially-aware AI technology for Virtual Product Ads within its Kokai platform.
The Trade Desk announced on June 17, 2025, an expansion of its generative AI creative marketplace through a new partnership with Rembrand, a company specializing in spatially-aware AI technology for content creation and advertising. The integration brings Rembrand's Virtual Product Ad solution to The Trade Desk's Kokai platform, joining existing partnerships with Nova, Spaceback, and Bunny Studio in the advertising technology leader's AI-driven creative optimization marketplace.
Rembrand's technology analyzes video content frame by frame to identify organic placement opportunities where branded elements can be subtly integrated during post-production. The Virtual Product Ad solution enables advertisers to embed their brands within digital content, including creator and influencer video content, while transforming this content into programmatic-ready advertising units deliverable through The Trade Desk's platform.
The Ventura, California-based advertising technology company positions this partnership as part of its broader strategy to embed generative AI capabilities across all aspects of programmatic advertising. According to Samantha Jacobson, Chief Strategy Officer at The Trade Desk, the integration addresses the industry's need for faster, smarter, and more innovative approaches to consumer connection.
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Summary
Who: The Trade Desk, a global advertising technology company based in Ventura, California, partnered with Rembrand, a leader in spatially-aware AI technology for content creation and advertising.
What: The partnership integrates Rembrand's Virtual Product Ad solution into The Trade Desk's Kokai platform, enabling advertisers to embed brands within digital video content through frame-by-frame analysis and post-production placement.
When: The announcement was made on June 17, 2025, as part of The Trade Desk's ongoing expansion of its AI-driven creative marketplace.
Where: The integration operates within The Trade Desk's Kokai platform and extends to connected TV and film applications as Rembrand expands its capabilities.
Why: The partnership addresses advertiser demands for faster, more innovative creative solutions while enabling contextually relevant advertising experiences that leverage influencer credibility and increase viewer engagement time.
Technical capabilities and industry positioning
The spatially-aware AI technology operates by scanning video content to detect in-scene locations where branded elements can be naturally integrated without disrupting the viewing experience. This approach creates contextually relevant advertising experiences while maintaining the integrity of the original content. As Rembrand expands its capabilities to connected TV and film applications, The Trade Desk represents its first media buying platform partner.
Omar Tawakol, CEO of Rembrand, emphasizes that the partnership extends beyond technological integration. The solution leverages the trust audiences maintain toward their preferred influencers by placing brands within content that carries established credibility. This contextual integration increases viewer engagement time, enabling brands to convey comprehensive messaging while delivering programmatic advertisements that demonstrate improved performance metrics.
The Virtual Product Ad solution addresses a persistent challenge in digital advertising: creating immersive brand experiences that feel natural rather than intrusive. Traditional advertising placements often interrupt content consumption, potentially creating negative user experiences. Rembrand's approach integrates advertising elements directly into content during post-production, maintaining seamless viewer experiences while providing advertisers with premium placement opportunities.
Kokai platform marketplace expansion
The Rembrand integration represents the latest addition to The Trade Desk's AI-driven creative optimization marketplace within Kokai. The platform launched in June 2023 as a comprehensive overhaul of The Trade Desk's previous systems, incorporating distributed artificial intelligence capabilities, enhanced measurement tools, and streamlined partner integrations.
Nova provides brands and publishers with native advertising tools that blend seamlessly within website environments, enhancing campaign performance while maintaining uninterrupted user experiences. The platform's technology creates advertising units that match the visual design and content flow of publisher sites, reducing the visual disruption typically associated with traditional display advertising.
Spaceback recreates social media content as programmatic-ready display, video, and connected TV advertisements. This capability enables brands to repurpose high-performing social content across broader digital advertising channels, extending the reach and effectiveness of creative assets originally designed for social platforms.
Within the audio advertising space, Bunny Studio streamlines high-quality audio production through The Trade Desk's Creative Library tile on the Kokai platform. The integration provides access to over 100 production services and a global network of voice talent, enabling advertisers to produce professional-grade audio content ready for podcasts, audio streaming platforms, and video applications. The system promises production turnaround times of 48 hours or less, significantly reducing the traditional timeline for audio creative development.
Strategic implications for programmatic advertising
The expansion of AI-driven creative capabilities within The Trade Desk's platform reflects broader industry trends toward automation and enhanced targeting precision. Traditional programmatic advertising has focused primarily on audience targeting and inventory optimization, while creative development remained largely manual and time-intensive. The integration of automated creative optimization tools addresses this gap by enabling real-time creative adjustments based on performance data and audience characteristics.
