Interactive Advertising Bureau

Brussels, Belgium, 29th February 2024 - Today, IAB Europe, the leading European-level industry association for the digital marketing and advertising ecosystem, published the first set of recommendations for Retail Media digital advertising metrics and measurement standards in Europe. The recommendations are open for industry comment and feedback and will help shape the final standards due to be released in April.

As Retail Media continues to grow as an advertising channel, media buyers must have consistent metrics with which to compare their investments. In 2023, IAB Europe found that 70% of buyers cited the lack of standards for Retail Media as a barrier to investment, with media and attribution measurement being cited as the most important areas to address first.

The recommended standards were developed following IAB Europe’s Retail Media Measurement Workshop which brought together 15 retailers from across Europe. This feedback was combined with the ongoing discussions from IAB Europe’s Retailer Council and Retail Media Committee. 

IAB Europe also recognises that progress has been made on the development of Retail Media metrics definitions in other markets (e.g. IAB US, BVDW in Germany, and ISBA in the UK) and this work was used to form the basis for discussions within the Workshop. For example, IAB Europe’s recommendations incorporate most of the elements from the Now and Next sections of the ISBA “Responsible Retail Media Framework”. 

The recommendations address the following areas:

The standards document can be viewed here alongside the FAQs document. The recommendations are open for public comment until the 29th of March 2024. Please send your comments to retailmediastandards@iabeurope.eu 

Jason Wescott – Chair of IAB Europe’s Retail Media Committee, and Global Head of Commerce Solutions at GroupM commented on the development of the standards: “There is no clearer example of the importance of IAB Europe and our Retail Media Committee than this work on Retail Media Measurement Standards. Whilst a rapid increase in the number of retailer advertising offers is a wonderful thing for our industry, it has made planning and buying more complicated, with accurate comparisons across providers burdensome, if not impossible. 

We brought the region’s leading digital retail media businesses together to collaborate on a common set of standards that will not only ensure retailers can be consistent with existing digital media standards, but also encompass consistent, retail-centric, metrics spanning sales attribution and sales/consumer insights. This consistency will be a big step towards making the region’s industry more unified and accessible for advertisers. I’m excited to see the first version of these standards and for future iterations, as this channel will continue to evolve.”

Jessica Wegner, Vice President New Business & Retail Media at Douglas Marketing Solutions commented on the importance of these standards: “In the dynamic landscape of digital advertising, Retail Media emerges as a crucial media solution, yet its potential was hindered by challenges such as the lack of standardisation. Only half of buyers currently recognise its efficiency, seeking standards and regulations. To unleash the full power of Retail Media, addressing this critical gap through standardised measurement methods is paramount. Moving beyond traditional KPIs like ROAS or CPC, the focus on standardisation, particularly in media and attribution measurement, holds the key to unlocking its true efficiency.

As Retail Media continues to deliver remarkable results, the recent milestone of IAB Europe releasing the first European Retail Media Measurement Standards is a transformative step. This marks a future-changing development, emphasising the increasing acknowledgment of Retail Media's significance.”

Following the feedback process, IAB Europe will issue a first version of Retail Media Metrics and Measurement Standards for Europe. IAB Europe also intends to continue to work on developing standards for Digital Retail Media advertising with addressable areas including creative ad formats, brand metrics, and in-store measurement. 

IAB Europe will host a webinar on the 19th of March to provide a deep dive into the recommended standards and provide the opportunity for audience questions. Register to join the webinar here

To access any more information, industry education, and intelligence about Retail Media in Europe, please visit IAB Europe’s dedicated retail media hub on its website here

Nearly three-quarters (70%) of digital advertising businesses have started their journey towards CO2e reduction  

Adopting solutions (90%) and developing tools (90%) to reduce GHG emissions, and creating consistent standards for GHG estimation (89%) are a priority to drive progress.

Brussels, Belgium, 15th February 2024 - IAB Europe, the leading European-level industry association for the digital marketing and advertising ecosystem, today announced the results of its latest annual ‘State of Readiness - Sustainability in Digital Advertising’ Report for 2024. The main findings highlighted that the vast majority of businesses in the digital advertising industry have started their journey towards CO2e reduction at 70%. 24% of those have made significant progress and 27% have made some progress. The report also shows that the adoption of solutions (90%) and development of tools (90%) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the digital advertising supply chain and the need for consistent standards for GHG estimation (89%) are crucial to driving progress within the industry. 

