DIGIDAY spoke to IAB Europe’s Matthias Matthiesen about the legality of ad block detection for their article “Is blocking ad blockers really illegal in Europe?” from 29 April 2016.

Publishers are faced with an uphill battle as they fight to get a fair deal in programmatic trading; while all the while, the bottom line is that they just want to be able to provide their audience with the best digital advertising experience possible.

What does the emergence of new bidding technology mean for publishers and what are the real-life challenges? How can new innovative tech, such as header bidding deliver real potential for publishers looking to drive increased yield and optimise their revenue?

Download PulsePoint’s new eBook below to learn more! 

As part of a Boston Consulting Group study, Toyota worked with ZenithOptimedia, Performics and Vivaki, to test how using advanced targeting techniques enabled by a unified stack compare with using standard targeting techniques. Results were phenomenal.

Read the full case study here and watch the video below.

Discover it here.

Brussels, 27 April 2016 - IAB Europe is delighted to announce the shortlist of finalists for its 2016 Research Awards. Winners of the eight categories will be announced at IAB Europe’s Interact conference in Lisbon on 12^th May.

Nick Hiddleston, Research Director Worldwide, ZenithOptimedia and Chairman of the Jury said, “The IAB Europe Research Awards continue to promote and share best practice across Europe and beyond, which is vital for the growth of the digital advertising industry.”

The Jury consists of three European corporate representatives and two IAB representatives, making it representative of the European market place. Nick Hiddleston, Research Director Worldwide at ZenithOptimedia and Chairman of the Jury, is joined by Paul Hardcastle, Research Director, EMEA at Yahoo!, Ariane Längsfeld, Client Manager – Media & Digital at Millward Brown, Pawel Kolenda, Research Director at IAB Poland and Tuncay Yavuz, IAB Turkey Board Member, Head of Technical Committee on Measurement and Digital Director at OMD Turkey. More information about the jury members can be found online here.

The Jury has drawn up the following shortlist and the winning entries to be announced on 12^th May.

The 2016 shortlisted entries are (in no particular order):

The IAB Europe Research Awards are an opportunity to gain industry recognition for your research projects and the contribution they have made to the development of the digital advertising industry.

Alison Fennah, Executive Business Advisor, IAB Europe said: “This is the sixth edition of the IAB Europe Research Awards, which continue to showcase research and data innovation in digital advertising research in Europe. With a revised set of categories we have seen entries from a wider range of companies and European markets than previous years.”

---------- 

About IAB Europe

IAB Europe is the voice of digital business and the leading European-level industry association for the interactive advertising ecosystem. Its mission is to promote the development of this young and innovative sector by shaping the regulatory environment, investing in research and education, and developing and facilitating the uptake of business standards. Together with its members – companies and national trade associations – IAB Europe represents over 5,500 organisations
www.iabeurope.eu   @IABEurope    IAB Europe

About the IAB Europe Research Awards

The IAB Europe Research Awards are an opportunity to gain industry recognition for your research projects and the contribution they have made to the development of the digital advertising industry.Knowledge is a key part of our programme to help develop the digital advertising business across Europe and we have a wealth of work that we aim to promote and share.Winning projects will become part of the IAB Europe expanding libraries of proof points, including the Programmatic, Multi-Device and Connected World and Ad Effectiveness libraries, for industry professionals to use in their strategies and daily work.

The 8 categories for 2016 are:

• Brand Advertising Effectiveness;
• Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour
• Consumer Devices
• Digital Advertising Formats
• Advertising Solutions
• Research and Data Innovation
• Audience Measurement
• Best Use of Research Budget

In this case study, ŠKODA builds a more relevant and engaging online customer experience with targeted creative, achieving a 53% increase in conversion rate and 9x better cost-per-lead. Read the full case study here or watch the video below!

Discover it here.

What is ad blocking? 

An ad blocker is a software installed with the goal of removing advertisements from web pages. With the ad blocker, the internet user continues to enjoy online content, but is no longer exposed to any type of advertising. In most cases, all advertisements are blocked: from banners to pre-rolls, to pop-ups.

