Brussels, Belgium, 27th November 2025 - IAB Europe, the leading association for the digital advertising and marketing industry, is thrilled to announce the winners of its highly anticipated 2025 MIXX Awards Europe. The digital advertising universe shone a little brighter today as we unveiled the standout campaigns, boldest ideas, and sharpest strategies of the year.
This year’s competition reaffirmed Europe’s position as a global centre of creative excellence, with agencies and brands pushing boundaries, mixing media channels, and turning creative thinking into true, measurable impact.
The 2025 jury, chaired by Eddie Adedji, Head of Commercials at Publicis Media EMEA, consisted of industry leaders from global powerhouses such as WPP Media, Meta, TikTok, Microsoft Advertising, Mediaplus Realtime, PHD, Procter & Gamble, RTL AdAlliance, and others. Judges dedicated extensive time to evaluating and debating the submissions, with a clear objective: to uncover campaigns that demonstrated not only strategic brilliance but also creative work that would leave a lasting impression.
This year’s much-anticipated Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Saving the Voice of the Ghetto’ - Saatchi & Saatchi Poland, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, recognised as a true masterpiece that set a new creative benchmark, by turning tech and AI innovation into a deeply human and emotional experience.
2025 also marks a significant milestone with the introduction of the National Federation Award - a new distinction that recognises the federation whose market demonstrated exceptional performance by submitting campaigns that achieved outstanding results and made a notable contribution to the advancement of digital advertising in Europe.
The inaugural National Federation Award was presented to BVDW, with campaigns from the German market achieving the top overall performance score.
All winners were celebrated during the Virtual MIXX Awards Ceremony, which brought together industry professionals across Europe and beyond for an afternoon of recognition, insight, and inspiration.
Across 22 categories, this year’s winners showcased future-proof thinking at its best, through innovation, creativity, and a relentless commitment to driving the industry forward.
SILVER
Lotto Annuity Launch - YOU WIN ONCE, YOU GET PAID FOR TEN YEARS!
TEMPO OMD, OPAP S.A. LOTTO
GOLD
MEDIAPLUS Germany, Schäferei Stücke
SILVER
MEDIAPLUS Germany, Free2move |Initiative Vermisste Kinder
GOLD
Leo Burnett Bucharest, Old Spice Romania
SILVER
OMD Germany GmbH, McDonald‘s
BRONZE
Forgive me, I watched it without you
Leo Burnett Bucharest, Lay’s Romania
BRONZE
PILS HELLAS - OUR BEER, OUR RIGHT!!!
Tempo Omd Hellas, PILS HELLAS/ HELLENIC BREWERY OF ATALANTI S.A.
SILVER
THE RÜGENWALDER MÜHLE #WURSTPROMOTER
MEDIAPLUS Germany, Rügenwalder Mühle
BRONZE
PHD Germany GmbH, Unilever
SILVER
MEDIAPLUS Germany, Schäferei Stücke
BRONZE
MEDIAPLUS Germany, MediaMarktSaturn
GOLD
Ice Ice Maybe? With Data, Baby!
PHD Germany, Unilever
SILVER
MEDIAPLUS Germany, Free2move |Initiative Vermisste Kinder
BRONZE
From Web2App, From Visits to Loyal Value: The AI-Powered Personalised User Journey
Publicis Groupe Turkey, CarrefourSA
SILVER
MEDIAPLUS Germany, Free2move |Initiative Vermisste Kinder
BRONZE
“Disappointment? The main job after 50" Olx Poland
Przestrzeń Agency, Olx Poland
GOLD
Forgive me, I watched it without you
Leo Burnett Bucharest, Lay’s Romania
SILVER
PHD Germany GmbH, Unilever
SILVER
PHD Germany GmbH, Unilever
GOLD
Saving the Voice of the Ghetto
Saatchi & Saatchi Poland, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
GOLD
Saving the Voice of the Ghetto
Saatchi & Saatchi Poland, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
SILVER
MEDIAPLUS Germany, HORNBACH
SILVER
Culinara: launch of new Ukrainian cuisine in a new app
OMG agency, Culinara
BRONZE
Generation Y, Hellenic Gyros
GOLD
Universal McCann Turkiye, MediaMarkt Turkiye
SILVER
Ice Ice Maybe? With Data, Baby!
PHD Germany, Unilever
SILVER
MEDIAPLUS Germany, Free2move |Initiative Vermisste Kinder
GOLD
PHD Germany GmbH, Unilever
SILVER
Leo Burnett Bucharest, Old Spice Romania
SILVER
JOIN THE FUTURE Redstone Challenge
Mediaplus Austria, OVE & FEEI & Oesterreichs Energie & Bundesinnung Elektrotechnik & Bundesgremium Einrichtungs- und Elektrofachhandel
GOLD
MEDIAPLUS Germany, Schäferei Stücke
SILVER
JOIN THE FUTURE Redstone Challenge
Mediaplus Austria, OVE & FEEI & Oesterreichs Energie & Bundesinnung Elektrotechnik & Bundesgremium Einrichtungs- und Elektrofachhandel
BRONZE
Cure Media, Kronans Apotek
SILVER
Leo Burnett Bucharest, Old Spice Romania
BRONZE
Cure Media, Kronans Apotek
GOLD
The Audi Audit – AI Clears the Clutter
PHD Germany GmbH, Audi
SILVER
Kotányi AI Chef - from Conversational Marketing to Innovation and Growth
iPROM d.o.o., Kotanyi Slovenia
SILVER
Universal McCann Turkiye, MediaMarkt Turkiye
GOLD
PHD Germany GmbH, Unilever
SILVER
THE RÜGENWALDER MÜHLE #WURSTPROMOTER
MEDIAPLUS Germany, Rügenwalder Mühle
BRONZE
IRL x IRL: The Interactive R5 Launch
OMD Germany GmbH, Renault
BRONZE
Influencer remixed: The Patchwork Viral
OMD Germany GmbH, Dacia
GOLD
Ice Ice Maybe? With Data, Baby!