The report, now in its second year, received 186 responses from across 29 European markets and provides key insights into how much of a priority sustainability is for businesses in the ecosystem, and how much progress companies have made in reducing their carbon footprint and improving sustainable practices.

Key findings from the 2024 State of Readiness Report highlight:

Commenting on the findings Steffen Johann Hubert, Lead Sustainability at Seven.One Media and Vice-Chair of IAB Europe’s Sustainability Standards Committee said “IAB Europe’s second State of Readiness Report clearly emphasises that we are focusing our work in the Sustainability Standards Committee on the right challenges: Education, standardisation, transparency as well as measurement and reduction of emissions. Although many of the European regulatory requirements like CSRD & ESRS, CSDDD, GCD, and so on have not yet been implemented in the market, it is also clear that the digital advertising industry is taking the focus on the topic seriously and has intensified it once again since the last survey.”

Audrey Danthony, Co-Founder - Chief Product Officer at IMPACT+ also commented “IAB Europe's Sustainability in Digital Advertising Report highlights some of the clear, tangible progress the industry has made in acknowledging the impact it has on the environment. It’s encouraging to see that the industry is getting serious about sustainability. 

However, while there are promising signs, the report also highlights we still have a lot more work to do to take this commitment to the next level. Only 1 in 10 companies are estimating the carbon footprint of all their digital campaigns – and this needs to change. It’s urgent that players within the industry adopt best practices and robust solutions at scale to systematically evaluate and drastically reduce emissions of all their campaigns. When it comes to the future of our planet, every single ad impression counts.” 

IAB Europe’s Sustainability Standards Committee, a multi-stakeholder group that aims to share insights and deliver outputs that help to reduce the amount of energy consumed and emissions produced by digital advertising will be using the survey findings to help drive its 2024 work plan forward.

For more information on IAB Europe and the work being done to drive sustainability in digital advertising forward, visit the IAB Europe Sustainability Hub or contact communication@iabeurope.eu.

The full report with accompanying graphs can be downloaded from IAB Europe’s website HERE.

Brussels, Belgium, 8th February, 2024 - In a continuous effort to enhance transparency and accountability in the digital advertising ecosystem, IAB Europe is pleased to announce the release of the updated 'Guide to Quality' for 2024. This comprehensive guide written by members of IAB Europe’s Brand Advertising Committee is a valuable resource for all stakeholders in the supply chain, offering insights, best practices, and practical examples to elevate the quality of digital advertising campaigns.

Building upon the success of the initial release in September 2021, the 2024 edition of the guide encompasses additional quality elements, with a particular focus on sustainability best practices. As with the last edition, the guide addresses crucial aspects such as viewability, brand safety and suitability, ad fraud, campaign creativity, user experience, and privacy. 

To mark the launch of the updated guide, IAB Europe will be hosting a webinar on 7th March at 12:00 CET. The webinar will feature key contributors to the guide, including experts from the Brand Advertising committee, who will discuss the guide's significance and delve deeper into what constitutes quality in digital advertising and how this can be achieved. Participants can expect insights into why quality is paramount and gain valuable perspectives on implementing best practices.

"We believe that quality is a shared responsibility among all stakeholders in the digital advertising ecosystem," said Helen Mussard. CMO at IAB Europe. "This updated guide not only reflects the latest industry best practices and standards but also emphasises the importance of sustainability in digital advertising. We invite industry professionals to join our webinar and engage in a meaningful dialogue about the future of quality in our industry."

For more information and to access the 'Guide to Quality,' please visit here.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Helen Mussard, CMO at IAB Europe (mussard (at) iabeurope.eu)

Ever wanted to find a certain resource on a specific industry topic but haven’t known where to start? Look no further. We are pleased to share that our Knowledge Hub has expanded to reveal three new specialist Resource Hubs, allowing you to access all the expertise and insights that you need to know on some of the industry’s key topics. 

Dive into our new Hubs and equip yourself with the latest information, insights, and key resources on the following topics:

Retail Media Hub

Our Retail Media Hub showcases the rapidly growing Retail Media ecosystem. The Hub features the latest insights, definitions, and resources created in collaboration with our members.

Sustainability Hub   

Our Sustainability Hub features the work of IAB Europe, created in collaboration with National Federations and our members, to showcase what we are doing and the steps we are taking to support and achieve sustainability in digital advertising.

Post Third-Party Cookie Hub 

A dedicated hub strategically tailored to address the imminent depletion of third-party cookies.  The curated resources provided within this hub are geared towards sharing practical, solution-oriented guidance to prepare for a post third-party cookie era.