There are specific blockers for each device:

• Desktop: in most cases work as extensions for the browser or as a plug-in, but there are also browser that block the default advertising;
• Smartphone / Tablet: they are native applications that filter the commercials, or alternative browsers that allow the user to navigate without incurring advertising content.

The layout of a web page is changed once the ad is removed: the spaces left empty by advertising placements are removed, and the content will be repaginated. This way, the user does not see the white spaces in place of advertising and, in particular on devices with small screens (i.e mobile) the effect obtained is to show more content in the same amount of space. 

For more information about ad blocking, please download below the Ad Blocking White Paper (in English) from IAB Italy.

This blog article was originally published on the TYPES Blog. TYPES is a EU-funded programme under Horizon 2020 whose aim is to support growth in the online advertising industry through trust-enhancing tools and technologies, in the face of the growing popularity of advertising mitigation software such as ad blockers. IAB Europe plays a critical role in this programme, by providing insights and inputs from the digital advertising industry perspective.

Now that the public consultation has been launched for the review of the ePrivacy Directive, it’s interesting to consider the reasons a review is considered necessary. The review was mentioned explicitly in the Commission’s Communication on the Digital Single Market back in May 2015, under the pillar of creating the right conditions for a digital single market. In the Communication, the Commission announced that the review of the Directive would begin after the conclusion of the data protection reform package. The review is now officially underway with both the consultation having started and a first stakeholder workshop having taken place the same week as the data protection reform was adopted.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets out to ensure a high level of protection for personal data mainly from private actors in the information society sphere; the ePrivacy Directive, on the other hand, primarily regulates telecommunications service providers. However, one notable provision has a broader application: the so-called ‘cookie provision’ contained in Article 5 (3). The cookie provision requires users to consent to the storing of or access to information on their devices. While this applies to any technology which stores or accesses data stored on an end-user device, this usually applies to cookies, hence the name. The Directive itself is sometimes even referred to as the ‘Cookie Directive’. In 2009, the provision went from an opt-out requirement to an opt-in consent model. The result is that Internet users across Europe are confronted daily with notices informing them that cookies are being used.

A stark contrast exists in how Member States have implemented the cookie provision into national law. In practice, the most common method used is what is called a ‘cookie banner’ – a banner which shows up at the top or bottom of the page upon first visit, which informs users that cookies are being used for various purposes, like personalised advertising, with a link to a detailed cookie policy. If the user browses further, they thereby indicate their consent. This method can be observed across the EU’s Member States as it is a relatively low effort way for users to consent. They are confronted with a banner, but using the website as they normally would allows them to indicate consent in a natural way, without overly interrupting the browsing experience and taking any overly-distracting or time-consuming action. Privacy-concerned users can still find detailed information and they are informed how to refuse the storage of cookies.

In the Netherlands, such an approach would not suffice, as the consent required under the cookie provision’s implementation requires that users are given an explicit choice to accept or refuse. Further browsing only allows users to accept cookies implicitly, so it does not satisfy the requirement of an explicit action. As a result, users in the Netherlands are confronted with much larger banners with big ‘Accept’ or ‘OK’ buttons. Some websites go as far as to redirect users to a separate landing page to get their consent, then redirecting them to the homepage of the website they intended to visit only once they have given their consent. This is likely an effort to make it extra clear to the Dutch enforcement authorities, who have energetically enforced the country’s strict interpretation, that cookies have not been placed before consent.

In Germany, as far as the user is concerned the complete opposite happens. Cookie banners are extremely rare because German law provides an alternative solution. The German legislator created a special opt-out regime that allows the use of cookies without consent, provided that collected data is immediately pseudonymised, which means that data is scrambled in such a way that users can no longer be identified. Users can go to a website’s privacy policy page to learn more about what is happening and how they can opt-out of the use of cookies. While pseudonymisation is mentioned by the Dutch data protection authority as a method that improves user privacy, it does not affect the requirement of obtaining consent.

There are, of course, arguments in favour and against these approaches.

