We’re teaming up with DoubleVerify to invite you to participate in an exclusive survey that aims to understand more about Connected TV Advertising in Europe. What are your key priorities in CTV? What is Driving your investment? Or are there any challenges without an active solution?
Have your say in our survey before 2nd June and be in with a chance of winning a €200 Amazon Voucher!
CTV advertising is continuing to gain traction across the region and the aim of this survey is to gather both buy and sell-side perspectives on the challenges, drivers, measurement approaches and future of CTV advertising.
The survey will take less than ten minutes to complete and all responses will be treated with the strictest confidence. All respondents will receive the research results directly to their email if provided.
The results will be used to provide insights into how CTV is developing in Europe and what areas still need to be addressed. Take part in the survey here today.
We will be selecting a participant, at random, to win a €200 Amazon voucher. So what are you waiting for? Share your expertise and enter for your chance to win.
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 continue helping players in the online ecosystem comply with certain requirements of the ePrivacy Directive and the GDPR, the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF) Steering Group has approved iterations to the Framework. The TCF working groups have worked intensively 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.
Constant evolutions in case law as well as in guidelines of Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) place even higher demands on market participants in terms of data protection, and the latest Transparency & Consent Framework v2.2 (TCF v2.2) brings meaningful changes in an attempt to better meet the expectations of regulators and needs of end-users.
TCF 2.2 launches today, 16th May 2023. This article provides an overview of the main policy and technical changes as well as a detailed timeline to help all stakeholders implement TCF 2.2.
TCF v2.2 Main Policy Amendments
Please consult the relevant sections of the updated Policies for further details and IAB Europe’s blogpost here.
TCF v2.2 Technical Specifications Updates
With a view to implementing these policy changes, IAB Tech Lab has updated the technical specifications for the Transparency & Consent Framework. These changes include:
Please consult the updated Technical Specifications for further details and IAB Tech Lab’s blogpost here.
The Javascript Library that supports TCF participants’ implementation is also being updated to accommodate TCF v2.2 here.
Implementation Timeline
Please note the following deadlines:
30 June 2023
Deadline for Vendors to update their GVL registration with the new required information (as well as any other required information they failed to update previously). They can do so by logging-in to the GVL registration portal here that has been updated with new registration fields for TCF v2.2. If you don’t see your existing data in the portal, clear your cache or log-in using a different browser.
Only Vendors that update their GVL registration according to the requirements will be published in the new version of the GVL (v3).
Vendors updating their registration will also continue to be published in the current version of the GVL (v2) that will continue to run until the end of the implementation period.
The GVL v3 will start being published weekly as Vendors update their registrations at https://vendor-list.consensu.org/v3/vendor-list.json, to enable CMPs to test the new format, and to start building new user-facing disclosures in line with the requirements of the Policies. Translation will be made available progressively here.
10 July 2023 (Reminder)
Deadline for CMPs to host their scripts on a domain other than consensu.org subdomains as per the notification here.
31 July 2023
Deadline for Vendors to complete a TCF Compliance Assessment form and submit it through the GVL registration portal as part of the updated TCF Compliance programmes described here.
30 September 2023 - end of implementation period
CMPs are required to implement the new policies and specifications by 30 September 2023. CMP Framework UIs will not need to apply for re-validation. Compliance with the new requirements will, however, be verified as part of IAB Europe’s regular monitoring of CMPs’ live installations as of the implementation deadline. To support CMPs in their developments, IAB Europe has released a new CMP Validator Chrome Extension available here that includes all requirements of TCF v2.2.
Vendors are required to implement the new policies and specifications by 30 September 2023. Similar to CMPs, compliance with the new requirements will be verified as part of IAB Europe’s regular monitoring of Vendors’ live installations as of the implementation deadline.
Please visit the TCF section of IAB Europe’s website for more information or read the FAQs document here.
Dedicated webinars were held at the beginning of June for each category of participants - Publishers, CMPs and Vendors and you can watch these in your own time below.
Vendors
Webinar recording for Vendors can be watched here and the presentation deck can be downloaded here.
CMPs
Webinar recording for CMPs can be watched here and the presentation deck can be downloaded here.
Publishers
Webinar recording for Publishers can be watched here and the presentation deck can be downloaded here.
Thank you for your support!
Winners Will be Announced on 23rd May at IAB Europe’s Annual Conference Interact!
11th May, 2023, Brussels, Belgium: IAB Europe is delighted to announce the shortlist of finalists for the prestigious MIXX Awards Europe and IAB Europe Research Awards 2023. The annual award competitions showcase the very best of digital advertising from across Europe. Winners of the awards are renowned in the industry for delivering some of the best impactful and innovative work that Europe has ever seen!
Celebrating and sharing the very latest innovations in digital advertising research and campaign development is a key IAB Europe objective and we would like to thank everyone who took the time to enter.
IAB Europe would like to thank all of the jury of experts from across the digital advertising and research industry who dedicated hours of their time to reviewing and discussing all entries. This year’s jury includes experts from Bloomberg Media, Visa, Publicis Groupe, TikTok, The Good Loop, PHD, Samsung Ads, Freewheel and DoubleVerify, across more than ten European countries.
Winners Announced at IAB Europe’s Flagship Event ‘Interact’ on 23rd May!
The winners will be announced at IAB Europe’s Interact event on the 23rd May. This annual flagship event is a must-attend for the digital advertising and marketing industry. In partnership with IAB Spain, IAB Europe will be hosting two days of unmissable keynote speeches, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. 2023 will be the year of action for the industry. With a central theme of ‘Innovation, Sustainability & Growth,’ the event will cover a wide range of topics as the industry looks to become privacy first, tackle sustainability, and drive growth through innovation in the digital advertising industry.
To celebrate the shortlisted campaigns and announce the winners, a gala dinner is hosted on the evening of day 1 of the event. Tickets are available to attend just the gala dinner or a ticket can be bought to attend both the event and dinner. For more information on the agenda please visit IAB Europe’s website here - https://iabeurope.eu/interact/.
