In this week’s member guest blog post we caught up with Nadav Perry, VP Global Brands & Agencies at Taboola. In this all-inclusive piece Nadav looks at supply path transparency in video ads. For more on what he thinks are the key challenges and how we can move past them, keep reading.
If you’re in the advertising world, you’re probably familiar with the quote widely attributed to US Retail Magnate John Wanamaker who claimed that; “Half my advertising spend is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.”
Surprisingly, in the digital advertising world of 2023 despite all the technology advancements, attribution capabilities and ability to measure almost every step of the supply path, this quote is not only still valid, it’s a major pain point for most advertisers. In fact, the digital distance between advertisers and their end customers is not showing any signs of shrinking and many are still unable to account for much of their spend across the media supply path.
Supply Path Optimisation (SPO) is a daily challenge for media buyers trying to streamline and monitor their media supply path. The question of what exactly is the nature of what they’re buying remains unanswered for even the most savvy advertiser. But how can you optimise if you don’t even have visibility into the supply path? Supply Path Authenticity - transparency around where and how ad dollars are being spent - is crucial for media buyers looking to reduce costs, improve performance and maintain quality.
One example of this phenomenon is video advertising. Traditionally, video ad placements on the open internet were divided between instream and outstream. Instream was widely regarded as a more desirable type of ad content because of the expected user experience and intent to watch. Without definitive guidelines, many video ad platforms classified their video ads as instream when in fact they’re far from it, and in many cases it’s hard to tell if users are even paying them any attention.
Every advertiser dreams of the ultimate video experience - brand safe, viewable, users with high intent… But the reality is supply that’s very diverse, with varying formats, characteristics, settings and environments, makes it hard for advertisers and media agencies to know exactly what they’re getting.
In an effort to help advertisers better understand what they’re spending their video ad dollars on, add transparency to the supply chain and improve user experience, IAB TechLab released updated guidelines for new definitions of video ad placements. The new guidelines define ‘instream’ as “Pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads that are played before, during or after the streaming video content that the consumer has requested. Instream video must be set to “sound on” by default at player start, or have explicitly clear user intent to watch the video content. While there may be other content surrounding the player, the video content must be the focus of the user’s visit”
We’re already seeing a shift in the balance between instream and outstream with advertisers pushing for adoption of these new guidelines. In fact, with the updated definition, only 10% of video content is expected to be classified as instream.
The remaining 90% of video content will be classified in a number of tiers of outstream and for many video advertising platforms this means a significant change having classified their video content as instream regardless of whether it was ever watched. Not only will they not be able to call their video placements ‘instream’ anymore or have access to advertising demand that proactively targeted instream supply - they will not be able to charge advertisers a higher premium for it.
But for some video advertising platforms the change is a welcome one - companies like Taboola who have focused mainly on outstream. Not all outstream is created equal and Taboola has spent recent years perfecting the tech and know-how to provide outstream video that drives business results. Unlike most platforms, Taboola’s unique technology powers the organic, editorial and advertiser experience on publisher sites which means direct access to the page on which the video ad is played. The result is sophisticated contextual and audience-based data providing advertisers with advanced context and targeting capabilities, placement on the world’s top publisher sites and brand safety. In other words - Premium Outstream.
Moreover, in a recent study, Kantar found that Taboola native outstream videos increased user awareness, favourability and engagement. Among others, the study showed that more people watched the whole ad in both the social and streaming platform after also being exposed to native ads. And more viewers enabled audio on the social platform after they were exposed to native ads.
In the video advertising supply path, experts agree that IAB TechLab’s updated guidelines will create a much smaller video advertising tier of ‘true instream’ but they will also take advertisers one step further in their understanding of outstream supply and their ability to see beyond the general in and out stream definition, focusing on other attributes that give video placements true value.
The evolution of video advertising is far from over but with these new guidelines, media buyers have better visibility and transparency when it comes to where they’re spending their video dollars and what they’re really getting for them. While many media agencies are trying to promote SPO initiatives, some market leaders are ready to go beyond SPO and start tackling SPA (Supply Path Authenticity) where the question of video supply authenticity will no longer be left unanswered.
At the end of 2022, we created a new Retail Media Working group that aims to bring stakeholders from across the Retail Media ecosystem together to facilitate collaboration, provide education, insights, and create standards. Currently, however, there are no standards for Retail Media in existence, so the group is exploring what should be tackled and then prioritised in this area.
We therefore wish to invite those involved in the buying or selling of Retail Media to share what is hindering further investment and what areas are in need of standardisation, whether that be metrics or measurement or creative specifications. If you are a buyer, seller or ad technology provider, please share your views in this short survey and feel free to pass on to your colleagues as well.
Completing the survey will take no more than 5 minutes of your time and will help us to support and shape the future of Retail Media in Europe. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday 11th August and rest assured that your response will remain strictly confidential.