The Dutch approach might be seen as ensuring that users always know that they are giving consent and what they are consenting to. However, in reality users are confronted with pop-up screens and splash screens multiple times each browsing session, making it completely impractical to read and fully understand these notices. The result is that users tend to block or accept all cookies. There is even a browser extension which has the sole purpose of removing notices about cookies, named “I don’t care about cookies”. Between the two largest web browsers it has a userbase of 85,000.

The German approach might be criticised for not giving users an up-front choice every time they visit a website that uses cookies. but on the other hand it is a good compromise that does not frustrate users with annoying notices, as long as an additional layer of privacy protection is provided. Users can still exercise control after the fact.

The cookie provision is an example of a Directive not achieving proper harmonisation, as the technical and practical solutions were left almost entirely up to national legislators, who in turn left it to data protection authorities. Even the Article 29 Working Party refrains from recommending specific methods of gaining consent for the use of cookies in its Working Paper on the topic, instead outlining requirements to be met. While this allows Member States and publishers alike to come up with creative ways to getting consent, it also creates confusion as to what exactly is required in each Member State and leaves data controllers in a situation of legal uncertainty. In England and Ireland a banner merely has to link to more information and mention that cookies are being used, in France and Belgium the exact purposes of cookies have to be specified, and in Poland the banner merely exists to inform users, but consent is presumed from browsers being set to accept cookies.

The point is that as a company, there is no way to be sure of your cookie-consent policy being acceptable in each Member State without doing research into national implementations.  The review needs to critically assess how to ensure a more uniform or practical application of the Directive’s rule. It could even be argued that, as a matter of data protection, it makes more sense to remove rules for specific technologies and allow data processing by cookies to be governed by the GDPR. This would essentially ‘purify’ the ePrivacy Directive and focus its scope solely on telecommunications regulation.

London, United Kingdom, 7 April 2016 - UKOM, the Industry body for UK Online Measurement, has appointed Julie Forey as its first Director of Insight. Julie brings a wealth of media research & measurement experience to UKOM having had senior research positions at Microsoft Advertising, Carlton Television and most recently AOL.

UKOM (UK Online Measurement) is the industry body owned jointly by the IAB and AOP and supported on the board by the IPA and ISBA, responsible for delivering the industry governed and recognised standard of multi-platform online audience measurement. There is a robust contract between UKOM and its audience research partner Comscore, who were appointed for at least 3 years in April 2015.

Having run Microsoft Advertising Research in the UK for several years, Julie is no stranger to UKOM as she was an influential member of the technical group when UKOM launched in 2009. Julie also has a longstanding relationship with Comscore having partnered with them on various UK & global measurement projects during international roles at Xbox, Microsoft & AOL.

As Director of Insight, Julie’s responsibility will be to drive awareness & understanding of UKOM and its capabilities and to help ensure UKOM meets the needs of its stakeholders both now and in the future.

Julie Forey says: "With the wealth of data available today, it’s a very exciting time to be working in the field of digital & audience measurement – I look forward to embracing new measurement challenges at UKOM as the digital media market becomes increasingly complex and its rapid evolution continues.

Ian Dowds, UKOM CEO says: “We are delighted to have Julie on board as UKOM’s Director of Insight, she brings a depth of expertise and a real enthusiasm for the kind of insight that the UKOM endorsed comScore data can provide. Julie’s work will make UKOM even more relevant and valuable to the entire digital marketplace.”

Julie Forey:

2015-2016     Senior Insight Manager, AOL International

2014-2015     Global Senior Insight Manager, Microsoft Advertising

2011-2014     EMEA Audience Intelligence Lead, Xbox Live Advertising

2009-2011     Head of UK Research & Analytics, Microsoft Advertising

2002-2008     Head of UK Research, Microsoft Consumer & Online

1998-2002     Research Manager, Carlton TV (Now ITV)

1994-1997     Senior Research Executive, NOP (now GGK)

About UKOM

UK Online Measurement Company (UKOM) is the industry body, owned by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and supported by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)  and the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA). UKOM’s objective is to set and oversee the delivery of a credible industry standard for multi platform digital audience measurement, currently delivered in partnership with ComScore. Visit www.ukom.uk.net for more.