Secure your tickets here
MIXX AWARDS SHORTLISTS
Brand Advertising Campaign
HORNBACH - Letter Theft by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
#HairHasNoGender by Pantene by Publicis Groupe / Starcom Greece
HORNBACH - Garden on the run by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
The Goatiful Launch of Kozel in Romania by Cheil Centrade
Vodafone 23 April 5G Stadium Concert by Carat
The Bear Right Tax Initiative by TheNEW
Branded Content
HORNBACH - Letter Theft by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
#22EpicNights by Cheil Centrade
ZDF - The Terra X Elevator Quiz by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
WHOOPing Ireland into Shape by Spark Foundry
HORNBACH - Garden on the run by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
April 23rd Children's Day 5G Technology by VMLY&R Istanbul
Campaign Effectiveness
Bookvertising by Saatchi Creative Hub Bucharest
Newton Action Alliance / #NotComingHome by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY | SERVICEPLAN
WHOOPing Ireland into Shape by Spark Foundry
Vodafone Freezone TikTok Launch by Vodafone Turkey
InstaGrand #Justenjoy, IT'S GOOD by Pom Pom Communications
Connected TV Advertising
Grundig Eco-Anxiety Campaign by Ingage Media
Reaching Light TV Viewers on CTV by Core
Rise to the Vacation by Samsung Ads
Digital Audio Advertising
Taking Action with Voice Technology for MSC Cruises by Xaxis and Say It Now
Thirst for Data by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
Warm Good Night Stories by Noble Graphics
Digital OOH Advertising
The Neverending Chase by Havas Media & Havas Italy
OMNICHANNEL EXPERIENCE by VODAFONE TÜRKİYE
Direct Response/Lead Generation Campaign
Drive Yourself Healthy by Sanofi, PHD Poland, Publicis Groupe
Playing with the Snake by Havas Play
Audi Attention Optimization for Performance by EssenceMediacom Switzerland
Ecommerce
Ice Cream Now by Unilever & Mindshare Poland
From Worrying to Peaking at the End by Fingerspitz
Effective Use of Data
Warsteiner - Thirst for Data by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
meridol Turkey - Co-Pilot beat human intelligence! by GroupM Nexus Turkey
Ice Cream Now by Unilever & Mindshare Poland
Making Race For Life Unmissable by GroupM Nexus
Audi Attention Optimization for Performance by EssenceMediacom Switzerland
Xaxis transforms media and data into outcomes for Mars by EssenceMediacom Greece
Influencer Marketing
Xbox – Equality Controller by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY | SERVICEPLAN
Domino's Effect by Arena Media Spain
Grand Job Experience by v8 &
HORNBACH - Letter Theft by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
Playing with the Snake by Havas Play
In-Gaming
Adopt a Mod by Havas Play
Grand Job Experience by v8 & Kaufland Romania
ING CITY IN ROBLOX by GONG
Privacy Protectors by Twitch
Olips Gaming by Wavemaker
Integrated Advertising
Drive Yourself Healthy by Sanofi, PHD Poland, Publicis Groupe
ZDF - The Terra X Elevator Quiz by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
Vodafone - April 23rd Children's Day 5G Technology by VMLY&R Istanbul
#HairHasNoGender by Pantene by Publicis Groupe / Starcom Greece
Vote for tomorrow by together& advertising agency
Native Advertising
Volkswagen and PHD agency take Petal Ads for a test drive to deliver innovative native ad campaigns by Petal Ads
Non-Profit/Corporate Social Responsibility
The Bear Right Tax Initiative by TheNEW
Xbox – Equality Controller by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY | SERVICEPLAN
Vodafone - Every 11 Minutes by VMLY&R Istanbul
Newton Action Alliance / #NotComingHome by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY | SERVICEPLAN
Banvit - It is okay just as long as there is equality in life by MullenLowe Istanbul
Turkey's first EyeBrand period tracker app Periosfer by Essencemediacom Turkey
Product Innovation
Grand Job Experience by v8
NAverse by Havas Play
Visibility for real by Toyota, GroupM Nexus (Xaxis The&Partnership, Acceleration) and Tobii
Grand Single Origin by Pom Pom Communications
Grand Vesela by Pom Pom Communications
Olips Gaming by Wavemaker Turkey
[NEW] Retail Media
Vodafone Metaverse Store by VMLY&R Istanbul
Search Advertising
Reinventing Search Strategy: How Samsung Smart TVs Utilized Video, Retailer, and Social Search to Drive Revenue Growth by Starcom Romania
Fingerspitz & Cortina – Brand term advertising on Google... do or don't? by Fingerspitz
Social Media
Bookvertising by Saatchi Creative Hub Bucharest
HORNBACH - Letter Theft by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
Newton Action Alliance / #NotComingHome by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY | SERVICEPLAN
On Romanian's Mother Tongue by v8 & Kaufland
Yuki Saaki by Saatchi Creative Hub Bucharest
[NEW] Sustainability Campaign
Grundig Eco-Anxiety Campaign by Ingage Media
Irish Life Responsible Pensions by Zenith, part of Core
IKEA - naturally sustainable! by EssenceMediacom Switzerland
Aqua Allegoria October 2022 by Guerlain & IMPACT+
FINISH - WATER IS IN OUR HANDS by VALUECOM
Video Advertising
The Bear Right Tax Initiative by TheNEW
HORNBACH - Garden on the run by MEDIAPLUS GERMANY
Vodafone - April 23rd Children's Day 5G Technology by VMLY&R Istanbul
Colorful words feat. VALMAR by Lounge Group
On Romanian's Mother Tongue by v8 & Kaufland
Virtual and Augmented Reality or other new technologies
NAverse by Havas Play
Vodafone - April 23rd Children's Day 5G Technology by VMLY&R Istanbul
The Neverending Chase by Havas Media & Havas Italy
Olips Gaming by Wavemaker
YSL Lash Clash AR Experience by Tempo OMD Hellas
RESEARCH AWARDS SHORTLIST
Audience Measurement
Total Video Audience by Nielsen
Brand Advertising Effectiveness
‘The impact of live optimisations on improving attention metrics and outcomes for Heinz Zero’ by Teads
Capitalising on inspiration: Unlocking a ski resort’s potential through emotional understanding by Wunderman Thompson
Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour
Kantar’s Media Reactions 2022: Which ad platforms do people prefer? By Kantar
Your Online Voices: Your Voice, Your Choice by EDAA - European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance
DoubleVerify: Four Fundamental Shifts in Advertising and Media Report by DoubleVerify
Cross-Media Measurement
Qreach; our brand new KPI that minimizes contact pollution and optimizes towards impactful reach by Wavemaker/GroupM
Total Video Audience by Nielsen
Data Effectiveness
Samsung Ads Enhanced Addressable CTV Targeting by Kantar Media
Digital Advertising and Marketing Industry Insights
ISBA & PwC Programmatic Study II by PwC
Collaborating with 41 parties provides the entire industry with crucial insights about awareness impact by GroupM
DoubleVerify: Four Fundamental Shifts in Advertising and Media Report by DoubleVerify
Samsung Rips The Lid Off TV Measurement With Behind The Screens Series by Samsung Ads
Research Innovation
ISBA & PwC Programmatic Study II by PwC
‘The impact of live optimisations on improving attention metrics and outcomes for Heinz Zero’ by Teads
PHD Viewermatch by PHD UK
[NEW] Sustainability Measurement
Advanced tech solution to reduce digital advertising environmental impact by IMPACT+
[NEW] OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD SHORTLIST
Laura Wade, Global Head of Sustainability Strategy, EssenceMediacom
Lyndon M, Marketing Manager, EMEA, DoubleVerify
David Bauckmann, CTO, Impression Media s.r.o
Michal Buszko, Advanced Measurement Manager, Nielsen
Ferran Voltás, EMEA Programmatic Sales Manager at Samsung Ads
Just like last year, the OMR Festival is expected to draw more than 70,000 visitors to the Hamburg Messe on the 9th & 10th of May, 2023. On over 100,000 sqm of space, #OMR23 offers the digital and marketing industry a robust program of Conference keynotes, Masterclasses, Guided Tours, Side Events and Expo on both days. More than 800 experts will take to the six OMR stages for keynotes, panel discussions and interviews. The speaker lineup at this year's OMR Festival once again offers A-listers from Europe and beyond.