PHD Germany, Unilever
GOLD
From Web2App, From Visits to Loyal Value: The AI-Powered Personalised User Journey
Publicis Groupe Turkey, CarrefourSA
SILVER
Future Targeting for Burgenland Tourism
Mediaplus Austria, Burgenland Tourism
SILVER
Ljubljana Airport FLY 2.0 – Reinforcement Learning Powers AI-Driven Travel
iPROM d.o.o., Fraport Slovenia
BRONZE
Kyivstar JSC
BRONZE
Rescheduling Tzoker’ s media strategy to the “New Normal”
TEMPO OMD, OPAP S.A.
GOLD
Ice Ice Maybe? With Data, Baby!
PHD Germany, Unilever
GOLD
Coca-Cola & Unlimitail: Data-Driven Offsite Retail Media that Delivers Real Incremental Sales
Unlimitail, Coca-Cola
SILVER
SPAR Tailormade: Intelligent Advertising Powered by 1st-Party Data & AI
iPROM d.o.o., Spar Slovenia
BRONZE
OMD Germany GmbH, REWE Group
GOLD
Saatchi & Saatchi Poland, Rak’n’Roll Foundation Win your life!
SILVER
MEDIAPLUS Germany, Free2move |Initiative Vermisste Kinder
BRONZE
Rogalski Damaschin, Evryo
Winners were revealed at the MIXX Awards Europe Virtual Ceremony on 27th November, where the industry came together to celebrate outstanding creativity and effectiveness.
Retail Media has entered a new phase, beyond scale alone. As brands and retailers look past surface-level performance indicators and toward deeper measures of impact, the question is no longer if we measure, but how.
To explore what this meaningfully looks like today, we asked members of our Retail & Media Committee to share their perspectives. From ROAS and incrementality to lifetime value and full-funnel outcomes, they unpack the metrics that matter and how the industry can better align on what success truly means.
A big thank you to the following contributors for sharing their thoughts:
Nicolas Trannoy, Directeur Strategy & Marketing, Lucky Cart, representing Alliance Digitale
Maximilian Knorr, Retail Media Lead @Spark, Publicis Media
Ben Turner, Director, Media, Flywheel
Tim Abraham, Leading EMEA Retail Data Partnerships, The Trade Desk
Max - " Retail Media has matured from a focus on sponsored products to a comprehensive full-funnel channel, capable of engaging shoppers across diverse stages and mindsets. The increase in targeting capabilities and format diversity means that retail media can be used for driving growth across a variety of objectives, beyond simply short term sales."
Tim - "ROAS as a measure of success has its roots in on-site sponsored-search, where the majority of attributed sales come from users clicking and adding to the basket in a single session. However, as Retail Media has expanded to off-site and in-store tracking, success has evolved. In addition to ROAS, marketers are now thinking more broadly. We frequently hear from clients that leveraging off-site retail media is the most significant growth area (this is also reflected in IAB Europe’s research). For off-site, the ability to measure the impact of retail media using “all of market” retail sales is critical. Campaign success should be based on the impact across as many shop-fronts as possible; without that, the impact of retail media can be understated."
Nicolas - "Retail Media is now recognised as being more than a conversion tool, it does have an impact on awareness, consideration and overall on brand equity. You can also see the evolution based on who is responsible for Retail Media. It is moving from e-commerce to more traditional marketing functions. It starts to be integrated in the broader brand strategy and business plans, rather than a tactical tool."
Ben - "Success will always involve spend and sales - ROAS isn't going anywhere. It's where CFOs and CMOs meet in the middle.
But as Retail Media matures, ROAS alone can't answer the bigger question: what are we building? Most brands care about three things: revenue, category share, and profit. When we balance those, we can set a ROAS floor and ceiling - guardrails that protect performance while creating space for deeper metrics like consumer lifetime value.
This is where Return on Consumer is helpful, measuring a projected 12-month value of shoppers already in your funnel. ROAS tells you if campaigns work today. ROC tells you if you're building a sustainable consumer base for tomorrow."
Max - "Before diving into its limitations, it’s worth acknowledging ROAS for what it is: a highly practical metric. It’s simple to measure, easy to replicate, widely understood, and empowers marketers to make quick, tactical decisions in real time. However, ROAS is not the complete picture. It overlooks critical factors such as profit margins, incrementality, customer lifetime value, and the long-term impact on brand equity. Sales attribution can also be challenging as some retailers may choose to attribute conversions post-view, post-click or post-delivery across varying halo effects and time windows. We’ve developed our own ROAS normalisation framework to address this, and we encourage our retailers to return control of attribution methodology to advertisers as well as adopt IAB Europe’s measurement standards by default."