From educational tools to definitions, research, and the latest news and stats, we will continue to share and update these Hubs to provide you with all the quick-access information you need to stay educated, informed, and ahead of the game. 

What’s more, you can still access our central Knowledge Hub for all of the latest research, reports, and market insights from us and our members. So whatever you need to know more about, we have the resources at hand to help.

Keep your eyes peeled for more Resource Hubs coming soon.

Brussels, Belgium, 24th January, 2024 - IAB Europe has welcomed its first Chair and Vice-Chair of the Retail Media Committee, to help lead and drive integral work and pan-European standardisation and education in this rapidly growing digital advertising space. 

Jason Wescott, Global Head of Commerce Solutions at GroupM Nexus was elected as Chair of IAB Europe’s Retail Media Committee, alongside Patricia Grundmann, Chairwoman of Retail Media Circle, Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft (BVDW) e.V. and Vice President Media & Retail Media, Managing Director OBI First Media Group, who was elected as the Vice-Chair, on the 18th January during the first Committee meeting of 2024. 

Standing as the first Chairs of the Committee, Jason and Patricia were elected to lead the committee’s work to help increase understanding of the Digital Retail Media advertising ecosystem, enable cross-stakeholder initiatives, and develop standards to enable Retail Media to scale and thrive across Europe. 

Jason has been an active member of IAB Europe’s Retail Media work track since the multi-stakeholder working group was first launched in October 2022. Commenting on his newly appointed role, and sharing his expertise and vision for the committee, Jason said, “Retail Media has had a stellar year, claiming the accolade of fastest growing major ad revenue channel within digital for Europe and Central Asia in 2023. The digital ad landscape will continue to evolve at an exhilarating pace, driven by developments in data capabilities, technology, commercial opportunity, and digital consumer trends. 

With great change comes great responsibility. Recognising the growing impact, influence, and sheer scale of Digital Retail Media, it’s no surprise that IAB Europe has made it a larger focus; with one resource being a Retail Media Committee. This multi-stakeholder group helps increase understanding of the region’s Digital Retail Media ecosystem through industry definitions, guidelines, standards, market intelligence, and thought leadership. I’m tremendously proud to be a member of this collective, which brought together many of the region’s most influential (Retail Media) leaders - who’ve collaborated to produce valuable insights that provide enormous benefits. It’s an incredible honour to receive the vote of confidence from this group, and I look forward to supporting more in my role as IAB Europe Retail Media Committee Chair, for the next two years.”

Commenting on her role as Vice-Chair of the committee and her vision for supporting and leading the work alongside Jason, Patricia said “Only a shared understanding of the market enables an efficient, cross-party planning and implementation of retail media campaigns. I am looking forward to significantly increasing the market importance of retail media on a European level and establishing uniform European market standards and metrics to create more transparency for all parties.“

The Committee brings together retailers, including Ahold Delhaize, Bol, Douglas, MediaMarkt Saturn, Schwarz Media and Ocado alongside leading Retail Media businesses in Europe to advance and shape the future of this exciting digital advertising space and has already produced valuable resources including pan-European definitions, the first-ever industry association-led Retailer Digital Advertising Capability Map a Retail Media Glossary. You can find all of these resources and more on IAB Europe’s Retail Media Hub here. To find out more about the committee’s work and how you can get involved please contact IAB Europe’s Marketing & Insights Director, Marie-Clare Puffett here

Retail Media is transforming the digital advertising ecosystem. At the same time, it is transforming many retail businesses and how consumers shop with them. Whilst some retailers have developed sophisticated media networks, some are new on their journey. To understand what it takes to develop a Retail Media value proposition, we sat down with experts from our Retail Media Committee to gain their insight and recommendations. 

A big thank you to the following contributors for sharing their thoughts:

Q1. What are the top two considerations for retailers thinking about building a Retail Media proposition?

Diana:

Start by understanding your customer journey and building a unique proposition to deliver relevant touch points across the journey. Often this will differ by product category, channels, audience segment, store formats, and seasonality. The proposition should improve not detract from the overall customer journey with customer experience always front of mind. Pricing strategy should reflect the role in the customer journey but also consider market rates; demand v supply; category and product profitability and cost of sale.