With summer in full swing and the end of H1 here, we look back over the last six months to celebrate all the best bits and the great work we have achieved with our wonderful members.
A huge thank you to everyone involved, for your hard work, support, and continued commitment to sharing your expertise.
Events
Our focus for H1 centred on our new work tracks Sustainability and Retail Media, alongside key outputs from the Programmatic Trading Committee on Omnichannel and Brand Advertising Committee on In-Gaming. Our Great Debate series was a great success with a hybrid event in partnership with Taboola on Retail Media and a virtual event diving into sustainability across three panels. We also held our first hybrid Virtual Programmatic Day in partnership with Xaxis in May, where we covered topics such as Omnichannel and AI. Finally, we were thrilled to see so many of our members gather tp hear insightful keynote presentations and panel discussions at our flagship event Interact in Madrid in May which was a great success.
Catchup on our event recordings from H1 below
Guides, Insights & Industry Leading Research
Along with our committees and fantastic members, we have put together educational and insightful outputs for the industry. Click below to dive into these pieces.
Policy, Advocacy & Legal
During the first half of 2023, our Policy Committee established the DSA Ads Transparency Taskforce to discuss the implementation of Article 26 of the Digital Services Act (DSA) concerning ads transparency requirements.
The Committee also produced the European Media Freedom Act (MFA) position paper, which primarily focuses on audience measurement, specifically Article 23 of the MFA.
Regarding the Data Act, two joint industry open letters have been issued on the Data Act, one initiated by FEDMA addressing LIBE MEPs and another initiated by IAB Europe during the start of trilogue negotiations. These letters highlighted our concerns about the conflicts between the Data Act and the GDPR.
We have also been actively participating in the European Commission's work on the Cookie Pledge and the Fitness Check on consumer law. The Policy Committee is currently preparing its advocacy strategy for the upcoming 2024 EU elections.
What’s on the Horizon for H2 2023?
As we head into the second half of 2023, you can expect more great content, insights, and exploration from us and all our members. We will be focusing our efforts on the hugely important topics of Sustainability and Retail Media and will be diving further into Omnichannel, DOOH, and Audio. We’ll also bring you even more great events including our second Virtual Programmatic Day, our Great Debate on Trust & Transparency, and our Virtual CTV event to name a few.
If you’d like to get more involved with our Committees & Task Forces and the great work that we produce at IAB Europe, please reach out to the team at communication@iabeurope.eu.
We look forward to our continued collaboration with you all.
IAB Europe’s Widely-Anticipated 2022 AdEx Benchmark Report is Now Live!
Released on 13th July 2023, the report is the definitive guide to advertising expenditure in Europe covering 29 markets. It details the formats and channels that contributed to digital advertising’s annual growth of 9.8 percent in 2022, culminating in a total market value of €86bn.
You can read the full report here.
If you’re looking for key facts, stats, and highlights, then check out these short videos, featuring our very own Chief Economist, Daniel Knapp:
Are you ready to dive into the ever-evolving world of programmatic advertising? We're excited to invite you to take part in the latest Attitudes to Programmatic Advertising Survey and help us uncover valuable insights.
Whether you're an Advertiser, Agency, Ad Tech company, or Publisher, your perspective is crucial in understanding the current state of programmatic adoption across Europe. Your input will shape the industry's future.
Now in its ninth year, the study is an industry benchmark to show how programmatic advertising attitudes, adoption, and strategies are evolving, and you can access last year's report here.
The survey will only take a few minutes of your time, and the deadline to participate is Friday 11th August. As a token of our appreciation, you also have the opportunity to enter a prize draw. If you win, you will have the chance to select a charitable cause where we will make a donation of two hundred euros on your behalf.
Rest assured, your responses will be treated with confidentiality. Plus, as a thank-you gesture, we'll send a complimentary copy of the comprehensive 2023 report, providing a deep dive into the survey results to those that wish to receive it.
But we also need your help to spread the word! Last year’s survey received over 1K respondents and we are keen to keep up this momentum to drive the research forward. Share the survey with your colleagues and networks, and let's gather a diverse range of perspectives. Together, we can shape the future of programmatic advertising.
The top-level results will also be shared at DMEXCO 2023 so industry stakeholders can see the trends and developments shaping the European programmatic industry.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to make a difference. Join us in shaping the industry's future by participating in the survey today!
Dated: 24 June 2023
Important Note: The Implementation deadline of TCF v2.have been moved from September 30th 2023 to November 20th 2023. More information here
In order to respond to the changes and needs of the market, while continuing to help players in the online ecosystem comply with certain requirements of the ePrivacy Directive and the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the Transparency and Consent Framework (“TCF”, “Framework”) needs to be updated on a regular basis. In particular, constant evolutions in case law as well as in guidelines of Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) place ever higher demands on market participants in terms of data protection requirements. The TCF instances have therefore drawn inspiration from them to bring new iterations to the Framework. In addition, some changes are related to the Action Plan submitted to and validated by the Belgian Data Protection Authority (more information here).