Tim - "ROAS is an invaluable metric for marketers as it provides an in-flight signal that allows for real-time optimisation. This provides huge value as it allows campaigns to be upweighted based on sales performance. This is particularly true when the marketers are using a media platform that allows them to set their own attribution rules and where multivariate AI is available. The chief challenge with ROAS, however, is that it doesn’t track incrementality, i.e. ROAS doesn’t account for sales that would likely have happened even if a user hadn’t been exposed to paid media. As a further consideration, because ROAS is based on identity match rates, it is challenging to compare ROAS between off-site platforms and channels - for example, the ability to match a user purchase to an ad impression in DooH differs from matching an ad impression on CTV."
Nicolas - "While effective and widely used, ROAS can lead to over-simplifying the impact of a campaign. The main limitation is the sale attribution. These sets of rules to attribute sales are relevant comparing solutions, or metrics evolution. Having said that, it is not linked to actual business performance, hence the need to move to incremental measurement. Additionally, the metrics used for a campaign should match the business objective aligned prior to the campaign. Whether a brand is launching a new product, trying to counter a declining market share, or maintaining top of mind awareness makes a significant difference in terms of what to measure."
Ben - "I can totally understand why ROAS became so important to the industry. However, there are some limitations to this view.
(1) Balancing all of our success on the media's role in a conversion based on last-touch and within 14 days of Click/Impression bears no view on the retail state of a product. Reviews, ratings, price and availability all become powerful incentives to buy or not to buy.
(2) ROAS also can’t tell you the value of that customer to the brand. New and existing loyal customers represent very different commercial value to the business in both consumable or durable products.
(3) Ignoring everything up until that point is also quite unhelpful. Based on our frequency analysis across all Amazon conversions, we typically see an average of 7 ads per user (all ad types) before a user converts. If we placed 100% emphasis on an average of 1/7th (14%) of the journey, then attribution should also follow that logic. This is why benchmarking time between Impressions becomes key to moving a customer along in their journey."
Max - "Incrementality testing helps brands and agencies determine which channels, audiences and keywords are most effective at driving demand. It goes beyond surface-level metrics by proving causality and isolating the effect from advertising from external factors such as seasonality and promotions. This should be of the utmost importance to retailers as brands can leverage these findings to justify and secure additional media investment. Connecting these powerful incrementality insights with the fast-paced, real-time nature of programmatic retail media buying remains an ongoing challenge but also offers immense opportunity for innovation."
Tim - "Incremental sales lift measurement is the counterpoint to in-flight ROAS - ROAS does not measure incrementality, but is available in real-time, for sales lift, the reverse is true. Ultimately, we know that incrementality is the key business outcome for advertisers to track media ROI. Incremental Sales lift is specifically designed to allow advertisers to understand what sales were influenced by paid media that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. This is the primary input used to determine channel investment/media planning use cases, as well as providing signal/validation for MMM treatments."
Nicolas - "Retailers and brands share many common challenges; the main one in this case is the need to close the sale. It’s never been easier for a shopper to switch products, brands or retailers. Being able to measure “true” business impact is a must to build retail media tools which are relevant and convincing for shoppers. From a pragmatic perspective, retail media is still under the microscope in terms of investments, so having incrementality will facilitate brand investment both in terms of frequency and absolute levels."
Ben - "What’s important to consider is that what is incremental today, may not be incremental tomorrow. The dynamic that is most important to consider is the maturity of signals we get from retailers and the individual consumers value from that retailer.
But what does incrementality actually tell us? Or, what do we want to see in an Incrementality test? Testing gives us a healthy perspective on what’s true in the given moment. We look at the following before starting an incrementality test: true uplift in sales (vs baseline), avoidance of attribution bias, current channel and tactic ROAS, the diminishing returns of that ROAS and halo conversions."
Max - "Brands should focus on metrics that capture both impact and efficiency. It starts with ensuring investment is competitive, which is reflected in share of voice, and confirming ads are actually seen through viewable impressions. From there, engagement indicators such as click-through rate and page views reveal whether the creative is compelling, while conversion rate validates that the right audience is being reached with the right product. Finally, profitability must be assessed from multiple angles: short-term return on investment, long-term repeat purchase rate, and incremental uplift to confirm true added impact. No single metric provides the full picture, but together they form the foundation for achieving broader marketing objectives."
Tim - "The emerging best practice we see (and recommend) is to track a variety of business outcome KPIs across the funnel - that’s to say, KPIs that track real-world impact, as well as media metrics. For example, mid and upper funnel campaigns could be benchmarked to Brand Lift (e.g. what is the incremental impact on brand preference for exposed users vs unexposed), and lower funnel activity might be benchmarked to incremental sales lift. This also applies to measuring across digital channels - TTD research shows the importance of reaching users across channels like CTV, DooH, and Audio. The ability to run consolidated campaigns across channels for optimisation, frequency capping and measurement is as crucial as full-funnel measurement."
Nicolas - "As stated before, the starting point to define the relevant metrics is to be clear on business objectives. Depending on the brand situation at said retailer, there will be some specific needs. The traditional engagement and conversion metrics usually give a good picture of the situation. Considering a launch, focusing on Share of Voice metrics and visibility is a good starting point. With more established brands, taking a step back with Consumer Lifetime Value, or at least taking into account the shopper’s previous purchases and metrics, could give a more actionable insight."
Ben - "Given the inputs required to make MMM’s truly efficient, we tried to reinvent and simplify. De-duplicating users across the funnel was the first step – for example, a user could be in the actively shopping for headphones and also having viewed one of our headphone product pages. Retailers may signal this shopper to be two individuals that we target twice with two different tactics. This created a new funnel based on ad exposure:
By giving a “credit score” to the users in the bucket with average time spent per stage, we can then start to isolate our gaps in the funnel that advertising can fill."