Secondly, make it easy for your internal teams and advertisers to plan, buy, and measure an end-to-end Retail Media campaign across each touchpoint - this is likely to be a different solution for each retailer, and their target markets (brand advertiser v agency v long-tail supplier v a JBP (Joint Business Plan) supplier with a media commitment aligned to their trading activity). The key is to create a streamlined user journey and enable a single view of the campaign activity through APIs and custom integrations where necessary.

Martin: 

When retailers build a Retail Media proposition, they should prioritise two key considerations. First, they need to assess their audience and data assets, leveraging valuable first-party data and understanding the size, demographics, and interests of their audience. Second, retailers must develop a solid monetisation strategy, exploring different pricing models and ensuring a seamless integration that enhances the customer experience. Additionally, they should consider factors like technology infrastructure, partnerships with brands and agencies, competition analysis, and compliance with privacy regulations. A comprehensive approach to these considerations will help retailers build a successful and profitable Retail Media proposition.

Larisa:

First, have clarity on the go-to-market model: are you building your own Retail Media proposition in-house? Are you working with a third-party? Are you selling through a retailer media network such as Criteo? Will it all be self-service? Will you also offer managed service? We see many retailers working with a plethora of partners, which creates a lot of confusion for brands and agencies. I’m all for testing and learning, but I do believe retailers need to be very clear on the partner ecosystem.

Secondly, make it easy for advertisers to buy into your Retail Media offering – be clear on the unique selling points, on the pricing, on the ways of working.

Babs:

When retailers consider building their own Retail Media proposition, they should firstly initiate internal alignment to clearly define the value they offer to advertisers. This involves fostering collaboration across teams and business units to efficiently develop a viable solution. Additionally, retailers should prioritise effective use of customer data by investing in data technology solutions for storage, management, analysis, and activation of audience segments. Without a robust data infrastructure, competing in the realm of data-driven advertising becomes challenging. 

Furthermore, Retail Media thrives on collaboration. Retailers should engage in strong partnerships with brands and agencies, ensuring their proposition is attractive and accessible. Retailers need to understand their new partners' needs and goals and provide the best tools and solutions to align with strategic objectives. Lastly, retailers should be open to working with third-party technology providers to aid them in their Retail Media endeavours. The development of these retailer-technology partnerships is vital to the growth as well, as it makes it easier for smaller, vertical-specific retailers to enter the market and compete on a level playing field with the larger players.

Q2. What challenges should they be aware of?

Diana:

There are many! 

Martin: 

Retailers can build the case internally for a Retail Media proposition by highlighting the benefits of collaborating with trusted partners who have experience in this domain. They can emphasise that partnering with established experts avoids reinventing the wheel and accelerates the process of launching a successful media proposition. By showcasing the potential revenue streams, enhanced customer experiences, and the opportunity to strengthen brand partnerships, retailers can make a compelling case for internal stakeholders, demonstrating that leveraging trusted partners is a strategic and efficient approach to building a thriving Retail Media proposition.

Larisa:

In Europe, the Retail Media market is expected to be valued at 25 billion EUR by 2027 – that number in itself is a good starting point when trying to convince internal stakeholders to launch a Retail Media proposition. For retailers, I believe it’s less a case of why and more a matter of how and when. Bringing everyone to the table and ensuring that all interests are equally represented (trade & shopper, marketing, content, sales, etc) will be key in ensuring a holistic Retail Media proposition and it’ll make it easier for agencies and brands to buy into it.

Babs:

When persuading their internal teams, Retailers must remember they’re not just selling an idea but are telling a compelling story that aligns with the team’s goals and values and the significant growth opportunity for their organisations. A few things to bear in mind are: 

Q3. Can you share two top best practices for retailers?

Diana:

  1. Conduct a proposition audit every six months to assess how it is delivering against your business strategy. Build a framework that highlights gaps in the current portfolio, reviews competitor propositions, reviews the performance of each placement - STR, pricing, ease of implementation, ROAS, impact on site yield, and considers qualitative feedback - internal and customer. 
  2. Stay connected with the industry as it is so fast-moving. Keep talking to vendors and partners. Score and group innovation ideas into buckets such as - Do Now; Never; Yes but Not Yet; and Needs more Consideration. Continue to review quarterly.