Serena Williams is coming to OMR Festival 2023
Headlining #OMR23 is Serena Williams, who has made a name for herself far beyond the tennis court. A native of Los Angeles, Williams has more singles titles than any other player in history on-the-court, off of the court she has built up a personal brand with worldwide pull. With her fashion brand "S by Serena" and jewellery brand "Serena Williams Jewellery," she provides a platform to issues of body positivity and female empowerment. Since March 2022, she has been active as an investor by founding Serena Ventures. A USD 111m fund, Serena Ventures already has 60 companies in its portfolio and focuses on supporting entities with diverse founding teams. Among them are fintechs like Propel and Cointracker, the billion-dollar company Masterclass and smoothie delivery service Daily Harvest. In addition, Serena Ventures has a stake in Esusu, one of the first tech unicorns with Black founders at the helm. Visitors to #OMR23 will be able to hear Williams discuss her career post-tennis on the OMR Conference Stage.
Climate activist Luisa Neubauer at #OMR23
She is probably the most-prominent face in the German climate movement. She’s the co-organizer of Fridays for Future and one of Time Magazine’s TIME100 Next—a list of the top 100 up-and-coming individuals. We are talking about Luisa Neubauer.
In 2018, Luisa Neubauer met the Swedish student Greta Thunberg at the UN Climate Change Conference, was inspired and, together with other activists, launched the “Fridays for Future” movement in Germany, following the example of the Swedish original. Listing the full scope of the movement’s impact would require a standalone article to do the movement justice. The very brief synopsis: Neubauer has helped organise hundreds of climate strikes, regularly confronts politicians, meets global heads of state and government officials and has attended four UN climate conferences as an activist. Her goal - and that of the global climate movement - to meet the UN’s 1.5-degree target agreed to at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference. To inch closer to meeting this goal, Luisa Neubauer and Fridays for Futures have cleverly weaponized the rules of the attention economy. For starters, Neubauer is the host of the Spotify climate podcast “1.5 degrees,” she’s published three books detailing the ecological crises from different angles and in 2021 she and others won a formal constitutional complaint against the German government, which was historic to say the least.
Media mogul, innovator, CEO and entrepreneur: Scooter Braun
We are so excited we got him: Born and raised in NYC, Scooter Braun is one of the most-successful and recognizable music managers and businessmen in the world. As a manager, his artist portfolio features a who’s who of the world’s biggest superstars. But it would be reductive to label him as merely a music manager. A serial entrepreneur, investor, film producer, dedicated philanthropist, innovator and investor in companies like UBER and Spotify, Braun’s broad scope of expertise makes him one of the most intriguing speakers ever to come to OMR. On the #OMR23 Conference Stage, Braun will discuss his work, success, failures and vision, while also sharing insights into his prolific career and talking about the importance of giving back as much as possible.
The man, the Kith, the lifestyle legend: Ronnie Fieg
Ronnie Fieg’s lifestyle brand Kith is flying higher than ever. Kith just dropped lookbooks with Jerry Seinfeld, Edward Norton and Bryan Cranston and in addition Fieg took on a little part-time gig in November 2022 as the first-ever creative director for the New York Knicks. Simply put, he knows what’s up in fashion and has an acute understanding of which levers and hype mechanics to activate for his clothing. One strategy: Kith stores are an experience unto themselves and have become a sort of place of pilgrimage for many fans - granola and ice cream on the house.
Find out more and get tickets 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 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 some new iterations to the Framework, including some changes related to the Action Plan that was submitted to and validated by the Belgian Data Protection Authority (more information here).
These new iterations will be released as part of the Transparency & Consent Framework v2.2 in the next few weeks, 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 adoption in a timely manner by CMPs and Vendors.
In the run up to the launch of TCF v2.2, IAB Europe will publish background material and host a series of webinars to offer full support and guidance to CMPs, Vendors and Publishers. Registration links can be found below.
Session 1: Overview of the main differences between the TCF policy 3.5 & 4.0
Thursday 20th April| 15:00 CET – Register here
An overview of the main differences in policies between v2.1 & v2.2. This session is for all TCF stakeholders.
Speakers
Session 2: Overview of the changes to the TCF technical specifications between v2.1 & v2.2
Thursday 20th April| 16:00 CET – Register here
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.
Speakers
The impending termination of support for third-party cookies on Google Chrome means that many of the metrics that marketers use today to measure their digital media performance will soon become obsolete. So how will we measure in a cookie-less future?
Josephine Howe, Sr. Marketing Manager, MSA, Daniel Godoy, Microsoft Global Programmatic Evangelist, MSA: There is no silver bullet solution for measuring programmatic outcomes. However, industry ID solutions will add a valuable layer to measurement of digital campaigns with authenticated IDs. Advertisers will also need to rely on non-addressable signals, for example how website visits changed during the campaign, and metrics like attention measurement.
Raman Sidhu, SVP at Verve Group: The objective of third-party cookies was to enable cross-channel (multi-touch) tracking and measurement. However, they have not been perfect for a while as the environment in which they run is already limited, most notably for Apple users. So we need to remember that cookies are already not doing what they were designed to accomplish.
As a result, new models must be considered:
When we’re talking about conversions, we need to think about the type of conversion and where it’s taking place. Whether it be ecommerce, leads, sales, app downloads, etc. All of these have alternatives without cookies, IDs or PII which are proven & measurable. One of the main differences is that it’s focused on the last touch or via a data-driven model.
Alex Berger, Senior Product Marketing Director, Adform: The third-party cookie is already a shadow of what it once was. New solutions have been introduced and scaled that are ready to cover the majority of targeting and measurement use cases. At times they’re more precise; in other situations, more complex. But, the key is that advertisers retain the ability to be strategic. Today, they have to navigate a more complex and strategic technology landscape to do that while the industry goes through a period of unbundling. As the third-party cookie further erodes, and technologies continue to come online I think we will see the trendline bottom out and reverse towards a re-bundling which will translate into significant scale 2–5 years from now. Ad performance for branding doesn't really change radically from third-party cookies. Measurement for Branding campaigns is a matter of quality of exposure with the right reach and frequency. Quality of exposure doesn't need third-party cookies. To measure reach and frequency, you need cross-identity measurement to unpack the effectiveness of your strategies. But this is generally the same regardless of if they are based on contextual, cohorts, first- or third-party IDs. For Performance you need an approach that still relies on real-time decisioning, but further validates that against longer-term, deeper reference and additional data.