IAB Europe, in partnership with IAB Tech Lab, is committed to continuous improvement and development of the Framework through industry collaboration to meet the needs of users and regulators. The iterations brought by the TCF v2.2 aim to bring further standardisation of the information and choices that should be provided to users over the processing of their personal data, and to how these choices should be captured, communicated and respected.
TCF v2.2 will be launched mid-May and TCF participants will have until the end of Q3 2023 to make the necessary changes to their respective implementations. All iterations have been developed to avoid breaking changes to the existing v2.1 Technical Specifications and facilitate their adoption in a timely manner by CMPs and Vendors.
To help the market anticipate these upcoming changes, this article provides an overview of the different amendments to the TCF Policies and Technical Specifications. In the run up to the launch of TCF v2.2, IAB Europe is hosting a series of webinars to offer full support and guidance to CMPs, Vendors and Publishers. Recording of previous webinars can be found at the end of this blogpost.
1) Removal of the Legitimate Interest Legal Basis for Advertising & Content Personalisation
The current version of the TCF Policies allows the use of legitimate interest or consent to carry out data processing operations for Purposes 3 (Create a personalised ads profile), 4 (Select personalised ads), 5 (Create a personalised content profile) and 6 (Select personalised content). The TCF Policies will be amended to remove “legitimate interest” as an acceptable legal basis for these Purposes. As a consequence, within the scope of the TCF, Vendors will only be able to select consent as an acceptable legal basis for these Purposes at registration level.
2) Improvements to the Information Currently Provided to Users in CMP UIs
The Purpose names and descriptions will change. CMPs will be required to present improved user-friendly descriptions, replacing the current user-friendly text as well as the (currently) mandatory legal text. CMPs will also be required to make available illustrations based on real-use cases, which aim to explain to users how TCF Participants’ data processing operations relate to the Purposes.
In order to improve transparency over the means of processing used by Vendors in support of the TCF purposes, Vendors will be able to declare additional features at registration level.
3) Standardisation of the Additional Information About Vendors Provided to Users in the Secondary Layers of CMP UIs
To provide greater transparency, Vendors will now be required to provide additional information about their data processing operation at registration level - so that this information can in turn be disclosed by CMP to end-users in secondary layers UIs.
The new TCF Policies will include a standard taxonomy of categories of data, from which a Vendor can select from at registration level. The Policies will include a new UI requirement for CMPs to disclose for each Vendor the categories of data collected and processed.
Vendors will be able to declare, at the time of registration, how long (in days) they keep data for each declared purpose. Accordingly, the new TCF Policies will include a new UI requirement for CMPs to disclose for each Vendor how long they keep data to achieve each declared purpose.
Vendors will be required to declare what their legitimate interests at stake are, by providing at the registration level a dedicated URL where with this information can be found (e.g. a bookmark of their existing privacy policy). The amendment to the Policies will require CMPs to make this information available to users through the secondary layers of their UI.
Vendors will be able to declare during registration differentiated URLs to their privacy policy or legitimate interest statement for each TCF-supported language, where available. Publishers and their CMPs will have the option as a result to direct users to Vendors’ privacy documentation in the relevant language to improve transparency for users.
4) Greater Transparency for Users About the Number of Vendors
CMPs will be required to disclose on the first layer of the CMP UI the number of third-party Vendors that are seeking consent or pursue data processing purposes on the basis of their legitimate interests. The TCF Policies do not impose any specific maximum number of Vendors, but Publishers are strongly encouraged to ensure that they only work with Vendors that are (most) relevant to them. The TCF Policies will include a warning that an unjustifiably large number of Vendors may impact users’ ability to make informed choices and increase Publisher and Vendor legal risk.
To assist Publishers in the process of selecting the Vendors for which they establish transparency & consent, an additional Vendor Information List has been published (“B2B GVL”). It contains information that can make it easier for a Publisher to determine which Vendors are relevant for it. Information contained in the B2B GVL can be used by Publishers to, for example, avoid requesting user’s consent for Vendors that operate in technical environments and jurisdictions that are not relevant to their online services, as well as generally better understand each TCF Vendor’s scope of operations and whether it transfers data outside of the EEA.
5) More Specific Requirements to Facilitate Users’ Withdrawal of their Consent
Publishers and their CMPs will be required to ensure that users can re-access the CMP UI easily to manage their choices (e.g. from a floating icon or a footer link available on each webpage, or from the top-level setting of the app).
If the initial consent request presented to users contains a call to action that enables user to consent to all purposes and vendors in one click (such as “Consent to all”), an equivalent call to action should be provided when users re-access the CMP UI to withdraw consent to all purposes and vendors in one click (such as “Withdraw consent to all”).