Martin: 

  1. Adopt a step-by-step approach: Rather than spending extensive time on forming a comprehensive strategy, retailers should take an iterative approach. Consider utilising an existing technology or platform to build a first proof of concept. Deliver tangible results, evaluate performance, and learn from the outcomes. This incremental approach allows for adjustments and optimisations along the way, leading to a more effective and efficient Retail Media proposition.
  2. Simplify and expand the offering: Leverage existing platforms that simplify the complex process of vendor marketing. Streamline the management of vendors and extend the offering to both endemic and non-endemic vendors. By combining trade marketing and branding budgets, retailers can create an attractive proposition for brands and their agencies. Retail Media uniquely captures the complex customer journey from first impression to repeated conversion, providing a comprehensive channel for brands to engage with their customers.

Larisa:

  1. There is so much noise at the moment in the industry and so much fragmentation, so make it easy for your external stakeholders to understand your Retail Media proposition – everything from the pricing model to the placements and creative opportunities. 
  2. Showcase the incremental value that your Retail Media offering is bringing to the table – offering a ROAS metric based on last-click attribution doesn’t cut through the noise anymore. Brands need to know that the money invested in Retail Media will bring in incremental sales and new to brand audiences and they want to be able to properly track and measure those results.

Babs:

  1. Prioritise the customer journey - Use Retail Media to enhance the customer experience at every stage, from raising awareness to establishing loyalty. By leveraging customer data, retailers can deliver relevant and personalised ads that match the customer’s needs. Measuring the impact of your Retail Media campaigns on customer metrics, such as satisfaction and lifetime value can help gauge their effectiveness 
  2. Innovate and differentiate - Use your unique assets, such as your own products, services, content, and channels, to create distinctive and compelling Retail Media solutions. Experiment with new formats, on-site and off-site technologies, and partnerships, to offer more value and variety to your advertisers. Create a Retail Media proposition that reflects your brand identity and values, and that resonates with your customers and advertisers.

At IAB Europe, we love research and with our extensive experience of undertaking industry attitude and benchmarking studies on a range of digital advertising and marketing topics, it’s easy to see why. 

As such, as our festive gift to you, we’re excited to share and round up the year with not one but three unique and exciting surveys that we invite you to provide your expertise in. 

From the state of readiness of our industry when it comes to sustainability in digital advertising, to the current state and advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and understanding how prepared we are for the post third-party cookie era. Whether you’re on the buy or sell side we want to hear from you.

Each of our surveys is designed with time in mind and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Plus all answers will be kept strictly confidential. 

Check out the details below and participate today.

Thank you in advance for your time and insights, they really do help us to drive the future of our industry forward. 

Help us understand how much progress our industry has made towards sustainable digital advertising practices.

Achieving sustainability is critical for the digital advertising industry. But how much of a priority is it for businesses in the ecosystem today, and how much progress have companies made in reducing their own carbon footprint and improving sustainable practices? We need your help to find out.

Now in its second year, our State of Readiness survey aims to provide a comprehensive, pan-European understanding of our industry’s advancement towards sustainable digital advertising.

Your insights are valuable in helping us understand our industry's progress and what more needs to be done. We will be comparing this year’s results against last year's, so we can measure how attitudes and progress have developed. 

The deadline to complete the survey is Friday 19th January 2023. 


Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the digital advertising landscape. It’s a hot topic and one that is changing the way brands advertise, providing new ways of reaching consumers and automating complex tasks to help make more informed, data-driven decisions. 

But to fully harness its potential and to understand and navigate its challenges, we need your help and expertise.

In collaboration with Microsoft Advertising, we’re looking to gain valuable insights into the current state of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the digital advertising industry through our new survey. 

The survey is now open, and you have until Friday 2nd February, to take part. 


How ready is the digital advertising industry for a post-third-party cookie world?

With less than a year to go before third-party cookies are deprecated in Chrome, we are keen to understand how the digital advertising industry is gearing up for this new era. We invite stakeholders from across the industry to take part in this short survey to help us understand the level of readiness, which solutions are being tested, and where our industry needs more support. 

The survey is open for your participation until Friday 12th January 2023

December may be in full swing with the end of the year in sight, but we still have a few more virtual events for you to join, to keep you merry, and full of insight! 

From understanding streaming behaviour with Samsung ads and our Latest State of the Nation with our Chief Economist Daniel Knapp to a dedicated DSA Town Hall on the latest Tech Lab Specifications, we have a whole host of industry information sessions ready for you to dive into. 

All our events are free and can be joined virtually, so why not check them out below and register to secure your place today?

7th December | 15:00 CET

Join us as Samsung Ads reveal their latest analysis of Smart TV behaviours. Based on first-party data from nearly 9 Million Samsung TVs in the UK, discover how the increased ease of discoverability and app “surfing” is driving new Smart TV behaviours.