Max - "Brands and retailers must start by agreeing on shared business objectives and ensuring media KPIs align with those goals. Adoption of measurement standardisation and their attribution methodology are equally important to establish transparency and trust. Finally, they must build the right underlying technology that will seamlessly integrate retailer transaction data with brand media performance to create a holistic view that connects exposure to actual sales and incremental impact. One example of such an approach is our Publicis Warehouse technology which was co-developed with Amazon for the purpose of addressing this challenge and making retail insights actionable."
Tim - "There is a clear opportunity for brands to implement a measurement framework that not only shows the impact of full-funnel and omnichannel (as discussed above), but also the impact across RMN components. For example, how do in-store ads impact the subsequent performance of on-site campaigns? How does off-site impact on-site? The particular concern raised by CPGs is that siloed measurement of on-site in isolation can under-value the “funnel driving” impact of other RMN channels. Put simply, CPGs want to understand how all parts of their RMN buys work together across channels and through the whole conversion funnel to drive business outcomes like ROAS, Brand Lift or Sales Lift."
Nicolas - "Based on numerous discussions on the topic, the reality is that, on one hand, retailers and tech solutions have different capabilities and legacy challenges. On the other hand, brands and their agencies have different strategies and needs. This is going to be the situation for the coming years, and we believe that it is ok. It enables differentiation as well as innovation to come up with the most effective solutions.Taking the pragmatic approach is to build common understanding within the ecosystem on how and what to measure while securing transparency with certification. Clarifying the roles and responsibilities has been useful in France, the template used as an example."
Ben - "Two simple north stars that we try and live and breathe:
1. Centralise true measurement. stand up a secure clean room and use a neutral environment (e.g., Amazon Marketing Cloud, Google ADH, Snowflake, LiveRamp) for privacy-safe joins across media exposure, site/app behavior, and retail transactions.
2. Define shared outcomes: Pick 3-5 business KPIs everyone's marketers can shield within their internal dynamics. A good example is setting a ROAS floor and ceiling, which then allows you to look deeper into incremental sales, new-to-brand rate, net PPM, and LTV. Sadly, CTR goes out the window in retail media if we aren’t converting consumer demand."
IAB Europe’s Retail & Commerce Media Committee is at the forefront of the Retail Media industry. Members are driving Retail Media growth and shaping the landscape by:
All of the work of the Committee can be found in our Retail Media Hub here.
Find out more about our work and how you can get involved by contacting Marie-Clare Puffett - puffett [at] iabeurope.eu.
68% cite cross-platform data access as their top challenge
Over 50% are testing or adopting Data Clean Rooms and Unified IDs
26th November, Brussels, Belgium - IAB Europe, the leading European-level industry association for the digital advertising industry, has today released the first Pan-European Report on the Adoption of Addressability & Measurement Solutions, revealing how advertisers, agencies, publishers, and technology providers across Europe are navigating the shift toward a privacy-first digital ecosystem.
The report reveals that although nearly 9 in 10 respondents are at least somewhat familiar with addressability, true expertise remains concentrated in ad tech companies and agencies, with advertisers displaying notable knowledge gaps.
Key Findings From the Report
Commenting on the report’s findings, IAB Europe’s Digital Advertising Product Manager, Lucio Gagliardi, said, “The findings show real progress, but they also highlight that many organisations, particularly brands, still need deeper support to assess and implement addressability and measurement solutions with confidence. Ensuring the industry moves forward together will require strong education, clearer guidance, and alignment on standards.”
Wayne Tassie, Group Director, NL at DoubleVerify & Chair of IAB Europe’s Advertising & Media Committee, also commented, “As Europe accelerates toward a privacy-first advertising ecosystem, Addressability and Measurement sit at the core of this transformation. This research shows momentum across the industry and highlights the uneven adoption and fragmentation that continue to slow progress.
Organisations require clarity to map their vision. Regardless of whether you are an advertiser, agency, publisher, or technology provider, there is a common need for consistent guidance, interoperable solutions, and stronger alignment across markets. The goal of the Advertising and Media Committee is to help bridge these gaps by supporting industry education, fostering collaboration, and championing practical standards that allow every part of the ecosystem to move forward with confidence.”
As part of our ongoing mission to support a privacy-first digital ecosystem, we will continue to develop educational and best-practice resources, helping all stakeholders to understand and build the expertise needed to navigate identity, data, and measurement in Europe.
About the Study
Developed by IAB Europe’s Addressability & Measurement Working Group, the survey gathered responses from more than 79 advertisers, agencies, publishers, and technology providers across 27+ European markets.
The full report is now available on our website here.
Our Sustainability Standards Committee is excited to share that the fourth annual State of Readiness Survey is now open for your input.
Whether you’re on the buy or sell side, working locally or regionally, we invite you to share your voice to help build a clear picture of how our industry is moving toward sustainable practices.
As sustainability expectations continue to increase from consumers, regulators, and partners alike, our industry has a critical role to play. This survey helps us understand where we stand today, including the attitudes, actions, and challenges companies are facing as they work to reduce their carbon footprint and embed more sustainable practices across the digital advertising value chain.
What’s New This Year
For the first time, the survey includes an expanded focus on social impact. This addition acknowledges that sustainability today is not only about environmental progress but also about people, responsibility, and societal outcomes.