Additionally, the TCF Technical Specifications will mandate Vendors (rather than only recommending) to use event listeners to ensure that any changes to TC Strings are proactively communicated to them and other Vendors. In the web environment, Vendors with access to Javascript will be required to register an event listener function (addEventListener) instead of using the getTCData command of the TCF API. In the app environment, Vendors must listen to IABTCF_* key updates to retrieve TC Strings from NSUserDefaults (iOS) or SharedPreferences (Android).
6) Enhanced TCF Compliance Programmes
Since 2019, IAB Europe has developed Compliance Programmes to verify compliance of TCF Participants with the Policies and Technical Specifications. These programmes will be expanded, with new auditing mechanisms and differentiated enforcement procedures.
All auditing mechanisms and verifications susceptible to be performed in the context of the TCF Compliance Programme will be described and published in a public Control Catalogue, to help TCF participants in assessing and reviewing the compliance of their TCF implementations. In addition to the Control Catalogue, IAB Europe will release a new version of the CMP Validator Chrome Extension that will be publicly available.
IAB Europe will increase the volume of proactive auditing of CMPs and Vendors that will be randomly selected each month, and will also act upon reports of non-compliance from the market or from end-users by making available a dedicated form to submit a complaint.
Vendors and CMPs will be subject to differentiated procedure according to the nature of the non-compliance. In particular, any tampering with or falsification of TC String will result in immediate suspension from the Framework for a minimum of four weeks, and will be notified publicly.
7) Reminder: Revocation of the consensu.org Subdomains
Support for Global-scope was deprecated in June 2021 due to negligible use by Publishers (less than 0,5%) and compliance considerations. The deprecation required CMPs to delete all existing euconsent-v2 cookies associated with the consensu.org domain. IAB Europe will now remove all consensu.org subdomain delegations to CMPs’ nameservers (which had previously been provided upon registration). As a result, CMPs will no longer be able to host their scripts on their consensu.org subdomain, and this in turn technically prevents them from setting and accessing cookies on the consensu.org domain.
CMPs currently hosting their scripts on their consensu.org subdomains will need to host them on a different domain. Their Publisher clients will need to redeploy a new script on their digital properties before July 10th (see notification here).
How Should TCF Participants Prepare ?
Changes to the TCF Technical Specifications
The changes to the TCF technical specifications are open for public comment until May 12th, 2023 and can be found here. Comments may be submitted via email to transparencyframework@iabtechlab.com. The technical changes included in TCF v2.2 are also outlined in IAB Tech Lab's blog post here.
Support Workshops for TCF Participants
Hosted in 1 hour-long webinar formats, TCF experts went through everything that is needed to fully implement TCF v2.2. All webinars featured Q&A sessions and have been recorded.
[Video Recordings]
Session 1: Overview of the main differences between the TCF policies 3.5 & 4.0
An overview of the main differences in policies between v2.1 & v2.2. This session is for all TCF stakeholders. Watch the recording here.
Session 2: Overview of the changes to the TCF technical specifications between v2.1 & v2.2
An overview of the changes to the TCF technical specifications between v2.1 & v2.2. This session is to help CMPs and Vendors navigate the different technical resources. Watch the recording here.
Vendors
Webinar recording to give an overview of the changes for Vendors implementing the TCF can be watched here and the presentation deck can be downloaded here.
CMPs
Webinar recording to give an overview of the changes for CMPs implementing the TCF can be watched here and the presentation deck can be downloaded here.
Publishers
Webinar recording to give an overview of the changes for Publishers implementing the TCF can be watched here and the presentation deck can be downloaded here.
This week’s member guest blog post is from Ilhan Demir, Academy Manager at IAB Turkey, who discusses his experiences of day one of our very own Flagship event Interact in Madrid. He shared his key highlights and takeaways of the event. Read below to learn more.
IAB Europe’s Annual Flagship Event Interact was held between 23rd - 24th May 2023 in Madrid for the second time, with the theme of ‘Innovation, Sustainability & Growth’.
Here are my notes about the event, I hope you enjoy reading!
AdEx Benchmark 2022 Report “Under the Shadow of Inflation”:
AdEx Benchmark Report, which is Interact’s most anticipated session and the opening keynote every year, was announced again this year by IAB Europe’s Chief Economist Daniel Knapp. Although Türkiye has been facing high inflation for a while, the inflation problem was also highlighted on the agenda of other European countries.
According to the report, European Digital Advertising Investments reached 86 billion Euros in 2022 with a growth of 9.8%. Among 29 countries, Türkiye has the highest growth of 93.3%. When we look at the data adjusted for HCPI, Türkiye is still number one in growth ranking and has the highest growth rate (CAGR) for 3 years at 41.5%.