Following the report overview, our Chief Economist, Daniel Knapp, will dive straight into a fireside discussion with Kasia Jablonska, Director of Digital and OnDemand at BBC Studios, and Jenn Batty, Head of Content at Samsung TV Plus on the streaming ecosystem and the rapid rise of FAST. Check out the event here and register below. 

11th December | 17:00 CET

Join us for our latest Digital Services Act (DSA) Town Hall as we discuss the recent release of the technical specifications for the DSA Ads Transparency Solution Approach by IAB Tech Lab, in collaboration with IAB Europe. This session is a must-attend for anyone in the industry who would like to know more about the recently released technical specifications and how they can be applied.

Digital advertising in Europe is both exposed to cyclical forces of economic uncertainty and structural forces of industry change. 

As the season of 2024 predictions inevitably begins, this webinar takes an empirical, evidence-driven look at the future by analysing 10 forces shaping the future of digital advertising. 

We’re thrilled to announce that the 2023 State of Readiness - Sustainability in Digital Advertising survey is now open! We invite you to help us understand how much progress our industry has made towards sustainable digital advertising practices by taking part in the survey today

Achieving sustainability is critical for the digital advertising industry. But how much of a priority is it for businesses in the ecosystem today, and how much progress have companies made in reducing their carbon footprint and improving sustainable practices? We need your help to find out.

Now in its second year, our State of Readiness survey aims to provide a comprehensive, pan-European understanding of our industry’s advancement towards sustainable digital advertising. Whether you’re on the buy or sell side, located in a local or pan-European market (or beyond) have your say by taking part in our survey today.

The survey will take at most 10 minutes to complete and responses will be kept strictly confidential. Your insights are valuable in helping us understand our industry's progress and what more needs to be done. 

The deadline to complete has been extended to Friday 19th January 2023. 

On the 9th of November, around 100 stakeholders from across the advertising industry came together to discuss and debate sustainability in digital advertising at our first Digital Advertising Sustainability Summit.  

Thanks to the support of our event host Meta and event partner Ad Net Zero, we enjoyed a packed morning full of thought-provoking and inspiring content and discussions as we look to collectively drive and achieve key sustainability goals in our industry.

Check out the summary of all the key highlights below.

Opening Remarks

The event kicked off with Angie Gifford, Vice President, EMEA from Meta taking to the stage to outline her own personal experience as to why climate change is critical. After witnessing firsthand the severe rate at which the icecaps are melting in Greenland, she went on to say that what we are doing as an industry right now “is not enough” and that we all have our part to play in “moving the needle” to driving real change. Angie outlined the commitment Meta has made in this area, highlighting they have maintained net zero emissions for their global operations since 2020 and have an ambitious goal to reach net zero emissions for their value chain in 2030.

Our event host Christy Cooper, Global Director of Industry Relations from Meta added more insight into what needs to happen in order to shift focus and drive action. “As an industry, we are all committed optimists but now is the time for us to take more decisive action”. She reiterated that Meta is keen to support client and agency partners with their goals to measure the emissions of digital advertising, and was one of the founding partners of Ad Net Zero. Christy’s sentiment ran through the event, reminding us all that we cannot just talk to the converted, we have to reach those still not taking action with their sustainability plans. 

Anthony Falco, Global Director at Ad Net Zero then took to the stage to share the work that Ad Net Zero is doing to help the industry to decarbonise the production, distribution, and publication of advertising. He outlined the Ad Net Zero five point action plan, which provides a framework for businesses to make progress when it comes to decarbonising the ad industry and promoting sustainable consumer behaviour. This is categorised into these categories :

He also discussed how they are embarking on driving an industry-wide commitment to measurement and reduction, and how they plan to scale these efforts across the Globe.

Find out more about Ad Net Zero here.

Townsend Feehan, CEO of IAB Europe then shared the work of IAB Europe’s Sustainability Standards Committee, and how it is working hard to bring industry stakeholders together to share expertise and deliver vital work that helps to reduce the amount of energy consumed and emissions produced by the delivery of digital advertising. She explained that the work is split into the following key areas and how this work contributes to wider industry initiatives:

Great Work: A Spotlight on Best Practices

Isabelle Quevilly, Director of Creative Shop, NEMEA at Meta took to the stage, to share a fantastic example of brands driving action and change by showing the WFF campaign Meta created to reduce the amount of meat consumed. The case study showed how brands can use the power of digital advertising to speak directly to consumers, to encourage them to make small changes that can make a huge difference to our planet.