Louise Mbugua, Sr. Product Manager & Go-To-Market Lead, Teads: We must first acknowledge two realities. The first being that with over 50% of web supply today missing 3P cookies (3PCs), cookieless is not near, it’s here. Secondly, not all cookies are equal, with 1st Party cookies (1PCs - created and stored by the website a user visits) surviving into the “post-cookie” future. So how do we define whether ads are working in a post-cookie world? Let’s first define success. The success of an ad can be viewed through two lenses: “engagement” (user interaction with the ad) and “outcomes” (post ad engagement value such as brand uplift & sales). Ad engagement, as measured with traditional media metrics including ad viewability, completion rate and clicks, is minimally impacted by the deprecation of 3PCs. As an aside, however, with up to 20% of programmatic ad spend distributed to Made For Advertising (MFA) supply, it’s increasingly vital for marketers to evolve these metrics to include attention-based measurement - e.g., ‘dwell time’, ‘attentive seconds’, ‘attention CPM’ - with studies proving attention to be strongly correlated to outcomes and 3x more effective than viewability as a predictor of consumer behaviour. Unlike ad engagement, outcome measurement, specifically attribution measurement that relies on 3P consumer-level data, will be challenged by the deprecation of 3PCs. Here the industry is still in an experimentation phase and there is no single replacement solution, but key options marketers are likely to explore include:
With a broad range of post-cookie measurement initiatives - complexified by nuances in the way different types of media and devices are measured - it will be key for the industry to collaborate to facilitate cohesive, effective and efficient measurement in a post-cookie world.
How do we think about using post-cookie solutions for campaign targeting and optimisation and looking across the consumer journey? Not just display, but mobile + CTV as well?
Josephine Howe, Sr. Marketing Manager, MSA, Daniel Godoy, Microsoft Global Programmatic Evangelist, MSA: In the post-cookie world, there will be two groups of users on the internet: identifiable and unidentifiable. For identifiable users, first-party data combined with consent is key to precise measurement and modeling. For unidentifiable, or anonymous users, contextual targeting through keywords, topics, and moments is optimal. Curated deals are a powerful way for buyers to benefit from these solutions at scale. With the population of identifiable users shrinking, there will be more emphasis on first-party data, especially in channels like Connected TV. There are innovative tools to address this shift, for example advanced frequency management. It is crucial for marketers to balance identifiable and unidentifiable groups and understand the opportunity to target and optimize towards each.
Raman Sidhu, SVP at Verve Group: At Verve Group, we often talk about how moments are the new cookies. Brands know the moments that matter to them, especially those which drive interest, intent and sales. We help brands deliver omnichannel campaigns which include web, app, CTV and DooH in meaningful moments across the consumer journey. Furthermore, through a real-time feedback loop we can optimise performance towards specific outcome goals. That forms the basis of our strategy. With the availability of first- party data or cohort data, we can further improve performance.
Alex Berger, Senior Product Marketing Director, Adform: Marketers need to embrace dual thought streams; real-time and long-term. Nothing new here, but the focus and importance has been amplified by third-party cookie deprecation. Real-time decisioning and strong algos don’t replace the need for a robust planning phase or deep post-campaign effectiveness analysis. You’ll still need strong media mix modeling to study the effects of omnichannel advertising. This hasn’t been replaced - quite the contrary, a hybrid approach is now more important than ever. Skip the real-time and you miss out on the value of programmatic. Skip the analysis, and you break the flywheel, which is driving incremental value creation.
Louise Mbugua, Sr. Product Manager & Go-To-Market Lead, Teads: There are many ways to answer this question and they are timing dependent. Any targeting powered by addressable identity will extend targeting reach capabilities across multiple mediums (web, CTV etc). Some of these solutions, however, will take a long time to create significant scale. As an alternative, there are other forms of targeting using contextual and panel based intelligence and those solutions will perform across several mediums.
Other alternatives include:
Digital advertising campaigns in environments devoid of third-party cookies will run on a mix of emerging alternatives, including first-party data, consent, contextual approaches, cohorts, identifiers, and more. How can we ensure that these solutions still align with user preferences and future regulations? With data privacy legislation becoming more complex, how can we future-proof?
Josephine Howe, Sr. Marketing Manager, MSA, Daniel Godoy, Microsoft Global Programmatic Evangelist, MSA: Microsoft Advertising is focused on an audience first approach and iteratively building to prepare for the next chapter of digital advertising. Technology platforms must enable the industry to build and connect solutions in a compliant way. Looking ahead, we think that there will be a shift from client-side solutions to more server-side solutions, increased employment of data clean rooms and consolidation of Identity solutions. Multiple identity solutions will be needed as long as they are interoperable. The limited number of ID’s, based on the direct relationship with the user, means that there will be less reach but better authenticated traffic, better controls on consumer data, and maintenance of targeting and measurement use cases.
Raman Sidhu, SVP at Verve Group: As digital advertising campaigns move away from third-party cookies and towards alternative solutions using first-party data, consent, contextual approaches, and cohorts, it is important to ensure that these solutions align with user preferences and future regulations. Very often, I hear the same feedback from expert buyers, product and strategy leaders at brands and agencies. The future will be a mixture of first-party data and context. That means mapping 1st party data, for example to advertising ecosystems/walled gardens. Whilst creating audience lookalikes using contextual signals and predictive models in the instances where no identifiers exist. Consent must be explicit in all cases where any form of identifier or PII is involved. Ensuring double opt-in is imperative for brands and advertisers. For sellers, the ecosystems with the largest addressable consented audiences will benefit from buyers looking to engage with current or prospective customers.
For buyers, capturing of consent should include the channels where they want to activate.
Clean rooms aim to help here with the movement of data. However, there is still some way to go in scaling the network.
Alex Berger, Senior Product Marketing Director, Adform: While this is a major concern for the industry, it’s much less of an issue for technologies that were already thinking in a consented / localized way. We started pivoting our tech stack to support this approach as GDPR was starting to gain momentum and found that a focus on transparency, interoperability, and clear consent signals really paves the way for scaling post-cookie without major issues. At the end of the day, it’s about choosing technology that gives you a lot of transparency, ownership of your data, and that clearly supports delivering consented value to the end user. If you work back from that, you’ll consistently find these changes are more a case of fine-tuning vs ground-up reinvention with exorbitant switching costs.
Louise Mbugua, Sr. Product Manager & Go-To-Market Lead, Teads: The impending deprecation of 3P Cookies, set against a backdrop of increasing data privacy legislation, is rightfully forcing a re-examination & redress of the balance between user privacy and ad performance, which has often tilted in favour of the latter. The most important variable here is that the consumer must be involved in the consent process and permission obtained to use their personally identifiable data. Any form of identity or targeting/measurement that relies on inference of identity will be subject to scrutiny for the simple reason that consumers can’t opt-out of said mechanism.For contextual based and technographic based solutions, these have longevity as they don’t target any individual or PII. In doing so they provide a privacy safe scale that we - at Teads - have found performs as well as, if not better. The key will be the balance of finding a strong enough ‘truth set’ of known information from consumers who have opted-in to their data being used to power models and AI to find scale into identity-less environments.
Finally, what conversations are you having with media buyers and brands? What advice would you give them to get ready for programmatic outcomes without the cookie?
Josephine Howe, Sr. Marketing Manager, MSA, Daniel Godoy, Microsoft Global Programmatic Evangelist, MSA: As an end-to-end technology provider, we advise buyers and brands that relevant advertising will increasingly rely on contextual solutions for unidentifiable users. Investment in first-party data assets and partnerships will be needed. Advertisers should seek out data platforms and tech providers equipped to work with authenticated user IDs. It is important to think about how to leverage proprietary data assets while ensuring privacy compliance.