At last year's conference, the growth forecast for 2022 was announced as 10.1%. According to Daniel Knapp's forecast, total Digital advertising investments are expected to be 90.1 billion Euros, with a growth of 4.8% for 2023.
You can find the report highights here.
Accessible Advertising
P&G Europe’s Brand Senior Vice-President, Taide Guajardo emphasised the concept of “accessible advertising” in her presentation “Resetting the Bar on Brand Communication”. Guajardo shared one of the most mind opening presentations of the conference, which touched on the changing ad formats, target audience breakdowns, ad technologies, ad creatives and many concepts from the past to the present.
Retail Media 101
Carrefour Links General Manager Alexis Marcombe addressed Retail Media from A to Z in his presentation bringing all attendees to the same point on Retail Media - one of the hottest topics of recent years. According to Marcombe; Retail Media is seen as the third wave of digital advertising after Search and Social.
Marcombe lists the top motivations of advertisers to invest in retail media as follows:
Streaming TV:
Alexandra Ong, Business Development Director at Magnite's Streaming TV's New Era: How Ads Are Powering Streaming's Future in the EU5 highlights included:
Attention Please!
In my opinion, the most "remarkable" session of the event, both in terms of its content and the speakers’ contribution was ‘The Power of Attention’. The concept of Viewability and the Attention Economy was discussed in a joint presentation by Peter Maxwell, Global Media Lead from The Heineken Company and Phil Sumner, VP Global Research operations from Teads. Highlights from the session are as follows:
Trust & Transparency: The Future of Responsible Marketing
Trust and Transparency was addressed by Michael Todd, Global Director of Google Industry Relations. According to Todd;
The Locomotive of the European Economy: Advertising Industry
In the closing panel of the first day, the contribution of the Digital Advertising industry to the European economy was discussed. Highlights from the session are as follows:
And the Prizes…
This year’s MIXX Awards Europe winners were announced on the evening of the first day. Turkish agencies and advertiser teams won 5 awards in total. You can find the full list of awards here.
Right after the keynote speakers’ presentations, highlights and outcomes were discussed in the panels organised with the participation of people with various expertises. And there is no doubt that Circulo de Bellas Artés, the venue of Interact, was a great choice regarding the location and the fascinating ambiance. Thanks again to the IAB Europe and IAB Spain teams for the organisation!
Whether you’re a CMP, Publisher, or Vendor, discover everything you need to know about the latest version of the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF v2.2) and what you need to do next in our latest exclusive webinar series.
Originally launched in 2018 in anticipation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force, the TCF was created by IAB Europe, in partnership with IAB Tech Lab, to help meet the needs of users, the industry, and regulators.
Now, five years on, and as part of our continued commitment to improve and develop the framework, the latest version of the TCF v2.2 has been released to respond to key changes, meet the needs of the market and help players in the digital advertising ecosystem comply with new and existing regulatory requirements.
With CMPs, Publishers, and Vendors now having until the end of Q3 2023 to make the necessary changes to respective implementations, we’ve created a dedicated webinar series to help each stakeholder understand the nuances of the latest developments and what needs to happen next to ensure a successful transition.
Check out the details below and register to secure your free place today:
Carrie Timms, Director of Global Customer Marketing, EMEA at Meta
According to IAB Europe’s Annual Flagship Event Interact, 2023 is the year of action for our industry. But when the world feels so uncertain and the pressure to unlock efficiencies and generate growth is greater than ever, how do you know what action to take?
The key lies in understanding what’s driving people today to anticipate what will matter to them tomorrow – and this is where Meta’s annual trends report, Culture Rising 2023, comes in.
With more than 3 billion people using at least one of our apps daily, Culture Rising uses today’s insights to predict tomorrow’s opportunities. Drawing on rising conversation topics and hashtags across Facebook and Instagram, we bring you 20 trends to watch, grouped into four themes in this global survey. In this blog, I unpack these four themes to give you an idea of what’s shifting, what’s sticking, and what we can expect next.
1) Exploratory identities
How we see ourselves defines how we view the world and our place in it. Yet our identities aren’t fixed but constantly evolving, just like we are. This is something we heard from IAB Europe’s Chief Economist, Daniel Knapp, during our IAB Europe Industry Insiders webinar on Culture Rising. With people exploring and building identity throughout their lives, what brands think they know about their audiences is always shifting. This is an opportunity for brands as their customers tend to be receptive to new ways of thinking, new habits, and new products over their lifetime.
2) Refined relationships
Our relationships have long been one of the core drivers of our happiness, but how we connect with each other or the things we love is changing. We look for a date on one platform but keep in touch with our friends on another. We join online groups to further our passion but look to creators for inspiration. Similarly, brands should be rethinking their key relationships and the channels through which they can be nurtured. Whether your brand is looking to deepen existing relationships, broaden its reach, or deliver a more authentic experience for customers, seeking out diverse creators or harnessing new technologies like AR can help you meet your customers where they are.