The campaign potentially had an impact of 33K tons GHG emissions reduction  (with 91,600 people declaring they made little swaps, such as swapping meat for a vegetarian diet once a week).

Isabelle was then joined by IAB Europe’s Marketing & Communications Director, Lauren Wakefield for an insightful Q&A discussion. Key highlights included:

Measurement: The Carbon Emissions of Advertising

We then moved to the topic of measurement, which was one of the main action points of the event. In order to create real change and move the needle it is imperative that our industry has consistent measurement standards in place, so that we can benchmark our efforts and accurately represent the reduction of carbon emissions. At IAB Europe, we are currently working on a gap analysis of presently available options for greenhouse gas estimation throughout the digital media supply chain. Our aim here is to provide the industry with a full, clear picture of what frameworks, methodologies, and estimators are available so that more informed decisions can be made.

We invited our panel to take to the stage to discuss this in more detail.

Moderated by Phil Smith, Director General of ISBA, who was joined by Craig Fryer, Global Media Director at Reckitt, Laura Wade, Head of Sustainability Strategy at EssenceMediacom, and Dimitis Beis, Data Analyst & Sustainability Manager at IAB Europe the panel discussed how we are working across the industry to align on a global measurement framework to measure the emissions of ads. 

Key takeaways from the discussion included:

Policy: The Future of EU Regulation on Sustainability

We then moved on to the topic of policy and regulation as IAB Europe’s Public Policy Manager, Ines Talavera de la Esperanza discussed the current policy and regulatory sustainability landscape in the EU, including relevant passed and live legislation that we should be aware of. She also shared her predictions for the end of the year and the potential impact of the EU Parliament 2024 elections. 

You can view the content shared on relevant regulations here, with the main takeaway being that she predicts that the new 2024 EU parliament will be a catalyst for more regulation that is likely to have an impact on digital advertising when it comes to sustainability. 

What’s Next?

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To round everything up Christy Cooper, Global Director of Industry Relations at Meta invited Townsend Feehan, CEO of IAB Europe, and Stephen Woodford, CEO of the Advertising Association to the stage to discuss their thoughts on the content covered and what we should expect next:

Here’s what they had to say:

Stephen - “We are at a tipping point. In terms of the climate crisis, we are now 20 years ahead of where we should be. With this being the hottest year on record, our planet is in crisis. As an industry, we are not going fast enough, and every day that we are not making progress we are adding to the problem. 2024 has to be a tipping point and we have to do so much better.”

Townsend - “How do we get more committed optimists? Is it that we need more resources and funding to do this? We need total candor from members about what we are doing as industry associations. Where are we getting in the way of solving the problem? Tell us honestly what we can do more of so we can drive positive action.”

In summary, the energy and passion of our industry can get ahead of regulation, but we have to make this happen now. The main action point is to drive those not yet working on plans into action and through the work of our committee, alongside our Global allies including GARM and Ad Net Zero, we need to focus on getting measurement in place so that we can finally see the change we are making. We need facts and hard numbers, and we all need to act. 

Overall, it was an amazing opportunity to be in a room full of “committed optimists”. Whether it’s harnessing new creative approaches, fostering action through impactful campaigns, seeking knowledge, or finding other ways to just do better, we look forward to continuing our work together and to achieving sustainability in digital advertising. 

Brussels, Belgium, 26th October, 2023 - IAB Europe, a European level association representing a diverse membership of digital marketing, digital advertising and media companies, has released a positioning paper outlining recommendations to improve GDPR enforcement in cross-border cases. The paper is in response to the European Commission's ambition to simplify and expedite GDPR enforcement in such cases. 

The association acknowledges the importance of ensuring a more straightforward and effective enforcement mechanism, and views the draft GDPR procedural regulation as a positive first step toward this goal. IAB Europe's paper outlines key recommendations aimed at enhancing the draft GDPR procedural regulation in several critical areas. First, the association advocates maintaining the one-stop-shop system as the foundation of GDPR governance, preserving the balance between national and European competences while avoiding measures that could weaken this mechanism. 