About comScore

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Reston, Virginia, comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global media measurement and analytics company that makes audiences and advertising more valuable. Through its products and partnerships, comScore helps its more than 2,500 clients understand their audiences, know if their advertising is working, and access data where they want and need it. Please visit www.comscore.com to learn more.

Videology partnered with Gain Theory, a marketing foresight consultancy that brings together data, analytics, technology solutions and consumer insight capabilities to provide unique econometric insights into the effectiveness of video. Specifically Videology wanted to know the ROI of video, how inventory quality impacts ROI and what should the optimal AV mix be.

 The results quantified some well-known truths, such as the majority of sales take place offline. No surprises there, but the impact on ROI by inventory quality was far more marked than expected. Broadcast video really matters. Video as a medium certainly works - with every case study showing a positive ROI. The great news for brands is that video can not only complement TV with cost effective reach and deliver brand uplift, but critically directly impact sales.

Get the slides here.

Challenges

The basic thing an advertiser wants to know is, if someone has seen their ad and if that person will buy their product. In the field of TV and print advertising, potentially attainable goals and optimisation techniques have been matured over time. In online advertising, approaches and standards are emerging to control and increase brand impact.

Solutions

Different measures are implemented to increase the impact of online campaigns. One approach is to adjust the ad frequency for every user, in order to attain the most efficient advertising recall as possible. The common trend now is to verify if an ad has become viewable at all.  Adverts with at least 50% of its area that has been recognised for at least one second by the user, are counted as viewable (50/1). This definition is endorsed by the Media Rating Council and the IAB. In addition to this, further definitions of Viewability exist on the market. However, the increase of the proportion of guaranteed viewable adverts does not necessarily lead to a better advertising effect, as the minimum length of one second is no guarantee for a high impact.

Get the slides here.

Digital ad spend in Ireland hits high of €340m with 29% growth in 2015, IAB Ireland & PwC Adspend Study reveals

Mobile advertising represents 41% of total digital spend with growth year-on-year of 78%

Display advertising growth of 38% is driven by Video on Demand, Social Media and Native.

Find out more here and Download the infographic below.

On April 15th, the European Commission officially closed its public consultation on the Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive, most commonly known as IPRED.

With this consultation, the Commission aims to seek views from a broad range of stakeholders in order to evaluate whether the Directive is still fit for purpose  in the digital environment.

The consultation comes in the backdrop of the Digital Single Market strategy, in which the Commission committed to undertaking a set of targeted actions to foster the cross-border digital economy while ensuring a safe online environment for business operators and consumers.  Among the envisaged actions is the modernisation of IPR enforcement, focusing on commercial-scale infringements (the 'follow the money' approach) and its cross-border applicability.

IAB Europe's response in 6 points:

1. IAB Europe is deeply committed to minimising the misplacement of ads on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) infringing sites. This commitment is reflected in the recent report on Digital Advertising on Suspected Infringing Websites commissioned by the EU Observatory on Infringements of Intellectual Property Rights.
2. IAB Europe members have been, over the years, extremely proactive in finding adequate solutions to tackle ad misplacement on IPR infringing sites.
3. IAB Europe companies have been developing and implementing cutting-edge technologies to minimise the misplacement of branded ads on IPR infringing sites.
4. National IABs and member companies have also been involved in a number of national-level initiatives to combat ad misplacement on IPR infringing sites. According to data collected by IAB Europe, in the past 2 years, such initiatives have been initiated in at least nine different European countries:the UK, Poland, France, Denmark, Slovakia, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and Spain.
5. To encourage the convergence of such initiatives at EU level, IAB Europe members have been firmly supporting, for the past 18 months, IAB Europe’s involvement in the Commission’s stakeholder dialogue on "follow the money.
6. IAB Europe members are also committed to providing transparency to clients about the delivery of digital ad campaigns to their intended audience. Within IAB Europe, they are working together to provide the industry with a reliable and trusted framework for the converging digital and traditional media environment and improve quality in digital brand advertising.

For more insights, download the response below.