3) Assertive aspirations
In good but especially in bad times, hope is what keeps us going. The ambition to do more, to be better, to find meaning, and to leave our mark is not only part of who we are, but what keeps us going. Tough economic times coming on the heels of a global pandemic means we could all use a little boost from unexpected places and that includes from brands we love. Whether you draw on your brand’s expertise, the causes you champion, or your unique personality, now is a time for brands to speak to people’s aspirations and feed their ambition.
4) Lived values
People are increasingly looking to translate hashtags into action and live up to their values. Whether it’s wellness, sustainability or mental health, we’re looking for ways to walk the talk. We want our choices to be in line with who we are and what we care about. We hold ourselves, our friends, and increasingly, the businesses we choose to support to a higher standard. We expect brands not only to have the same taste as us but also to anticipate our preferences and share our aspirations - not unlike we would a friend. And whilst it’s unlikely that anyone will call customer service just to hang out, customers do expect brands to be responsive to their needs, respectful of their time, and mindful of their shifting preferences. As tech evolves and expectations rise, might you want to consider “BFF brand” status a new, potential north star?
Beyond the four trends we’ve outlined above, our Culture Rising report shows that our wants, needs, and preferences are complex and ever-changing, just like we are. But whilst we once lacked the tools to appreciate what motivates us today and why, we can now use data, analytics, and emerging tech like artificial intelligence (AI) to anticipate with increasing accuracy what will drive us tomorrow. And for brands, that could change the game.
If these themes have sparked your interest and you want to learn more, you can download the full Culture Rising 2023 report with all 20 trends.
On 23rd and 24th May 2023, IAB Europe hosted its flagship annual event ‘Interact’ in Madrid, Spain!
Thanks to the support of our sponsors and media partners, and the wonderful team at IAB Spain, we enjoyed two days of keynote speeches, panel discussions and networking under the central theme of ‘Innovation, Sustainability & Growth’.
We unpacked a whole host of topics from the attention economy, CTV, and retail media, through to premium publisher’s advertising models, sustainability, and more.
Thanks so much to everyone who joined us and thank you to all of the amazing speakers who came together from across Europe and beyond to share their incredible insights and expertise.
Coming soon - Catch Up on Demand
With over 275 people joining over the two days, we are delighted to call it a great success.
If you didn’t have the opportunity to join us, fear not! We will soon be sharing a full wrap up of Interact soon with videos and images of some of the key sessions so you can view in your own time.
In the meantime, why not check out some of the Interact highlights below..
Interact 2024 – Stay Tuned!
We hope you will be able to join us next year! Stay tuned for the reveal of the next location and get ready to pop the date in your diary as we prepare for Interact 2024.
In the meantime, if you’d like to know more about IAB Europe or how you can get involved in Interact 2024 please do reach out to communication@iabeurope.eu
Brussels, Belgium, 24th May 2023 - IAB Europe, the leading association for the digital advertising and marketing industry, is thrilled to announce the winners of its highly anticipated 2023 MIXX Awards Europe, Research Awards, and Outstanding Contribution Award. This year's award competitions once again showcased the very best of digital advertising from across Europe, recognising outstanding campaigns, innovative research, and remarkable contributions to the industry.
The rigorous judging process involved a panel of esteemed experts from international organisations such as Bloomberg Media, Visa, Publicis Groupe, TikTok, The Good Loop, PHD, Samsung Ads, Freewheel and DoubleVerify, across more than ten European countries..
Under the leadership of Eddie Adedji, Global Trading & Investment Lead PMX Investment Managing Partner at Publicis, the MIXX Awards Europe Jury spent many hours meticulously assessing the campaigns, evaluating their creativity, effectiveness, and overall impact. This year, the jury evaluated the new Outstanding Contribution Award, recognising a team or individual who has made exceptional contributions to the digital advertising industry over the past 12 months. Meanwhile, the Research Awards Jury, led by Kristanne Roberts, Product Management Director at Kantar Marketplace, delved into the realm of innovative research projects that push the boundaries of digital marketing insights.
The winners were unveiled and celebrated at the Gala Awards Dinner held during IAB Europe's flagship annual event, 'Interact,' in Madrid.
This year's award recipients showcased outstanding achievements, demonstrating excellence in digital advertising and contributing to the advancement of the industry. Their innovative campaigns, cutting-edge research, and notable contributions have set new benchmarks and inspire others within the ecosystem.
The winning campaigns and projects will become a part of a new Hall of Fame on IAB Europe’s website which will be unveiled in June.