Why Your Participation Matters
Your insights are essential in fueling the future of our industry and what we do next when it comes to sustainability. The survey findings help us:
Every piece of information you share helps strengthen our understanding and build a more sustainable overview for digital advertising.
🗓️ Deadline to participate: 2nd January, 2026
We’ve also collaborated with several of our National Federation partners to make this survey available in multiple local languages. You can complete the survey in your local language in the following markets. Simply select your preferred language from the options in the top right corner of the survey :
Thank you for contributing to this important initiative!
Brussels, Belgium, 17th November 2025: IAB Europe - together with ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association), Connect Europe, EACA (European Association of Communications Agencies), EACB (European Association of Co-operative Banks), EAIF (The European AI Forum), EBF (European Banking Federation), egta (the international trade body of multiplatform TV and audio businesses), EPC (European Publishers’ Council), EUTA (European Tech Alliance), EU Travel Tech, FEDMA (Federation of European Data and Marketing), GSMA, IATA (International Air Transport Association), Insurance Europe, and Video Games Europe - has sent a joint letter to EDPB Chair Ana Talus regarding the Board’s initiative to organise a stakeholder event on anonymisation and pseudonymisation following the CJEU ruling in Case C-413/23 EDPS v. SRB.
The letter notes that the CJEU’s clarification that pseudonymised data may, in certain circumstances, effectively qualify as anonymous creates an important opportunity to advance the objectives of the EU Data Strategy and strengthen Europe’s capacity to develop and deploy innovative technologies across all sectors of the economy.
The signatories call on the EDPB to ensure a participatory event format, including active involvement of EDPB members, balanced representation from public and private stakeholders, and the presentation of concrete use cases to demonstrate how anonymisation and pseudonymisation work in practice.
The letter further highlights the importance of developing practical and operational frameworks for anonymisation and pseudonymisation for companies to innovate with legal certainty, including tools such as checklists and interpretative grids, as well as exploring the role of certification schemes.
The undersigned associations look forward to contributing their expertise to the upcoming stakeholder workshop and support the EDPB’s ongoing work in this area.
The letter can be found here. For more information, please contact IAB Europe’s Privacy Director, Ninon Vagner at vagner [at] iabeurope.eu.
Programmatic advertising is constantly changing with new technologies emerging, and rising expectations around transparency and efficiency. On 26th November at 12:00 CET, we’re bringing together leading experts from across the digital ecosystem for our H2 2025 Virtual Programmatic Day (VPD).
Hosted by Nick Welch, Senior Director, Programmatic & Sell-side Development, IAS, this virtual event will explore the biggest trends and challenges that will define the next phase of programmatic growth.
This latest edition of VPD will offer fresh insights, practical guidance, and future-focused discussion on topics such as:
We’re excited to announce that the following speakers will be joining us on the virtual stage:
Alice Beecroft, Snr. Dir. Global Strategy & Partnerships, Yahoo
Bal Singh, Associate Group Director, Regional Client Partnerships - EMEA, DoubleVerify
Clara De Rosa, Head of Customer Success UK, Adform
Gabrielle Le Toux, Sr Director Product Marketing, FreeWheel
Sotiris Oikonomou, Managing Director, MarkApp
Mark Evans, Head of Buyer Development UK, Index Exchange
The full list of speakers can be found here, and keep your eyes peeled for more being added very soon.
Register below to secure your free virtual place at Europe’s largest virtual programmatic event.
Our Public Policy Manager, Inés Talavera de la Esperanza, shares her thoughts on the Commission's newly published Consumer Agenda for 2025-2030.
Today, the European Commission published its long-awaited Consumer Agenda for 2025–2030 - and with it, confirmed the preparation of the Digital Fairness Act (DFA) . This proposed new regulation, coming at a time when Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has prioritised and EU leaders have demanded simplification and regulatory restraint to foster competitiveness and growth in the European Union. This raises a crucial question: How will this push for new consumer protection rules align with the promise to simplify the EU’s regulatory landscape?
The EU’s prosperity depends on ensuring that rules are proportionate, targeted and do not overburden businesses, especially small and medium enterprises. This is particularly true for the digital advertising sector, which Executive Vice-President Ribera called "the backbone of the online economy".
And yet, at the same time, the Commission is preparing a Digital Fairness Act (DFA) that seems poised to introduce new layers of regulation to an already crowded, complex and recent rulebook.
The Commission is trying to reassure digital businesses by promoting the Digital Fairness Act (DFA) under the banner of “filling gaps” and “simplifying rules for businesses in the EU.” Yet few in the digital economy would describe additional rules coming as part of a DFA as “simplification”
The paradox is striking. Europe’s digital advertising ecosystem is already heavily regulated by data protection, consumer, and digital laws.
Take, for instance, the issue of so-called “dark patterns” and “click fatigue.” The Commission raised this topic in its recent public consultation on the potential Digital Fairness Act. Specifically, when talking about cookie banners, it’s a legitimate user experience issue — but not a consumer protection problem. It’s a question of data protection compliance under the GDPR and ePrivacy rules.
National Data Protection Authorities have already issued divergent guidance on this, leading to a patchwork of interpretations across Member States. Adding a new consumer-law layer would only deepen that fragmentation.
If simplification is truly the goal, the answer lies not in new rules but in better coordination among existing ones. This should be addressed during existing simplification workstreams, such as the Omnibus packages.
