Brussels, 31 July 2017, The IAB Tech Lab has released the New Standard Ad Portfolio which is a set of recommendations focusing on the reality of user experience in a digital media world of increasing consumption across multiple devices and unprecedented choice of digital content provider and platforms. IAB Europe has been working with the Tech Lab to coordinate testing of the new ad formats with European publishers.

Operational Efficiency across Multiple Screen Sizes

The portfolio’s ad units integrate aspect ratio-based flexible ad sizes, and also incorporate the LEAN Principles of lightweight, encrypted, AdChoices supported, and non-invasive advertising within all of its mobile, display, and native ad formats. This ad portfolio is based on HTML5 technology and also includes guidelines for new digital content experiences such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), social media, mobile video, emoji ad messaging, and 360-degree video ads.

After the draft portfolio was released for public comment in September 2016, it received industry-wide feedback and underwent extensive testing in both the US and Europe. IAB Europe is grateful to the following European publishers that have been involved in the testing process: Ciao People, DMG Media, G+J e|MS, INM, iq Digital, Journal Media, Media Impact, United Internet Media. Some of these test pages can be viewed here.

The flexible ad size recommendations are based on the proliferation of consumer devices in terms of sizes and resolutions, operational efficiency for publishers delivering content across multiple screen sizes, and the need for creative fidelity. Accordingly, flexible size ad specifications define aspect ratio based ad units that maintain their aspect ratio, adjust to the screen size, and can be integrated in responsive website designs.

Transitioning to the New Standard Ad Portfolio

A transition guide for publishers and advertisers is available here detailing how to transition to LEAN and flexible ad size specification. The Tech Lab will support the transition from earlier standards and recommendations through a series of webinars, the release of user-friendly demo pages, as well as additional transition guidance. To allow for testing, the Tech Lab is releasing an open source utility for publishers to enable them to quickly insert a flexible-sized ad container and ad server tag for all IAB ad units.

Commenting on the launch of IAB’s New Standard Ad Portfolio Suzanne McElligott, CEO, IAB Ireland and member of the IAB Europe Board said “The strength of the IAB network lies in the collaboration of national IABs across markets in the development of global digital advertising solutions. IAB Ireland members are committed to the early adoption of IAB best practice and welcomed this opportunity to work with IAB Tech Lab.”

Doug Farrell, Group Head of Digital, DMG Media Ireland added “As Chair of IAB Ireland’s Display Council I am very pleased that Irish publishers DMG Media, INM and Journal Media with input from Core Media, Group M, Havas, OMD and IPG Mediabrands have shared valuable learnings with IAB Tech Lab in testing the new flexible ad formats.”

Andreas Kühner, Chairman, Unit Ad Technology within BVDW (rep. IAB Germany): “We welcome the step to replace the fixed Adsizes to gradually pave the way for real cross device delivery and we are looking forward to working with IAB Tech Lab to specify the details of the operational deployment of the Flex Ads.”

For more information, please contact:

Marie-Clare Puffett, IAB Europe (puffett@iabeurope.eu)

About IAB Europe

IAB Europe is the leading European-level industry association for the online advertising ecosystem. Its mission is to promote the development of this innovative sector and ensure its sustainability by shaping the regulatory environment, demonstrating the value digital advertising brings to Europe’s economy, to consumers and to the market, and developing and facilitating the uptake of harmonised business practices that take account of changing user expectations and enable digital brand advertising to scale in Europe.

MyMetrix Explore Gives Clients More Ways to Access, Analyze and Discover comScore Data

RESTON, VA, July 28, 2017 – comScore today introduced MyMetrix Explore, a new data exploration and visualization platform available for MMX MP. With this platform, clients around the globe can now create customized analyses, reports and visualizations based on their specific needs, using the same trusted data already available within MMX MP. This streamlined approach to accessing comScore data gives clients the ability to make smarter and faster decisions about their media, marketing and technology investments.

“As our clients have become more sophisticated than ever in using data to drive their businesses, they asked us to create new tools to help them more efficiently analyze the metrics that matter,” said Naresh Rekhi, vice president of product management at comScore. “That feedback led us to create MyMetrix Explore, which dramatically reduces the time and effort needed to visualize and understand market trends and opportunities.”

MyMetrix Explore:

• Gives clients the ability to create their own data universe. Clients can define their own data exploration experience and create custom re
  ports using multiple comScore rankings, demographics, trends, and more. These custom views can easily be saved in the system for quick access in the future.