MIXX Awards Europe 2023 Winners
Brand Advertising Campaign
GOLD
HORNBACH - Letter Theft by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
SILVER
#HairHasNoGender by Pantene by Publicis Groupe / Starcom Greece
BRONZE
HORNBACH - Garden on the run by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
Branded Content
GOLD
HORNBACH - Letter Theft by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
SILVER
Samsung #22EpicNights by Cheil Centrade
BRONZE
ZDF - The Terra X Elevator Quiz by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
BRONZE
WHOOPing Ireland into Shape by Spark Foundry
BRONZE
HORNBACH - Garden on the run by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
Campaign Effectiveness
GOLD
Bookvertising by Saatchi Creative Hub Bucharest
SILVER
Newton Action Alliance / #NotComingHome by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY | SERVICEPLAN
BRONZE
WHOOPing Ireland into Shape by Spark Foundry
Connected TV Advertising
BRONZE
Grundig Eco-Anxiety Campaign by Arcelik A.S. & Ingage Media & The Or
Digital Audio Advertising
Taking Action with Voice Technology for MSC Cruises by Xaxis & Say It Now
Digital OOH
BRONZE
The Neverending Chase by Havas Media & Havas Italy
Direct Response/Lead Generation Campaign
GOLD
Drive Yourself Healthy by Sanofi, PHD Poland, Publicis Groupe
BRONZE
Playing with the Snake by Havas Play
BRONZE
Audi Attention Optimization for Performance by EssenceMediacom
Ecommerce
BRONZE
From Worrying to Peaking at the End by Fingerspitz
BRONZE
Ice Cream Now by Unilever & Mindshare Poland
Effective Use of Data
BRONZE
Warsteiner - Thirst for Data by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
BRONZE
meridol Turkey - Co-Pilot beat human intelligence! by Wavemaker Turkey & GroupM Turkey
BRONZE
Ice Cream Now by Unilever & Mindshare Poland
In-Gaming
GOLD
Adopt a Mod byHavas Play
SILVER
Grand Job Experience by v8 & Kaufland Romania
BRONZE
Privacy Protectors by Twitch & WhatsApp
BRONZE
ING City in ROBLOX by GONG & ING
Influencer Marketing
GOLD
Grand Job Experience by v8 & Kaufland Romania
SILVER
Xbox – Equality Controller by Mediaplus Germany
BRONZE
Domino's Effect by Arena Media Spain
Integrated Advertising
GOLD
Drive Yourself Healthy by Sanofi, PHD Poland, Publicis Groupe
BRONZE
#HairHasNoGender by Pantene by Publicis Groupe / Starcom Greece
BRONZE
ZDF - The Terra X Elevator Quiz by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
Non-Profit/Corporate Social Responsibility
GOLD
Newton Action Alliance / #NotComingHome by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY | SERVICEPLAN
SILVER
The Bear Right Tax Initiative by TheNEW
SILVER
Vodafone - Every 11 Minutes by VMLY&R Istanbul
Product Innovation
SILVER
Grand Job Experience by v8 & Kaufland Romania
SILVER
NAverse by Havas Play
BRONZE
Grand Single Origin by Pom Pom Communications
BRONZE
Visibility for real by Xaxis Sweden Toyota, GroupM Nexus (Xaxis The&Partnership, Acceleration) and Tobii
Retail Media
SILVER
Vodafone Metaverse Store by VMLY&R Istanbul
Search Advertising
BRONZE
Revolutionizing Search Strategy: Samsung Smart TVs' Revenue Boost by Starcom Romania
BRONZE
Fingerspitz & Cortina – Brand term advertising on Google... do or don't? By Fingerspitz
Social Media
GOLD
HORNBACH - Letter Theft by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
GOLD
Bookvertising by Saatchi Creative Hub Bucharest
SILVER
Newton Action Alliance / #NotComingHome by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY | SERVICEPLAN
BRONZE
On Romanian's Mother Tongue by v8 & Kaufland Romania
BRONZE
Yuki Saaki by Saatchi Creative Hub Bucharest
Sustainability Campaign
SILVER
Irish Life Responsible Pensions by Zenith, part of Core
SILVER
IKEA - naturally sustainable! by EssenceMediacom
BRONZE
Aqua Allegoria October 2022 by Guerlain & IMPACT+
Video Advertising
SILVER
HORNBACH - Garden on the run by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
SILVER
The Bear Right Tax Initiative by TheNEW
BRONZE
April 23rd Children's Day 5G Technology by VMLY&R Istanbul
Virtual and Augmented Reality or other new technologies
GOLD
NAverse by Havas Play
GRAND PRIX
HORNBACH - Letter Theft by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
Outstanding Contribution to the Digital Advertising Industry 2023 Award Winners
WINNER
Laura Wade
Global Head of Sustainability Strategy atEssenceMediacom
RUNNER UP
David Bauckmann, CTO at Impression Media
IAB Europe Research Awards 2023 Winners
Sustainability Measurement
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Advanced tech solution to reduce digital advertising environmental impact by IMPACT+
Audience Measurement
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Total Video Audience by Nielsen
Brand Advertising Effectiveness
HIGHLY COMMENDED
‘The impact of live optimisations on improving attention metrics and outcomes for Heinz Zero’ by Teads
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Capitalising on inspiration: Unlocking a ski resort’s potential through emotional understanding by Wunderman Thompson
Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour
WINNER
Your Online Voices: Your Voice, Your Choice by EDAA