Another emerging idea in the DFA consultation is to regulate targeted advertising based on a consumer’s “vulnerability” - for instance, “negative mental states.” In practice, it raises serious technical and legal challenges. Detecting such states in real time is in tension with data protection rules as it would require collecting and processing sensitive personal data - information about an individual’s financial situation or health - that are endowed with special protection under the GDPR.
If individuals don’t give explicit consent to process this type of data, companies cannot lawfully identify if they have vulnerabilities. The result? An idea that is impossible to comply with, resulting in a de facto ban on personalised advertising.
Another area where a DFA would reinvent the wheel is influencer marketing. The Commission has included the possibility of tackling harmful practices under the initiative. However, a wealth of EU and national-level industry-led initiatives, such as AdEthics, which has been endorsed by Justice Commissioner McGrath, are working effectively to promote responsible behaviour online across the EU. Again, the real challenge is not a lack of regulation, but ensuring consistent enforcement and awareness of what already exists - and supporting the effective industry-led initiatives.
DG JUST’s consumer strategy, and the future Digital Fairness Act risk departing from the simplification principle guiding the second von der Leyen Commission. With the EU27 asking the Commission to demonstrate regulatory self-restraint, the DFA” will serve as an early indicator of whether that commitment is genuine. Simplification must mean simplification, i.e. fewer, clearer, and coherent rules.
For more information on our policy work and how you can get involved, visit our Policy Hub.
It’s been a little while since we gathered in Amsterdam for our Retail Media Impact Summit. But the conversations are still buzzing. From debates to follow-ups and committee discussions, the themes that surfaced are continuing to shape how we think, plan, and collaborate in retail and commerce media today.
So, we thought… why not keep the momentum going?
To round up the week, we’re revisiting some of the standout ideas from the Summit and also highlighting the latest releases from our Retail Media Roundtable podcast series, recorded live at the event.
Whether you’re in 2026 planning mode, building your Retail Media roadmap, or just curious about where all this is heading, check out some of the ideas and content below.
In this roundtable session, attendees discussed the realities of moving from silos to synergy. Teams are calling for a truly omnichannel mindset, tracking performance across every touchpoint: on-site, in-store screens, CTV, DOOH, and beyond.
Installation isn’t the finish line; it’s the starting point.
Post-install efforts must focus on proving ROI, refining audience fit, and building go-to-market clarity through real case studies. You can read more on Zitcha’s website here.
One retailer. One shopper. One strategy.
This message resonated deeply, highlighting the need for integrated planning and better internal collaboration to unlock Retail Media’s full potential.
Another theme we’re still unpacking is incrementality.
A live poll during the Summit found that around 60% of attendees see incrementality as a worthy goal, but not easy to execute today. The conversation that followed was rich.
To support the market on this journey, we’ve partnered with IAB US to release new Guidelines for Incrementality Measurement in Commerce Media, outlining four potential approaches:
While experiment-based methodologies remain the gold standard, model-based and hybrid methods are gaining favour as more scalable and pragmatic options.
The takeaway? Incrementality is absolutely achievable, but only through collaboration, shared frameworks, and improved data accessibility.
You can explore the full write-up here.
We’re also sharing a fresh round of our Retail Media Roundtable podcast episodes that build on some of these conversations and more, offering a mix of perspectives on strategy, activation, measurement, and what’s next.
Listen to all our podcasts here.
We’ll continue spotlighting learnings, examples, and discussions in the weeks ahead, so keep an eye out. And in the meantime, why not head over to our Retail Media Hub for more information, insights and an overview of our work.
With COP30 taking place next week in Brazil, global attention is once again turning to the urgent need for collective climate action. While headlines often focus on heavy-emitting industries like energy and transport, the environmental impact of the digital ecosystem (and the advertising supply chain within it) is also impossible to ignore.
Every ad impression, data transfer, and supply-path decision carries an environmental cost. As world leaders and industry stakeholders gather to accelerate climate commitments, digital advertising professionals must play their part by understanding, estimating, and reducing their environmental footprint.
For brands, agencies, publishers, and platforms, this moment highlights an essential point:
Even as the industry’s focus shifts, sustainability remains a key responsibility. And gaining a solid understanding of its role in digital advertising will help professionals contribute meaningfully to a more accountable and resilient ecosystem.
To help the industry meet this demand, we’ve launched a condensed, half-day online course on Environmental Sustainability in Digital Advertising, designed to equip professionals with the knowledge, frameworks, and practical tools they need to take meaningful action.
With 2026 on the horizon, many organisations are assessing how to build the right capabilities for a more responsible and efficient digital world. Sustainability remains an important part of that picture, helping teams make smarter decisions, reduce impact, and meet continually changing expectations.
Yet many still lack confidence in how to:
Strengthening these skills now means entering the new year better equipped to operate responsibly, respond to client needs, and contribute to a more transparent and robust industry. Ultimately, sustainability knowledge is becoming a practical advantage, supporting both performance and accountability.
This half-day online course is designed to give you, or your team, a comprehensive yet practical overview of how sustainability applies to digital advertising.
You will learn how to:
This is not just theory. It’s practical knowledge you can use immediately.
This course is ideal for:
Whether you’re a beginner or looking to formalise your understanding, this training will provide tangible value that helps you speak the language of sustainability and act on it.
Dimitris Beis, Data Analyst & Sustainability Lead at IAB Europe, will lead the sessions. Dimitris works at the intersection of advertising and environmental responsibility, helping the industry understand measurement complexities, activate best practices, and ensure sustainability progress aligns with real-world standards.