According to Jacobson, The Trade Desk's approach with creative optimization partners drives the company beyond traditional media purchasing toward dynamic advertising opportunities that evolve alongside changing consumer behavior patterns. This strategic direction represents a response to the increasing complexity of digital media consumption, where audiences engage with content across multiple devices, platforms, and contexts throughout their daily routines.
The emphasis on contextually relevant advertising experiences addresses growing consumer expectations for personalized and relevant brand interactions. Generic advertising approaches increasingly fail to capture audience attention in an environment where consumers have greater control over their media consumption and higher expectations for relevant content.
For advertisers operating within The Trade Desk's ecosystem, these creative optimization tools provide several distinct advantages. The integration of multiple creative automation platforms within a single interface reduces operational complexity and enables more sophisticated campaign strategies. Rather than managing separate relationships with creative agencies, production houses, and media platforms, advertisers can coordinate comprehensive campaigns through consolidated workflows.
Market context and competitive dynamics
The announcement comes during a period of significant transformation for The Trade Desk, following its first earnings miss in 33 quarters and a comprehensive organizational restructuring described by CEO Jeff Green as "the largest reorganization in company history." The company reported Q4 2024 revenue of $741 million, falling short of its $756 million guidance despite showing 22% year-over-year growth.
The Trade Desk has shifted its strategic focus toward direct brand partnerships, potentially affecting its relationships with advertising agencies. Industry observers note that the company's emphasis on Fortune 100 clients over smaller advertisers reflects a broader market positioning strategy.
The competitive landscape for programmatic advertising continues evolving, with major players including Google's Display & Video 360 and Amazon's DSP platforms vying for market share. The Trade Desk's investment in AI-driven creative optimization represents an attempt to differentiate its offering through enhanced creative capabilities rather than competing solely on inventory access or targeting precision.
Connected TV advertising has emerged as a particular growth area for The Trade Desk, with video content representing nearly 50% of the company's total platform spend during Q3 2024. The integration of creative optimization tools specifically designed for video content positions the company to capitalize on continued CTV growth while addressing advertiser demands for more sophisticated creative capabilities.
Recent developments in Disney's programmatic advertising strategy and Spotify's launch of its ad exchange demonstrate the increasing importance of creative optimization in premium video inventory partnerships. Publishers are seeking advertising technology partners capable of delivering sophisticated creative experiences that match the quality of their content environments.
Impact on marketing community
For marketing professionals, The Trade Desk's expansion of AI-driven creative capabilities addresses several longstanding operational challenges. Traditional creative development processes often create bottlenecks in campaign deployment, requiring coordination between multiple vendors and extended production timelines. The integration of automated creative optimization tools within programmatic buying platforms enables more responsive advertising strategies.
The partnership with Rembrand particularly addresses challenges in influencer marketing integration. While brands have increasingly recognized the value of influencer partnerships, scaling these relationships through programmatic channels has remained technically complex. Rembrand's Virtual Product Ad solution enables brands to leverage influencer content within broader programmatic strategies, potentially expanding the reach and effectiveness of influencer partnerships.
Recent reporting from PPC Land highlighted how The Trade Desk's integration with Bunny Studio has simplified audio advertising production for brands previously deterred by production complexity. The Rembrand partnership extends this streamlining approach to video content, enabling brands to create sophisticated video advertisements without extensive production resources.
The availability of multiple creative optimization partners within a single platform enables marketing teams to experiment with different creative approaches while maintaining centralized campaign management. This capability is particularly valuable for brands testing new creative formats or targeting strategies, as it reduces the operational overhead typically associated with creative experimentation.
However, the effectiveness of these AI-driven creative tools will ultimately depend on their ability to generate meaningful performance improvements over traditional creative development approaches. Early adopters will need to carefully measure the impact of automated creative optimization on key performance metrics including engagement rates, conversion performance, and overall campaign return on investment.
Timeline
- June 6, 2023: The Trade Desk launches Kokai platform with distributed AI capabilities and Creative Library tile
- February 16, 2024: The Trade Desk reports strong Q4 2023 results with $1.95 billion revenue and 23% growth
- March 21, 2024: Disney connects DRAX directly to Google and The Trade Desk
- August 25, 2024: Nexxen partners with The Trade Desk for ACR data integration
- November 9, 2024: The Trade Desk reports 27% Q3 growth driven by CTV expansion
- December 2024: The Trade Desk implements largest reorganization in company history
- February 12, 2025: Company reports first earnings miss with Q4 revenue of $741 million
- April 29, 2025: The Trade Desk integrates Bunny Studio for audio ad creation through Kokai platform
- June 9, 2025: The Trade Desk launches Deal Desk for managing advertising partnerships
- June 17, 2025: The Trade Desk announces Rembrand partnership for Virtual Product Ads