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Kantar’s Media Reactions 2022: Which ad platforms do people prefer? By Kantar
Cross-Media Measurement
WINNER
Qreach; our brand new KPI that minimizes contact pollution and optimizes towards impactful reach by Wavemaker/GroupM
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Total Video Audience by Nielsen
Data Effectiveness
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Samsung Ads Enhanced Addressable CTV Targeting by Kantar Media
Digital Advertising and Marketing Industry Insights
WINNER
ISBA & PwC Programmatic Study II by PwC
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Collaborating with 41 parties provides the entire industry with crucial insights about awareness impact by
GroupM
Research Innovation
WINNER
ISBA & PwC Programmatic Study II by PwC
HIGHLY COMMENDED
‘The impact of live optimisations on improving attention metrics and outcomes for Heinz Zero’ by
Teads
HIGHLY COMMENDED
PHD Viewermatch byPHD UK
For more information about the award winners and to learn about upcoming IAB Europe events and initiatives, please visit www.stg-iabeurope-iabeuropeold.kinsta.cloud.
18 May 2023 Brussels, Belgium - Advertising is nothing without an attentive audience. However, with consumers exposed to thousands of ads daily, securing this attention is becoming increasingly difficult. To address this challenge, today IAB Europe, the European-level association for the digital marketing and advertising ecosystem released a new guide to attention in digital marketing. The guide aims to provide an introduction to the topic and spark wider industry debate around how attention measurement should develop over the next few years.
Digital marketers face a perfect storm of challenges that threaten to disrupt existing advertising metrics, including audience fragmentation, the explosion of new creative models, and the deprecation of third-party tracking cookies. Concurrently, the advertising industry is coming under pressure to adapt to more sustainable practices to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, many advertisers are looking for new measurement approaches to ensure better business outcomes and to reduce waste, which are bringing attention measurement tools and methodologies to market.
This guide to attention in digital marketing provides an overview of what attention is in digital advertising and why attention measurement is gaining interest now. "In a world where consumer attention is increasingly difficult to secure, this guide provides a valuable introduction to the topic of attention measurement in digital advertising," said Helen Mussard, CMO of IAB Europe. "It answers key questions brands are currently asking about attention measurement, including why it's important, what tools are available to measure attention, what are the use cases for these tools, and how can brands best integrate attention into their digital advertising campaigns."
The guide was written by 19 industry stakeholders from IAB Europe’s Brand Advertising committee including DoubleVerify, Microsoft, GroupM, Kantar, FreeWheel, Scibids, ShowHeros, Teads, Eskimi, PubMatic, Verve Group, Xaxis, Viznet and Vidmob. IAB Europe also worked with The Attention Council to ensure cross industry collaboration and harmonisation.
Commenting on contributing to the guide, Emmanuel Josserand, Sr Dir. Brand, Agency and Industry Relations, FreeWheel said ‘’According to our 2022 Marketers survey, Advanced TV Uncovered, one of the biggest challenges in our media industry remains measurement, often cited as one of the main inhibitors of ad spend. In such a difficult economic environment, where budgets are coming under a lot of scrutiny, reaching consumers is no longer enough. Increasingly marketers need to understand how well their campaign performed and if viewers have actually paid attention to the ads, which is where attention measurement comes in. Attention measurement has come to the forefront of industry interest as an alternative solution, due to the inability of online measurements to provide effective reports on ad exposure and the actual real impact on consumers. But attention measurement is still very new and often mis-understood. This IAB Europe Guide is an invaluable resource for anyone to explore what “attention” really means and how it can be a powerful tool in our measurement arsenal’’.
Rob Gedge, Global Solutions and Innovation Manager at Xaxis added “GroupM's focus of delivering 'fewer, more effective ads' is key to our work here at Xaxis. By measuring and optimising towards higher attention environments we can look beyond standard digital KPIs and deliver brand uplift that is more in line with clients’ business outcomes”.
The guide to attention in digital marketing is now available on the IAB Europe website for free download here.
Commenting on why brands should take notice of Attention and the new guide, Justin Adler, Director of Product Strategy - Quality and Compliance, MediaMath said "Attention is one of the most asked-about metrics by our clients, this guide by IAB Europe is a great starting point for any brands looking for next-generation metrics that correlate to the outcomes they care about most."