His hands-on experience and knowledge of the European digital ecosystem ensure you’ll leave with practical insights, not just theory.
We know that time is precious. That’s why this programme has been designed to deliver maximum value in just half a day.
Choose from:
Both sessions are virtual, enabling you to join live from anywhere.
Don’t forget, if your organisation is part of the IAB Europe network, you can access a discounted rate. Email the team at communication [at] iabeurope.eu for more information.
Head over to our training page for more information on the course and secure your spot today.
In September, we hosted our inaugural Retail Media Impact Summit in the heart of Amsterdam. A landmark event that brought together over 150 industry leaders to share insights, strategies, and bold ideas to help shape the future of Retail Media in Europe. One of the themes of the day was the transformative role of AI in driving smarter campaigns, better measurement, and richer shopper experiences.
To continue the great conversations sparked at the Summit, we caught up with Andreas Preuer, Senior Director, Business Development - EMEA at Moloco, one of our expert speakers, to dive deeper into this exciting topic and explore what lies ahead for Retail Media in the age of AI.
You can watch our highlights reel and catch up on all of the action from the day here, and get Andreas’ thoughts below.
“AI finally lets retailers activate their most valuable asset—first-party data—at scale and in real time. Instead of relying on static rules or third-party identifiers, models can predict intent, optimise bids, and match the right ad to the right shopper across billions of auction decisions.
This transformation helps retailers balance objectives like GMV, margin protection, and shopper experience. It also compresses the feedback loop from weeks to milliseconds, so learning compounds and campaigns continually improve rather than plateau.
The timing matters because retail media has reached an inflection point. Advertisers are demanding proof of incremental performance, not just vanity metrics. Shoppers expect seamless, helpful experiences. And retailers need to monetise without degrading customer satisfaction. AI is the only way to balance all three of these priorities simultaneously.”
“We’re seeing a shift from manual campaign optimisation to outcome-based automation. Advertisers are moving away from constantly tinkering with CPC or CPM bids and instead setting business objectives—target ROAS, cost-per-acquisition, or new-to-brand goals—while AI handles the tactical execution in real time.
This approach delivers dramatic efficiency improvements. Retailers using AI-powered personalisation combined with outcome-based bidding can increase ad load without degrading the consumer experience, which creates substantial value and breaks previous growth ceilings.”
“The best retail media doesn't feel like advertising but helpful discovery. AI makes true ad personalisation possible by understanding shopper intent and matching it with relevant products, even when the shopper doesn't know exactly what they're looking for.
Think about someone searching for "comfortable shoes for standing all day." Traditional keyword matching might show generic athletic shoes, while AI can process that query along with session behaviour and surface curated products like supportive work shoes, gel insoles, or compression socks.
AI also prevents ad fatigue and overexposure by understanding when a shopper has seen enough and adjusting frequency accordingly. When done right, AI-powered ads improve key engagement metrics. We've seen partners achieve 30% higher click-through rates because the recommendations are genuinely relevant, which boosts both ad revenue and overall sales.”
“I'm most excited about the standardisation of AI-native incrementality measurement. For too long, an overemphasis on last-click attribution has made it hard for retailers and marketers to gauge real impact. Now, advertisers are demanding proof that campaigns drive purchases that wouldn't have happened without ads.
At Moloco, we use a ghost bidding methodology that measures incrementality during live campaigns without the revenue sacrifice of traditional holdout groups. Early testing shows that up to 29% of conversions among exposed onsite users were truly incremental—new business that suppliers would have otherwise missed. This type of rigorous testing is becoming table stakes.
I'm also watching agentic AI closely. We'll see AI agents acting as personal shoppers on owned-and-operated properties, helping customers navigate complex catalogues using natural language. For retailers with extensive product ranges, this could dramatically improve discovery and reduce decision fatigue.”
“The Retail Media Impact Summit was one of the best events I’ve attended this year, bringing together heads of Retail Media Networks, leaders representing top brands, and agency executives. My biggest takeaway is that Retail Media continues to be the largest margin driver in retail, and AI will deliver the next wave of growth and scale for retailers, resulting in highly personalised ads, outcomes-based buying, and improved automation.
What also struck me was the shared challenge across the room: leaders are being asked to deliver future growth without additional resources or headcount. This is where AI becomes essential rather than optional. The technology exists today to automate campaign creation, optimise in real time, and dramatically improve efficiency. Retailers who embrace this, focusing on change management alongside technology modernisation, will build a sustainable advantage in the years ahead.”
To hear more from Andreas on how AI is advancing Retail Media, tune into our Retail Media Roundtable podcast episode, recorded live at the Retail Media Impact Summit. In the episode, Andreas joins Drew Cashmore, Managing Director, Adaptive Retail Group & Chief Strategist, Vantage, to discuss how AI is reshaping strategy, measurement and shopper experience in the space.
At our Retail Media Impact Summit in Amsterdam, one of the most thought-provoking sessions tackled a critical and often debated topic in Retail and Commerce Media: incrementality measurement. As Retail media continues to mature, understanding what truly drives incremental outcomes - and how to measure them effectively - has become one of the industry’s most pressing challenges.
During this breakout session, to set the stage, we conducted a live poll among attendees, asking two key questions:
1. Is the industry the gold standard for measurement in Retail Media?
2. Incrementality is a noble goal, but constraints make it nearly impossible to achieve.
Interestingly, 60% of participants agreed with the second statement. This result highlights a shared sentiment across the ecosystem. While incrementality represents an ideal in campaign measurement, it remains complex and, in many cases, difficult to implement in practice.