  

• Provides enhanced interaction and usability features. Clients have even greater flexibility to change time and geography dimensions, add and move charts as needed, further explore specific data points to reveal device or demographic details, and more.

  

• Offers cleaner, more streamlined visualizations. After identifying the metrics that matter most, clients can begin building reports by adding, cloning, customizing, and arranging those visualizations according to their unique needs.

Get Started with MyMetrix Explore

MyMetrix Explore is available now to current MMX MP clients as part of their existing subscription plans.

To learn more about MMX MP, please contact comScore.

About comScore
comScore is a leading cross-platform measurement company that measures audiences, brands and consumer behavior everywhere. comScore completed its merger with Rentrak Corporation in January 2016, to create the new model for a dynamic, cross-platform world. Built on precision and innovation, comScore’s data footprint combines proprietary digital, TV and movie intelligence with vast demographic details to quantify consumers’ multiscreen behavior at massive scale. This approach helps media companies monetize their complete audiences and allows marketers to reach these audiences more effectively. With more than 3,200 clients and a global footprint in more than 75 countries, comScore is delivering the future of measurement. Shares of comScore stock are currently traded on the OTC Market (OTC:SCOR). For more information on comScore, please visit comscore.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including, without limitation, comScore’s expectations as to the impact of MMX and the broader MMX MP family of products on the success of comScore’s business. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from expectations, including, but not limited to, comScore’s ability to achieve its expected financial and operational results. For additional discussion of risk factors, please refer to comScore’s respective Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other filings that comScore makes from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which are available on the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov).

Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date such statements are made. comScore does not intend or undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or new information after the date of this press release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

As we turned the corner into 2017, one thing became clear: the industry has never been closer to true unification in premium video than it is now. At Variety’s Entertainment and Technology Summit in New York on May 9, 2017, Lyle Schwartz, President of North American Investment at GroupM said emphatically, “We’ve got to stop talking about TV…and start talking about video.” This echoes the sentiment that FreeWheel has supported since its inception a decade ago: the idea that video is video, no matter what screen it’s viewed on — the wires are just details. This quarter, we’ve reached a point where our data shows that traditional linear television and digital video look more similar than ever before…so why are we still treating them as two separate things?

Browse or download the report below.

Faced with infinite choice, how today’s consumer watches TV has changed. Enhanced availability of premium programming anywhere and everywhere has resulted in increased viewing on mobile, tablets and especially on over-the-top (OTT) platforms, as people seek out the best screen available to watch their favourite shows. A new era for TV has arrived, sparking an evolution for the advertising that supports it.

Advertisers are following these changes in viewing habits, but the corresponding shift in media investment is slower than consumer adoption of these new screens. But it’s just a matter of time. In 2015, OTT and video ad revenues across Western Europe were recorded at $6.4 billion, but this figure is due to double in the next four years — reaching $14.64 billion in 2021.

Browse or download the paper below.

Blake participated in webinar panel discussion of the IAB Europe AdEx Benchmark report findings on the 18^th of July, the webinar recording can be accessed here.

The IAB Europe AdEx Benchmark report is always a great opportunity to halt the permanent hyperloop we all work in and take stock of exactly what our industry has gone through.We can see that growth has stayed at a consistent level of around 12% year-on-year over the past 5 years as online media matures, accounting for €42bn of all media. However, the following are four areas from this year’s report that I feel have driven real change within the market:

1. Polarisation within Europe: The larger markets have matured as the tech landscape has settled and programmatic is now a cemented part of online activity within the largest markets.  This compares to the emerging markets, who are seeing rapid growth as the tech giants transfer the learnings from the mature markets’ earlier development and infrastructure. This has meant exponential growth for the likes of Romania and Slovenia, as the initial entrants into areas such as programmatic have been received positively, driving further confidence.
2. The Organisation of Data: The accountability of online media has always been positive, but equally it has led to further complexity in the market.  Not only has measurement begun to see some degree of standardisation, helping brands understand true effectiveness over time, but it has also allowed for more dynamic, real time decisions to become a standard practice. However, this organisation of data has not just allowed for clearer measurement. Publishers and platforms have segmented their audiences with more effect – the understanding of observed behavioural insights, as well as development of robust custom audiences has meant that targeting is paying back a stronger ROI and, as a result, increasing investment.
3. The Integration of Media and Content:  Building on the last point, and due to the complexity of formats that online media comes with, content is playing a tighter role within all media decisions.  The term “mobile first” is overused in our industry and not because people don’t appreciate the importance that the device plays in people’s lives, but because brands would all too often put their TV ad straight onto a mobile placement.  The insights we are getting from our ability to analyse data more effectively has meant that the content creation and production process is now more dynamic and increasingly relevant to the device, context and environment when served.
4. The Growth of e-Commerce: The advancements of e-commerce from a platform experience (as well as improvements in distribution) have meant the consumer has more and more confidence in adopting this method of shopping.  This has naturally has led to a rise in more direct performance media such as search. As content experience improves and the fact that the point of desire and traction can now happen in a matter of seconds, more immersive forms of online content has begun to prove direct attribution to sales.