Raman Sidhu, SVP at Verve Group: We encourage brands and media buyers to consider the moments that are important to their business. We help them plan media to capture the largest share of these moments, whilst always identifying interest and intent. It is crucial for companies to comprehend their target markets and pinpoint the meaningful moments when those audiences are most likely to interact with their goods or services. Avoid focusing on cookies and instead focus on audiences and moments to drive demand to your products and services. Redesign your media planning strategy and concentrate on the moments that matter most to your business. This will support your efforts to increase sales and succeed in your marketing campaigns.
Alex Berger, Senior Product Marketing Director, Adform: What’s needed for media buyers and brands is more control, more transparency and ownership, and solutions that can bridge the gap in a consented way. Your activation on CTV or DOOH is going to be a bit different from premium display or mobile. You’re also going to have different IDs that are better suited to certain geographies or channel types. We’re already seeing and working with 40+ IDs on a regular basis, and I think it’s the job of the technology to create tools and solutions that really elevate and solve this complexity for buyers. Of course, the buyers also have to embrace these new approaches, and will need to re-train and re-prioritize workflows somewhat to make this happen.
Louise Mbugua, Sr. Product Manager & Go-To-Market Lead, Teads: Firstly, don’t wait to act! Delays to the deprecation of 3PCs on Chrome belie the fact that a predominantly cookieless environment is a reality today across many major markets. Secondly, understand your exposure by identifying the volume of media budgets dependent on marketing capabilities such as cross-site tracking that rely on 3P cookies. Thirdly, develop a plan to test and integrate cookieless-ready solutions into your marketing strategy.
IAB Europe have worked with the teams at CIMM, egta, EACA and WFA to curate this International Knowledge Exchange on Audience Measurement. The Exchange of knowledge will help to stimulate collaboration and better understanding in an increasingly international, interconnected marketplace.
The International Knowledge Exchange provides an opportunity for the international media and advertising industries to share insights about the latest measurement innovations, initiatives and solutions in the US and European markets. This meeting will take place on the 11th April at 15:00 CET.
In this week’s member guest blog post we caught up with Samantha Stetson, VP, Client Council and Industry Trade Relations at Meta. Samantha announces Meta’s new inventory filters and discusses how AI can give advertisers more control, Third-party brand suitability, and how to remain committed to transparency and accountability. For a great piece with great insight into new developments at Meta and how they can help you, keep reading below.
We’re proud to announce that Meta’s new inventory filters for Facebook and Instagram Feeds are now rolling out to advertisers in English- and Spanish-speaking markets. Our third-party verification solution for Facebook Feed is also now available through Zefr and additional Meta Business Partners will onboard in the coming months. These developments highlight our ongoing collaboration with industry partners and the critical work we’re doing to meet the needs of advertisers today. Please see video here.
Using AI to give advertisers more control
We previously announced our commitment to building tools that give advertisers more control over the proximity of their ads to suitable content. AI is one of the driving forces behind these industry-leading solutions. We built a multi-stage AI review system to classify content for advertisers to ensure brand suitability controls are in place. These models will complement our existing technology, which already identifies content that violates or potentially violates our Community Standards and Guidelines. This system learns to classify content in Facebook and Instagram Feeds – not only text but also video and images – to determine if it meets our monetisation policies; if it does not, the content is not eligible to have ads appear above or below it. When content is found to be eligible for ad adjacency, the models assign it to a suitability category.
We’ve spent many years working closely with partners in the industry, including the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), an industry trade organisation created to ensure that harmful content is not monetised. We’ve developed controls that align with GARM’s Suitability Framework, which defines high, medium, and low-risk content. Advertisers can now choose from the following three settings to control the type of monetisable content that can appear above and below an ad:
Later this year, we’ll expand these controls to support additional languages and make them available to advertisers in more countries. We’ll also start testing them on additional placements including Reels, Stories, Video Feeds and other surfaces across Facebook and Instagram as we learn more about advertiser preferences to improve and enhance this technology.
Third-party brand suitability verification is available for Facebook Feed
We’ve also been working with Zefr to test and build an independent AI-powered solution to report the context in which ads appear on Facebook Feed. In early testing, we found through third-party verification with Zefr, that less than one percent of content on Facebook Feed falls into the high-risk GARM suitability category.
Zefr’s AI product assesses video, image, text, and audio to label Feed content based on the GARM suitability standards. The solution allows advertisers to measure, verify and understand the suitability of content near their ads to help them make informed decisions in order to reach their marketing goals.
Meta will be rolling out this verification and measurement solution to additional badged Meta Business Partners this year.
Remaining committed to transparency and accountability
Beyond our suitability controls, we take action on content that violates our Community Standards and Guidelines. Each quarter, we publish the Community Standards Enforcement Report, which shows how we’re doing at enforcing our policies. This report was independently assessed by EY last year and we’re proud to be the first social platform to have our metrics assessed by a third party, demonstrating our commitment to transparency and accountability.
Last November, we received accreditation from the Media Ratings Council (MRC) for our Partner Monetisation Policies, Content Monetisation Policies, and associated content-level brand safety and suitability controls applied to Facebook In-Stream Video. We will be expanding the scope of MRC’s audit to include additional advertiser-facing controls (like the inventory filters for Facebook and Instagram Feeds) as we make them more widely available.
These solutions are important milestones in our ongoing brand safety and suitability efforts. We are committed to giving advertisers more control and transparency and will continue ensuring our work has independent oversight.
For more detail on Meta’s brand safety and suitability methodology, please visit our brand safety and suitability hub.
IAB Europe is pleased to announce the launch of its new Research & Insights Forum, which is an evolution of its long-standing Research Committee. The group will meet once per quarter and will comprise of research, insights and measurement experts from across the Digital Advertising and Marketing industry.
The Forum’s core focus will be to receive and share key industry stats and insights and provide strategic oversight and direction on all of IAB Europe’s research activities. Each meeting will feature insights updates from the IAB Europe team, member-led discussions on key industry trends, plus a roundtable discussion on IAB Europe’s research agenda and calendar.
The group is currently Chaired by Mike Mullholland, Partner Measurement & reporting at Mindshare Worldwide who is supported by the Vice-Chair Gilles Giudicelli, representing IAB France and Head of Customer Experience at Criteo.
The Forum is open to all IAB Europe members.If you are interested in joining then please contact Marie-Clare Puffett, Marketing & Insights Director.
The IAB Europe Research Awards recognise and showcase the great European digital research projects and the contribution they have made to the development of the digital advertising industry. The winners will be celebrated at IAB Europe’s flagship event, Interact on 23rd-24th May, in Madrid.
Meet our Research Awards Jury Chair, Kristanne Roberts
Kristanne is a Product Management Director for Kantar. She has over 10 years’ experience in marketing, PR and research, managing global clients and measurement practices. In the last 9 years with Kantar Kristanne has held various roles from project management to sales, and is currently responsible for the development of media and creative solutions on Kantar’s automated research platform Kantar Marketplace.
We caught up with Kristanne to get her thoughts on our 2023 IAB Europe Research Awards competition.
Q. After judging the awards in previous years, what made you want to get involved again?
The awards are a great way to look back on the previous year and all the great work that has been done. It's a really positive thing to be involved in, and great to see so many teams wanting to share all of their hard work.