As discussed during the session, incrementality implies causality, yet causality itself exists in many shades. The reality is that not all incremental measurements are created equal, and this complexity makes standardisation a challenge for the industry.
During the session, our Retail Media Consultant, Yara Daher and IAB US’ VP Commerce & Retail Media, Collin Colburn, presented a preview of the new IAB Europe and IAB U.S. Guidelines for Incrementality Measurement in Commerce Media. Officially launched today, the guidelines offer a comprehensive look at the state of incrementality measurement, providing a framework for navigating the wide range of methodologies available and the conditions under which they perform best.
The Guidelines identify four primary approaches currently used across the industry:
Each approach offers its own advantages and limitations - from precision and scalability to practicality and resource requirements. The goal of this work is to help buyers, sellers, and technology partners align on common principles and expectations when it comes to proving true incremental impact.
Download the Incrementality Guidelines from the IAB Europe website here.
We discussed the four different approaches to incrementality: experiment-based, model-based counterfactual, econometric and hybrid proxies. Although everyone agrees experiment-based marketing holds the most rigour, it is not always possible. We then went on to discuss the growing adoption of Model-Based methods, such as Synthetic Controls and Ghost Ads. These techniques are gaining traction as advertisers and retailers seek more scalable ways to assess campaign performance.
However, as several participants noted, these methods are still in their experimental phase within the European market. Questions remain about their reliability, consistency of inputs, and potential for cross-platform validation. Continued collaboration between data providers, retailers, and technology partners will be key to refining these models and driving wider adoption.
Adding a practical perspective, Stan Lajouanie, VP Brand EU & LATAM from LiveRamp, shared how LiveRamp is enabling retailers and brands to unlock more actionable insights from incrementality measurement. The company is helping push incrementality measurement into social media environments, ensuring retailers can deliver key insights through Conversions APIs (CAPIs) and develop strategies that align more closely across different media channels.
This interoperability is essential for a holistic understanding of performance - particularly as retail media expands into off-site environments and across multiple walled gardens.
As we look ahead, we will continue to explore how incrementality data can be made more accessible and actionable across the wider industry and will examine the merits of each measurement approach. The newly released guidelines provide a strong foundation for this next phase of work.
For more information on our Retail Media work and how you can get involved, visit our Retail Media Hub here, or reach out to our Industry Development & Insights Director, Marie-Clare at puffett [at] iabeurope.eu.
On 21st October, we hosted our first-ever Connected TV (CTV) Workshop in Brussels, bringing together sell-side experts from EGTA, Amazon, ProSiebenSat1, Google YouTube, RMB Belgium, Pubitalia and IAB UK for an engaging afternoon of collaboration, insight sharing, and discussion.
Connected TV (CTV) continues to be one of the fastest-growing areas of digital advertising in Europe. According to our 2024 AdEx Benchmark Report, investment in BVOD and SVOD environments has grown significantly over the past few years, reflecting the increasing convergence of traditional TV and digital channels.
According to our research with DoubleVerify, 50% of European buyers now frequently consider CTV as part of their media mix - a clear signal that this channel is becoming a core component of cross-screen strategies. But, despite this momentum, challenges persist, particularly when it comes to measurement.
The research also shows that while advertisers see huge potential in CTV, many still face a lack of transparency. That’s why IAB Europe continues to support the sustainable growth of this channel by bringing industry experts together to discuss common challenges, identify solutions, and work towards greater clarity, standardisation, and transparency in CTV.
During the session, participants reviewed key buy-side questions around measurement, verification, and delivery, explored existing guidelines such as those from the Media Rating Council (MRC), and discussed what IAB Europe’s CTV Working Group can do to build on these frameworks to strengthen the European market.
Participants highlighted a range of pressing issues that need to be addressed to unlock CTV’s full potential across European markets.
The group discussed the need for a harmonised approach to measurement.
Commonly requested metrics include:
While BVOD-style metrics such as impressions remain dominant, many platforms still reject third-party tracking. Participants agreed that measurement data should integrate with brand and agency models to enable more holistic analysis.
A recurring theme was the lack of shared definitions across European markets. Participants agreed that mapping how inventory is sold and bought should come before standardisation. While frameworks like the IAB Tech Lab’s Content Taxonomy exist, they are not yet widely adopted.
It was suggested to align with MRC definitions and categorise metrics into “must have,” “should have,” and “nice to have” to support future harmonisation efforts.
We have already released the first set of definitions, which can be viewed in our newly published Digital Video Framework and Glossary.
There is a strong need for education across the ecosystem — from understanding CTV formats and buying options to factoring co-viewing into measurement models. Participants also highlighted the importance of achieving regional parity in data and research to support better outcomes.
The group suggested developing a CTV capability map to support market understanding - an initiative that is already in progress within the CTV Working Group.
Building a core set of transparency principles was seen as a key next step to unify the market. Both buy-side and sell-side participants emphasised the need for stronger alignment on targeting and verification approaches.
The group agreed on several follow-up actions to keep the momentum going:
The first CTV Workshop marked an important step forward for our work in this space.
Stay tuned for more updates from our CTV Working Group as we continue to drive progress in this space. And if you’re keen to get involved, reach out to our Industry Development & Insights Director, Marie-Clare, at puffett [at] iabeuorpe.eu for more information.