There are still many opportunities across the industry to improve the experience that brands provide within online media, as well as simplifying the technical infrastructure that they operate in.  However, there is a lot to be positive about as we enter the 3^rd wave of disruption and the mass adoption of areas such as Artificial Intelligence and the internet of things.

Blake is responsible for leveraging and developing the digital capabilities for OMD EMEA. Joining OMD in 2016 in the role of Chief Digital Officer, Blake’s particular focus has been defining and delivering a winning business value offer for clients in the addressable age, whilst helping clients understand how technology and data can unlock business growth.

 Prior to joining OMD, Blake spent 5 years at Dentsu Aegis, digital agency Isobar managing activity across a range of flagship accounts including Google, adidas & Huawei. Blake also clocks up creative agency experience, working at Omnicom agency Tribal DDB, where he was instrumental in the social media drive for Virgin Media and oversaw the global web platform roll out for Guinness.

This working paper has been prepared by the Members of IAB Europe's GDPR Implementation Working Group (GIG), under the leadership of Quantcast.

The purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of Personal Data as defined under the GDPR, and why it matters to the online advertising industry. The paper takes the point of view that companies should err on the side of caution and presume that the data they process is personal data. If companies wish to argue that the data they argue is not personal, we recommend extreme caution and due diligence be taken to substantiate this.

This is the second in a series of working papers published by IAB Europe's GDPR Implementation Working Group. IAB Europe’s GDPR Implementation Working Group brings together leading experts from across the digital advertising industry to discuss the European Union’s new data protection law, share best practices, and agree on common interpretations and industry positioning on the most important issues for the digital advertising sector. The GDPR Implementation Working Group is a member-driven forum for discussion and thought leadership, its important contribution to the digital advertising industry’s GDPR compliance efforts is only possible thanks to the work and leadership of its many participating members.

Paris, July 20th 2017, Sublime Skinz – the leading solution for high-Impact non-intrusive digital advertising – has announced the acquisition of Kpsule, a company specializing in the creation and delivery of rich media formats that enhance the brand experience. The acquisition strengthens Sublime Skinz’ innovative offerings and furthers its technology, driving new advertising formats that are more creative, immersive and non-intrusive.

With this acquisition, Sublime Skinz extends its tech capabilities and enables it to integrate Kpsule’s recognized expertise regarding the design and delivery of immersive HTML5 advertising formats. Kpsule’s patented HTML technology capabilities have been available since 2009.

Sublime Skinz recently introduced several new high-impact ad formats (Skinz, Video Skinz, M-Skinz…) and will now offer enhanced HTML5-based creative formats through both direct and programmatic sales channels. Thus, the company will extend its offering of high impact advertising solutions that offer immersive brand experience and also respect the user’s experience across devices.

Sublime’s initial partnership with Kpsule began in June 2015 and enabled the company to respond to a growing demand for more engaging brand experiences by launching “Interactive Skinz” a Video Skinz rich media format that was, for the first time, both high impact and unobtrusive.

"Sublime's DNA has always been to go beyond standard ad units and deliver more immersive, impactful and non-intrusive ad experiences, both programmatically and directly sold. The acquisition of Kpsule will help us create even more innovative, emotive and engaging HTML-based formats so we can continue to differentiate our offerings and exceed brand and marketer expectations,” said Jerem Febvre, President of Sublime Inc.

Press contact:

Alexandra Levy
WIT Strategy for Sublime Skinz
alevy@witstrategy.com
650-996-5758

About KPSULE

Kpsule is a French company offering an inAd app of the same name, which can adapt to all display advertising formats. The Kpsule is a  mini website included in the skin, triggered when the user hovers the mouse over it for at least three consecutive seconds. The format makes it possible to draw the user’s attention and to engage with him/her immediately. In this way, the ad becomes richer advertising content, providing more detailed information to the user and in turn increases engagement and draws attention to the brand.