Second, IAB Europe emphasises the encouragement of early resolutions, such as amicable settlements, to efficiently resolve cases     , stressing the importance of facilitating amicable resolution mechanisms, like internal complaint systems. Furthermore, IAB Europe underscores the need for increased transparency in supervisory authorities' decisions, suggesting the inclusion of correspondence between supervisory authorities in the administrative file to strike a balance between confidentiality and accountability. Lastly, IAB Europe calls for the strengthening of defendants' rights to be heard, not only at key stages of the administrative procedure but also at other critical points, ensuring reasonable and proportionate time limits for their input. IAB Europe hopes that these recommendations will collectively help to better streamline and improve GDPR enforcement while upholding fundamental rights and fairness.

Commenting on the above key recommendations from the paper, Townsend Feehan, CEO of IAB Europe said "IAB Europe is committed to fostering a digital ecosystem that not only respects privacy and fundamental rights but also ensures efficient enforcement of GDPR regulations across borders. Our recommendations aim to strike a balance between transparency, accountability, and the protection of confidential business information, all while safeguarding defendants' rights to a fair procedure. We stand ready to collaborate with stakeholders to strengthen the foundation of GDPR governance and propel the industry toward a more streamlined and effective future." 

The policy paper can be found here for more information, please visit iabeurope.eu/ or contact Franck Thomas, Policy Director, IAB Europe - thomas@iabeurope.eu / Helen Mussard, CMO, IAB Europe - mussard@iabeurope.eu

 

According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the last 8 years have been the hottest on record. The signs are clear: global warming is well and truly here.

Since the 1980s, each decade has seen global temperatures higher than the last due to record levels of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) trapping heat in the atmosphere.

While that’s probably not news to you, the impact that digital technologies are having on climate change might be.

Despite the illusion that digital technologies are ‘clean’, their environmental impact is in fact massive.

Take digital advertising as a case in point: Since the early 2000s the space has experienced quasi-exponential growth. With spending on digital ads having risen from $10B to $378B in the last 20 years, according to eMarketer, it’s now the largest advertising medium in terms of investment globally.

The sheer growth of the digital advertising industry has had a clear and measurable impact on climate change.

Ready to Take Action?

So what’s the answer?

At IMPACT+ we believe digital advertising can be more sustainable.

And we’ve recently published a new whitepaper that provides everything you need to get started making your digital ads campaigns more sustainable.

The whitepaper sheds greater light on the true carbon footprint of the digital advertising industry and provides actionable solutions to reduce it.

Read through the five takeaways below, and download the in-depth white paper for more.

5 key Takeaways to Help Reduce the Carbon Impact of Digital Advertising 

  1. The digital advertising industry needs to adopt the right environmental performance indicators. Our white paper discusses the need for the industry to adopt a consistent measurement approach centered around two types of indicators:
    1. The total volume of carbon emissions - making it possible to manage the reduction in absolute value over time.
    2. A unit value - making it possible to compare campaigns, activations, actors or contexts with each other, independent of the volume of advertising.
  2. Advertisers must better ‘eco-design’ their creatives and websites. The white paper discusses the fact that, in the case of digital advertising, the work of the creative teams who produce the graphic elements and the click-through website is key.
  3. Advertisers should consider their ad-tech stack with the environment in mind. The more technology involved in ad serving, the more resources used and the more carbon emitted. Our white paper discusses considerations around building media plans and the need to limit waste when buying or selling programmatically.
  4. Reducing energy loss due to advertising waste is low hanging fruit that could make a big difference. An ad that does not reach its target creates a dead energy loss and therefore unnecessary carbon emissions. The white paper details how to raise the quality standards of advertising distribution by optimising the viewability of advertisements and thus lower the rate of energy-sapping, wasted impressions.
  5. There are easily implementable steps to measuring the impact of your advertising actions against counterproductive effects. Our white paper details how an effective action in one context is not necessarily effective in another. The same action can have a positive or negative impact depending on the nature and parameters of the campaign, and this is an important consideration when it comes to driving sustainability in digital advertising.

Download the Whitepaper

Don't miss out on these invaluable and actionable insights.

Click here to download our white paper and join the movement towards more sustainable digital advertising practices.

Plus join us on 28th September at 12:00 CET for IAB Europe's 'Digital Innovation: Start-Up Spotlight Webinar' where we will dive into the whitepaper and this topic in more detail. Find out more and register here.

More About IMPACT+

IMPACT+ award-winning sustaintech solution (trusted by leading global brands including L’Oréal, Heineken, AXA, BMW and Danone) enables digital advertising players to evaluate and reduce their environmental impact without sacrificing performance.

In essence, IMPACT+ builds new performance indicators and tools to help the digital advertising ecosystem use greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and electricity consumption to inform their digital advertising strategy.

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