Sometimes it can feel like we are so focused as an industry on what's next, and how to improve, that we forget to take stock and celebrate what has been achieved. The IAB Research Awards are a great way to take that step back and celebrate with peers.
It's also really nice to be able to get together with the other judges, collaborate, and share views on the work submitted. It helps to promote conversation around best practices, and around new and emerging methodologies, to make sure we are focused on progress as an industry.
Q.What are you most excited to see in the 2023 IAB Europe Research Awards competition?
It's really exciting to see some of the new ways of thinking and approaches which come through each year, as well as some of the innovative campaigns which are measured.
Q.In your opinion, why should people consider entering?
The IAB Research Awards are a great platform for agencies and teams to showcase the hard work and expertise from the past year. The awards can provide industry recognition to the winners and runners up that the work achieved is best in class.
Q.Given your expertise, what are you hoping to see from entries this year?
It's always great to see the variety in the entries and the new and emerging methodologies. Mostly I'm hoping to see some entries which clearly show the value added by the research, and how brands have used the results to inform decision making. It's so important that we focus on the outcomes of the research, and don't get too caught up in the complex designs which may not have practical outcomes.
Don’t miss the chance to get your work recognised at IAB Europe's awards on a European level.
Key Dates
| Early Bird Deadline | Final Deadline | Shortlist Announced | Winners Announced |
| Friday 17th March | Friday 14th April | W/C 15th May | 23rd May at Interact in Madrid |
Entry Links
Enter now to inspire others, reward your team and gain pan-European recognition for your digital advertising campaigns or research projects.
IAB Europe Research Awards Entry Link
Outstanding Contribution Entry Link
Get in touch with us via email if you have any questions:
Privacy, transparency and sustainability are now more of a challenge than brand safety
9th March 2023, Brussels: IAB Europe, the leading European-level industry association for the digital advertising and marketing ecosystem, today announced the findings of its 2023 Brand Safety Poll. 157 industry professionals from across the digital advertising value chain gave their opinions on how brand safety has been tackled over the past 12 months, providing insights on what action needs to happen in 2023.
The results highlight how seriously the industry is taking brand safety, and show how the ecosystem has changed in the last couple of years to place more emphasis on ensuring brand safe environments. 67% of respondents agree or strongly agree that brand safety was a key priority for the industry in 2022 with 53% of respondents further agreeing that the industry has done a good job of tackling brand safety over the past 12 months. This is up from 36% in 2019. 71% cited technology innovations as helping to solve brand safety concerns. This is up from 65% in 2019.
Helen Mussard, CMO, IAB Europe, commented: “The poll results highlight how seriously the digital advertising industry takes the safety of brand advertising investments and how improvements have been made in tackling this over the past couple of years. Furthermore, it is encouraging to see stakeholders recognise the importance that technology plays in tackling brand safety and suitability. We will continue to work with our members to highlight advances and best practices in this area, to enable brand safe experiences for both advertisers and consumers.”
Privacy and Sustainability Now More of a Challenge than Brand Safety
When asked to rank brand safety alongside other industry challenges, the majority of respondents (50%) said brand safety is the same in terms of challenges compared to last year. The challenges that have increased are privacy, transparency and sustainability. 57% of respondents said that privacy concerns are more of a challenge than last year, only 8% said it was less of a challenge. 44% of respondents said that transparency and sustainability are more of a challenge than last year compared to 39% that said brand safety.
The Rise of Brand Suitability
78% of respondents agree that there has been greater demand for brand suitability over the past 12 months More than 80% of respondents also cited that brand safety requires a bespoke approach to each client’s needs.
Brand Safety in 2023
Looking at what needs to happen in 2023 to further tackle brand safety and ensure trust for both advertisers and consumers, responses focused on creating new rules for news creators; Safeguarding customer privacy, More technical support; More verification and Content control.
The full results of the poll can be found on IAB Europe’s website here.
In Celebration of International Women’s Day, we caught up with key female leaders from the Women in Programmatic Network and our network to understand what it ‘s like to be a woman in digital advertising, what some of the biggest opportunities and challenges are and how they look to inspire the next generation of women in our industry.
Contributors:
Alice Miller, Head of Programmatic & Display, MGOMD
Alison Harding, VP Data Solutions EMEA, Lotame
Paige Power, Client Partner, Kepler
Isabella Benayoun, Account Director, Kepler
Federica Migliardi, EMEA Senior Sales Partner, Semasio
Stacey Delaney, Regional Director, Northern Europe, Taboola
Carolyn Watt, Vice President Global Client Partnerships, Double Verify
Q1. What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Alice - “IWD provides an opportunity to acknowledge the progress we’ve made towards gender equality while still recognising the ongoing challenges faced by women worldwide. I think it’s important to take the time to reflect on the contributions that women have made and, for me personally, it’s always such a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the importance of gender diversity within our workplace and wider industry.”
Alison - “It means a great deal to have a dedicated day to stop and celebrate the achievements of women across the social, economic, cultural and political landscape. Of course, there is much progress yet to be made on both a local, country-wide and global level. Women’s rights are far from equitable in many places around the world. I hope that the day serves as a platform for women to confidently raise their voices on the issues that matter to their livelihoods — economic, health, and otherwise — and even more so, moves organisations to take concrete actions to empower and support women.”
Paige - “Every year, IWD would come around and whilst I have an appreciation for a day to recognise the past and continued efforts made, the day has always been a reminder that the work is not yet done and we are different in more ways than recognised. It is a celebration of successful, accomplished and inspiring women for me. With a focus on women who have not only been successful within their career but done so while bringing up a family of their own. The day reminds me that the work is still there to understand that showing up, doing your best and positively impacting others both men and women can make you a remarkable woman and we are defined by societal elements of what makes a woman great.”
Isabella - “IWD gives us an opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come as an industry and recognise all the amazing women who have helped us get here. I am constantly inspired by all the women I work with on a day-to-day basis and love to use IWD as a day to thank them for their support, encouragement, and hard work! There’s definitely still much work to be done to create a truly equal and safe work environment for all women, but it’s nice to take some time to reflect.”
Federica - “IWD is an opportunity to remember the importance women have in our society, not just in the professional but also in the personal sphere, as well as across the globe.
To me, it is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate all the great women in my life - from my mum to my close friends - and to reflect on what I can do to make myself and them more and more proud of being a woman every day. In my opinion, Women should be celebrated every day - not just on IWD - because they accomplish little miracles every day, without most people even noticing.”
Stacey - “IWD is an opportunity to look around and acknowledge and appreciate all the incredible women around us who are constantly working to make things happen. They often don’t get the appreciation or the limelight they deserve, and International Women’s Day is a reminder to celebrate them, acknowledge their accomplishments and consider what can be done to make their lives better.”
Carolyn - “IWD is a chance to reflect on my personal journey working in the industry for over 25 years. It is an opportunity to consider my own experiences, challenges and opportunities and to ask myself:
Today is an opportunity to remember all the women who have supported and inspired me along the way and to ensure I ‘pass it on’. “
Q2. Can you tell us what it’s like to be a woman in digital advertising?