About Sublime Skinz

Sublime Skinz specializes in the distribution and optimization of skin-based advertising. It is the first platform of its kind to provide programmatic skin-based advertising, driving efficient and effective campaigns at scale. The company provides actionable statistics and transparent insights in real time, allowing brands to extend their reach across premium websites while iterating and optimizing return on investment. Founded in 2012, the Paris-based company has developed an international reach with offices in London, San Francisco and New York, and boasts an impressive network integrated with more than 3,500 websites worldwide. Sublime Skinz operates advertising campaigns in more than ten countries in Europe in Latin America and in the United States and reaches every month more than 200 million Internet users.

For more information, please visit www.sublimeskinz.com

As the recently published AdEx Benchmark 2016 report shows, European online advertising has continued to deliver double-digit growth and has surpassed €40bn in total revenue. Having overtaken TV ad spend for the first time in 2015, online advertising now leads TV by over €7bn.

If you missed the live webinar and key insights from the definitive guide to the state of the European online advertising market you can watch the complete recording below.

Watch it here.

Brussels, 13 July 2017 - When it comes to education, IAB Europe takes a two-pronged approach: support and content creation. The former includes the IAB Europe Endorsement Programme which aims to support initiatives by members in the field of digital training. Deserving programmes are awarded the IAB Europe Endorsed seal, a confirmation of the high-standards of training they set in an industry which is confronted with an acute shortage of skilled professionals; an issue compounded by the rate at which the industry grows, shifts, and develops.

The latest training programme included in the IAB Europe Endorsement Programme is the Real-time Advertising Academy developed by Quantcast. Having met the criteria IAB Europe seeks in all the programmes it endorses, the Real-time Advertising Academy provides clear, concentrated, yet comprehensive coverage of the language, tools and processes of the online advertising ecosystem.

“We expected no less from a training programme developed by an organization of Quantacast’s caliber. In an industry which is so starved for training on programmatic, educational projects such as the RTAA are extremely valuable, not only on a personal level – helping build the careers of the future, but from a broader, industry-wide perspective as well – offsetting the shortage of skills on the market” said Ionel Naftanaila, Business and Technology Director at IAB Europe.

The mission of Quantcast’s RTAA is to provide always-on education, through a fast-paced curriculum which introduces the fundamentals of digital advertising through a half-day interactive course followed by video modules and quizzes to test the knowledge of those enrolled.

Matt White, managing director, Quantcast EMEA commented, “In the past year we’ve supported more than 5,000 of our industry colleagues in completing the Quantcast Real Time Advertising Academy, with half of our graduates based in Europe. As the advertising sector experiences the fastest rate of innovation in its history, education and skills development are central to creating effective campaigns, ensuring brand safety, and fostering trust among consumers. We’re proud that our contribution has been recognized by the IAB and we look forward to welcoming more advertising and marketing professionals to take part in the course over the coming years.”

You can find out more about the Real-time Advertising Academy and register here. 

About Real-time Advertising Academy

Despite the rapid growth of programmatic, real-time advertising remains a mystery to many in media and marketing. Through working with publishers, advertisers and agencies in the past decade, Quantcast have come to realize how important always-on education is to understand the technology and platforms required to not only do our jobs well, but also develop career skills to take us to the next level.

The Real-time Advertising (RTA) Academy is an educational programme for industry professionals to understand the language, tools and processes of the online advertising ecosystem.

About IAB Europe Endorsement Programme

As a main building block in IAB Europe’s plan to support education  and  training  initiatives  in  Europe, the Endorsement Programme comes as a collaborative, easy to implement, and  high  impact  project.  Its main goal is to provide additional visibility and weight to high-quality training programmes developed by members and partners.

More information on this initiative by IAB Europe can be found here.

In a rapidly changing media world, as marketers, we need to keep up with what is going on around us, track consumer behaviour and technology developments, and watch where the advertising dollars are moving. It is also essential that we understand the priorities of brand marketers, agencies and publishers alike, and build our marketing strategies accordingly. However, in such a dynamic environment, marketers often shelve ‘priorities of the moment’ as quickly as they move on to focus on new industry issues. This is particularly evident in the Marketing Priorities 2017 results. In the last 12 months, the media and marketing landscape has witnessed significant disruption. Marketers are striving to discover new and innovative ways to engage with consumers and address the challenges created by ad blocking, brand safety issues, fake news and ad fraud. 2017 has already been labelled a ‘year of change’ by some marketers, also a year of greater collaboration and increased transparency, and a year to focus on trust – trusted tech suppliers, trusted advertising environments and trusted data.

You can browse the NEWBASE report or download it below.

Mobile display continues to dominate spend with a 54% share at €34 billion ($45 billion)

Brussels, 7 July 2017 – IAB Europe, the IAB and IHS Markit revealed their global figures for mobile advertising revenue today. The figures show that mobile advertising growth continues to accelerate and increased 60.5% to €63bn ($83bn) in 2016 from €39bn ($52bn) in 2015, driven by a mobile first consumer world and improving marketing technologies.

Mobile display continues to drive investment with the highest growth at 64.3%, whilst mobile search lagged slightly behind, up 61.1%. Messaging grew by 11.2%, as users continue to migrate from operator-owned messaging services to app-based messaging platforms.

In 2016, display increased its share to 54% of all mobile spend globally at €34bn ($45bn) and search takes a 42.8% share at €27bn ($36bn). Messaging’s share continues to decline with a 3.1% share at €1.9bn ($2.6bn).

The share by region of the global figure of €63bn ($83bn) for 2016 is:

• North America: 46% (€29bn / $38bn)
• Asia-Pacific: 33% (€21bn / $27bn)
• Europe: 19% (€12bn / $16bn)
• Middle East & Africa: 0.8% (€0.5bn / $0.7bn)
• Latin America: 0.7% (€0.4bn / $0.5bn)

Growth year-over-year was led by North America, with all regions seeing an increase:

• North America – 73%
• Latin America – 57%
• Asia-Pacific – 52%
• Europe – 48%
• Middle East and Africa – 46%

Townsend Feehan, CEO of IAB Europe said: “The latest Global Mobile Advertising Revenue numbers confirm that we are now in a mobile-first media consumption and advertising environment. Mobile continues to be at the forefront of digital advertising growth in Europe highlighting it as a priority for advertisers, agencies and publishers.”

"These global figures reflect brands' recognition that mobile is critical in reaching today's consumers around the world," said Anna Bager, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mobile and Video, IAB. "We've experienced skyrocketing growth for mobile advertising in the U.S.—with mobile capturing the majority of internet ad revenues for the very first time in 2016.  With mobile taking this landmark lead in digital revenues in America, it is unsurprising to see an upward trajectory the world over.”

“The global mobile ad market has not only benefitted from the rapid smartphone adoption in emerging markets but also better ad targeting capabilities in mature markets”, said Qingzhen Chen, Senior Analyst, Technology, Media and Telecom, IHS Markit. “An influx of investments and partnerships for premium content and data collaboration between broadcasters and leading online platforms were the key drivers for the strong mobile growth. The Western markets were driven by several key markets but dominated by global players, whereas in APAC local players accounted for most of the growth”.

“High double digit growth of 60.5% in global mobile advertising was also fueled by continued improvements in advertising technology”, said Kia Ling Teoh, Analyst, Technology, Media and Telecom, IHS Markit. “Standardisation of measurement has helped to better capture consumer interaction with mobile ads as media consumption increasingly shifts to mobile devices. This is particularly important in emerging markets where, for many people, mobile is the first and only means of accessing the internet”.

Download the report here. 

For more information, please contact:

Alison Fennah, IAB Europe (fennah@iabeurope.eu)

Marie-Clare Puffett, IAB Europe (puffett@iabeurope.eu)

About IAB Europe

IAB Europe is the leading European-level industry association for the online advertising ecosystem. Its mission is to promote the development of this innovative sector and ensure its sustainability by shaping the regulatory environment, demonstrating the value digital advertising brings to Europe’s economy, to consumers and to the market, and developing and facilitating the uptake of harmonised business practices that take account of changing user expectations and enable digital brand advertising to scale in Europe.

About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com)

IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 key business and government customers, including 85 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions.  Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth.

IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners © 2017 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights reserved.

About IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. It is comprised of more than 650 leading media and technology companies that are responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital advertising or marketing campaigns. Together, they account for 86 percent of online advertising in the United States. Working with its member companies, the IAB develops technical standards and best practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. The organization is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the IAB advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, the IAB is headquartered in New York City and has a West Coast office in San Francisco.