Alice - “I’ve always felt very empowered working as a woman in digital advertising. It’s a traditionally male dominated environment so in my opinion you have the opportunity to stand out!”
Alison - “I love it! Ad tech is well known as a male-dominated industry, therefore it gives me a great sense of pride whenever I am invited to contribute to articles or I am one of only a handful of women at a senior event. Women in the industry have the opportunity to make a positive impact and pave the way for future generations to succeed in this field.”
Paige - “It’s been a rollercoaster in both the best and some terrible ways. I am grateful to be a part of an industry which has recognised the systemic gender inequality it fostered in the past and collectively chose to do something about it. However, being a part of an industry which is still struggling to rid itself of historic trauma it imposed on both men and women, is also hard as you can find yourself constantly struggling to see ways to help. Incredible safe networks exist like ‘women in programmatic’ & ‘women in tech’ which are so unique in their supportive and inclusive design for a group which historically cultivated an overly competitive culture.”
Isabella - “I’ve been fortunate enough to work at an agency that’s always surrounded me with strong female leaders and mentors, so from my early days, I already had role models of who I might want to be. This made being a woman in digital advertising fun! While there have been challenges I’ve had to overcome that my male counterparts may not have had to, tackling them alongside my strong support system of women (both above and below) has made it rewarding.”
Federica - “ Advertising is a very dynamic and ever-changing industry and in my almost 10 years’ experience in the sector I have always had the chance to not only work with progressive companies (with strong D&I policies) but also with stakeholders who respected my opinion, even though I am a European, non-UK native woman.
I feel the advertising sector offers more flexibility to women in comparison to other male-dominated sectors (such as Finance) and has improved in recent years, notably with the work flexibility brought by the COVID Pandemic.
Kudos to women’s networks such as TWIPN or Bloom that foster and empower all women in advertising from a young age. I feel immensely proud to be part of these communities!”
Stacey - I’m proud that in the advertising industry in the UK, there are many incredible groups and thought leaders who both acknowledge how much the industry has to work on, and how far we have already come. Even though our industry isn’t perfect, I think the fact that those conversations can be had openly and regularly, and are encouraged by leadership teams across many companies, makes it a great industry to work in. Joining in on the conversations being had within the TWIPN, Bloom, NABS and others is a must.
Carolyn - “It’s a privilege. I love the industry and I am proud to work with the very best, most progressive brands in the world as part of a team that is collaborative, inclusive, diverse and constantly striving to serve our brand and agency partners.
The industry has changed hugely in the last 25 years in terms of providing equal opportunities for women.
And in this post COVID world it’s great that so many companies offer flexible working practices; this is hugely beneficial to women (and men) with young families. .”
Q3. Are there any leaders in the industry that have inspired you to get to where you are today?
Alice - “One of my very first managers was a lady called Kate Byrne who is now a media manager at Tourism Ireland. She was the first manager I had who wasn’t afraid to give me tricky feedback, and I really credit her in helping me to elevate my career. I found the way she was able to navigate tough situations with the rest of the (all male) senior leadership team very inspiring.
I am loving that in my new role at MGOMD I get to work under my first female CEO - Natalie Bell! She is widely recognised as an inspiring leader in our industry, and I feel very fortunate to be under such fantastic female leadership. You can really tell that she leads the agency with empathy and a people first mindset, those values are very apparent at MGOMD.”
Paige - “I’m now in a fortunate position where I can choose roles within businesses that have strong leaders either men or women. Joining Kepler was in no small part a testament to the leadership we have and the strong female examples in both Mal Simmonds & Marie Turk.
Through my interviews with them both, we talked openly about DE&I at Kepler and how they have a passion for building a strong leadership team of women and men.
They both uniquely, are examples of women in leadership who are unapologetically remarkable in their own ways whether in or out of social norms and celebrate that.”
Isabella - “From my very first internship in advertising to my almost 6 years at Kepler, I’ve had the privilege of working with amazing women, each of whom has left me with a different message of what being a woman in advertising is. My shoutouts go to Dina Bank, who got me my first media internship as SVP of Finance at Havas as well as some of the many inspiring women I’ve worked with at Kepler both in the US and the UK - Carli Jurczynski, Liz Meola, Remy Stiles, Marie Turk, Mallory Simmonds, and my current manager Jess Haley!”
Federica - “I had the chance to meet a lot of inspiring women throughout my career in advertising.
Just to name a few: Tiama Hanson Drury (Founding Chief Member of Chief) and Debi Hart (VP Product at Forsta) because they mentored and encouraged me to make my first public speech at an important Conference a few years ago.
More recently, Kate Herbert (Senior Director Strategy at Oracle and Mentor at The Forem) who was my inspiring mentor and taught me how to apply the “extreme ownership” principles to every walk of life.
I am also more and more inspired by the co-founders of Bloom and TWIPN, always coming up with brilliant initiatives to empower us.”
Stacey - “I’m constantly inspired by the women around me at Taboola - we’re proud that our EMEA leadership is made up of 50% women, and I just have to look around the room to see half a dozen amazing role models. The women on our team step up to the plate every day, juggling, managing large teams, meeting clients and answering to the business. Many of them are doing this alongside their roles as mothers and partners. They inspire me on a daily basis.
Carolyn - “Honestly, in the first stages of my career there were very few women in leadership roles. Those that were present tended to adopt rather dominant and ‘traditionally male characteristics’ - something I didn’t relate to.
There are many women who inspire me, not necessarily in advertising - Sharon White, Anne Boden, the BBC journalist Orla Guerin, the climber Alison Hargreaves. I generally love stories of people who triumph in the face of adversity from all walks of life.”
Q4. Do you think there is something we could do as an industry to open up opportunities for female leaders in digital advertising? Or Encourage more Women to this industry?
Alice - “Firstly I would say that companies need to address their unconscious bias and increase overall diversity in hiring. Strategies such as blind hiring practices at the assessment stage can be effective to reset the gender balance within interviews. Also ensuring we have a diverse group of interviewers, both to make the candidates feel more comfortable and also to ensure varied viewpoints when assessing candidates.
Outside of work, I am a mum to an 18 month old boy, Freddie, and now more than ever I understand the importance of promoting flexible work arrangements – particularly for women who still (typically) take on more of the parental load. I am extremely fortunate that MGOMD is incredibly flexible for parents, and I have felt very supported since joining. On top of my own personal experience, OMG have just expanded their parental leave policies and at MGOMD we’re working on an enhanced program for women coming back from maternity leave.”
Alison - “Women are more likely to enter a male-dominated industry if they can see other women who have been successful in that field. Therefore, it's important to highlight female leaders and provide them with opportunities to share their stories. We need to address bias: it's important to identify and address any biases that may be preventing women from entering or advancing in the industry. This can be bias in recruitment, performance evaluations or leadership development opportunities. Companies need to create a workplace culture that values and supports diversity and also offers flexible work arrangements. Women are often responsible for caregiving and may require more flexibility in their work schedules; this shouldn’t put employers off as often the same outputs of work apply just done to different timescales.”
Paige - “Starting with statistics and having more businesses share data publicly so, we as an industry and as businesses can be held accountable for the change we make.
At a more human level, we do need to recognise that women in leadership positions now, are statistically more likely to have ‘generational trauma’ impacting how they act as women. Recognising our leaders had to fight to get where they are through the male dominated industry at some of its worst points. This means that these behaviours may still exist; we're ultimately trying to remove from our industry, so change really does start at the top.
Encouraging more women should be done in the right way as ultimately, we have improved but are by no means done with what we need to change. Having honest leaders that can mentor women who join is important to ensure we teach the new generation the history but also, how we can create a better future.”
Isabella - “Representation and nurture.
Seeing women in leadership roles can signal to other women that our industry is progressive and open, and that growing in this field as a woman is possible. This type of message can encourage women to join, knowing that they have a bright and fair future ahead of them.
Nurturing women in digital advertising with the proper support systems, networks, and mentors is also key to ensure they have what they need to grow. Receiving this type of support is what helped me grow in this career and giving the support back to newer team members is what has helped me stay in this career. It may not be easy work, but it is extremely rewarding and fun!”
Federica - “What is stopping us, women, from breaking the glass ceiling? Statistically women are “less bold” than men.
For instance, women apply to a job only if their qualifications 100% match the job description, as opposed to men who apply when there is a 60% match.
Therefore, we need to be bolder, for ourselves but also for the overall ecosystem, because DE&I has a real business impact for companies.
Some stats: Companies with Women as Board Directors show 53% greater performance and 35% greater financial returns vs Companies that do not.
How can we open up more opportunities for female leaders? Start by removing any gender bias in every company process, create mentoring programs, encourage participation in networks such as TWIPN, offer flexible work practices and environments and attend/spread the knowledge of programs such as #IAM REMARKABLE.”
Stacey - “Firstly, I think it’s important we continue to have open conversations about our experiences and what needs to be done - not just during Women’s History Month, but consistently.
But talking isn’t enough. Every company needs to take a good hard look at where their shortcomings currently are, and set specific goals to improve on these, making ourselves accountable on a quarterly or annual basis, just like any other business goal.
For example, at Taboola we acknowledged that we weren’t always getting a diverse set of candidates to interview for all our positions, so we launched a campaign to ensure that 50% of candidates being interviewed for all roles are women.
Finally, one of the best things we can do to encourage women to join and stay in our industry is put in place inclusive policies that enable women to grow their families without sacrificing their careers. This doesn’t only mean giving paid maternity leave and supporting flexible working schedules, but crucially, also enabling men to be able to take parental leave and take on their share of childcare responsibilities. We’re super proud to have revamped our parental leave policy last year to give primary caregivers 26 weeks of paid leave and secondary caregivers to take 8 weeks – globally.”
Carolyn - “Absolutely. Together we should do more.
We know that women are underrepresented in leadership positions. Only 1 in 4 C-suite leaders are women and only 1 in 20 are women of colour (Source: McKinsey Women in the Workforce 2022).
We know that women leaders are leaving their companies at a higher rate than men. There is also increased churn after women have children.
In the US 43% of women leave the workforce after having a baby. In the UK 27.6% women dropped out of the labour market last year (ONS). Of the 1.75m people who dropped out of the labour market in 2022, 84% were women citing child care as the reason.
We also know that women want to advance but they face stronger headwinds than men.
Women leaders are more likely to report that personal characteristics such as their gender or being a parent have played a role in them being denied or passed over for a raise or promotion (Source: McKinsey 2022)
Women are more likely to seek a meritocratic culture and flexible working. And the next generation of women care even more about the opportunity to advance.
Companies that don't take action may struggle to recruit and retain the next generation of women leaders.
Diversity and inclusion is part of DV’s DNA. But we never rest on our laurels.
Listening and understanding the challenges and obstacles women face is key.
Here at DoubleVerify, we also work hard to foster a culture of support and connectedness between the women of DV across all geos and all teams - top to bottom. We also offer very flexible working practices for all our teams.
We strive to ensure that women have a support network - particularly when they return from work after maternity leave which I know from personal experience can be a challenging transition.
We also focus on education. So much of gender bias is subconscious and positive discrimination is often unwelcomed (and in Europe unlike the US it's illegal).
But we need to keep talking and educating our teams to be aware and negate bias - of any kind.
It’s a great industry and I would also champion it. But we must always strive to make it better for everybody.”
Q5. How do you like to inspire and support other females and those entering our industry for the first time?
Alice - “I love seeing young women succeed in an arguably male dominated environment. Through my career I have been fortunate enough to mentor many young women starting in ad tech, and help them propel their careers forward, which has been hugely rewarding. This year I’ve joined the OMG Women’s Advisory Group so I am looking forward to working on many exciting events and projects to inspire Omnicom women! I am also a member of TWIPN, and I have loved being a part of such a collaborative group of women who are passionate about making change in our industry.”
Alison - “Inspiring and supporting other females is not just about promoting individual success, but about creating a more equitable and just society for all. I try to be a role model where possible in my career by setting an example of excellence, resilience, and compassion. I am always happy to share my story, along with the struggles I have faced and overcome along the way. One of the most valuable gifts you can give to another female is your time and expertise. I would recommend anyone joining the industry to become part of a supportive community such as TWIPN. Women often face isolation and discrimination in male-dominated fields or environments. By creating a supportive community of females, we can offer a safe space where women can share their experiences, learn from each other, and encourage each other to succeed.”
Paige - “I believe supporting others starts by supporting yourself so, showing up openly and proudly to everything I do but, also talking about the harder side. It may be as simple as a reaction to their Linkedin post or slack post but, doing my best to support everyone, but women historically have not been supported. Encouraging others to ask the right questions so they can find the right businesses with the right values so hopefully, more women can find environments like we have at Kepler and not have to learn through experiencing harder times in their career but, through hearing others experiences.”
Isabella - “The best form of mentorship is establishing a relationship that goes both ways. Keeping an open mind and listening actively when working with younger women has enabled a 2-way mentorship for me, where I can share my experience and knowledge, but often leave having learned something new about myself and my relationships. I’m a big believer in this and have found that it’s usually what makes the most out of the rapport for all parties involved.”
Federica - “Firstly, I believe every change starts from talking about it, so thanks to IAB Europe for giving us a chance to express our opinion on this important and often neglected topic.
Beyond that, I am a mentor for an ESCP EUROPE Master student based in Paris, an active member of Bloom and TWIPN and my next goal is to fulfil my role as new #IAM REMARKABLE facilitator to foster women empowerment in the workplace. “
Stacey - “As a woman in leadership, I have a seat at the table and have the power to push for change in big and small ways. I try to champion causes that will make things better for the next generation of female leaders, and to be honest with the men that I work with about the things we need to be doing better. Over the years I’ve also been really proud to be involved with mentoring schemes like Bloom, working with individual women to provide a sounding board and help them grow in their careers.”
Carolyn - “I have been lucky enough to work with a number of mentors throughout my career. I am both a mentor and a mentee and I encourage everyone - male or female - to find a mentor (or two) to help support their personal learning and development.
I have also found mentoring schemes in the workforce work really well and help foster that all important culture of support and connectedness between women.
Find a mentor - someone that inspires you. Someone that will help you become the very best version of yourself. That’s my advice.”
