In this week's member guest blog post we caught up with Lisa Kalyuzhny, RVP, Advertiser Solutions, EMEA at PubMatic who takes a look at supply chain transparency and the key topic of sustainability.
Across the digital advertising industry, the conversation about sustainability is growing louder. The terms ‘carbon neutral’ and ‘net zero’ have made their way into our day-to-day vocabulary and as a result, we are more informed and better equipped to understand the steps we need to take to protect our planet. However, we’re still at the beginning of the quest to decarbonise the digital advertising industry and there is a lot of work to be done if we’re to reach net zero by 2030 as pledged by Ad Net Zero and its members.
What are the biggest problems facing the industry today?
Advertising has always been a blend of art and science, and sustainability is a redefinition of the science component of that equation. Sustainability is about creating a thriving economy and society for all, now and forever. Today, the digital advertising industry sits somewhat behind the curve and there is work to be done to ensure that advertising has a role in a net-zero society.
When we hold a mirror up to the digital advertising industry what we see is complexity - a plethora of technology and data companies intertwined with each other, trying to best serve the needs of publishers and advertisers. This complex web of interoperability has also, in the past, suffered from a lack of transparency and brand safety issues. Solving these issues has largely been shouldered by publishers leaving a legacy of ‘responsibility’ for the state of the supply chain.
Today, we need a mindset shift where there is a collective feeling of responsibility throughout the supply chain. We need all parties to work together to define how we can create new values and principles that best serve advertisers, publishers, consumers, and the environment. We need to learn from the past and ensure that no one party in the chain dictates the future and that there is a robust definition of what we’re trying to achieve; why we’re trying to achieve it; and most importantly, how we’re going to measure results consistently.
Steps we can all take now to make advertising more sustainable
First and foremost, we need to ensure we’re not wasting energy which is such a precious resource to society. There are simple rules that can be set such as not buying from one supply-side platform (SSP) via another that you already have a partnership with. This means that energy is not being wasted in an unnecessary hop in the supply chain thus making it more efficient both commercially and environmentally. Implementing changes like this that have a clear commercial and environmental benefit will accelerate the rate of change as there is clear value rather than altruism which is not a long-term solution.
There is a real need for education and understanding across the industry both globally and on a local level in different countries to cater for market nuances and ensure that the best possible approaches are being taken based on individual market circumstances. This education process needs to extend beyond the digital advertising industry and include consumer-focused communications. We need to explain what the issues are, what they mean, what we’re doing, and show the results. This will help build consumer confidence in advertising as a force for good.
The approach has to be systematic and pragmatic - like tidying a messy room. Optimise existing processes, scrutinise the path behind and ahead of you, and ensure that everything works in the most efficient way possible. Look at what you can do now, what you can do in six months' time, 12 months, 2 years, or even 5 years from now. Be realistic about what you can achieve and when and be transparent about it. No one is going to win in sustainability by covering up the truth or pretending to deliver change.
What happens next?
Cleaning up supply paths by reducing hops from advertiser to publisher, the removal of cookies, and responsible use of first-party data will help improve sustainability with near immediate impact. However, we also need to look to the future and what else we can do with a long-term lens.
New companies are entering this space with new tools and solutions designed specifically with sustainability in mind. As industry leaders, we need to ensure that we’re collaborating with these new companies to ensure that best practices are verified commitments and not a race to the bottom or profit-driven. Collectively, we need to keep in mind that no one has a silver bullet which is why we need a common end goal that is robustly defined and well-understood.
The digital advertising industry has been built on technology and more often than not technology companies have been the ones that have stepped up to solve the challenges marketers face. Sustainability is different. Any company that is creating emissions needs to be responsible for reducing them. Regulations similar to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) designed to improve and increase reporting of climate-related financial information could well come into play in digital advertising and help guide the way forward.
How to set up for success
Each organisation will follow its own path towards a more sustainable future but there are some factors that will undoubtedly contribute to success regardless of the specific action plans laid out.
Investing in grassroots and engaging people on a personal level through initiatives such as beach or river clean-ups, removing plastics from office kitchens, or providing training on how to improve personal sustainability will help to foster a culture of responsibility and consideration throughout your organisation. Empowering people to think about how they can contribute to a more sustainable future no matter what their job role or level is will create long-term action rather than a tick-box attitude or laser focus only on specific climate awareness days.
Ultimately, the question we need to ask ourselves when it comes to thinking about the long-term is: “How do we make sure sustainability doesn’t become de-prioritised?” Two things are key here - 1) build sustainability and measurement into all business processes, and 2) hire people who care. Doing these two things will enable companies to deliver change both now and in the future. We’re only just getting started on our sustainability journey in digital advertising and there is a lot of hope and optimism that we need to nurture as we go through this radical transformation for good and work to become a net zero society.
IAB Europe has not one but two new exciting working groups for you to join.
Check out the details below and sign up to participate today.
Sustainability Standards Committee
The committee will bring the industry together to create new standards for the delivery of digital advertising. These standards will help and direct all industry participants to reduce the amount of energy consumed and carbon emissions produced through their use of digital media.
Today, it’s estimated that the Internet’s overall environmental impact is around 2%-4% of global carbon emissions, with a typical ad campaign emitting around 5.4 tons of CO2. As the industry and wider society become increasingly aware of the climate crisis, and the impact that the internet and digital ads have on the environment, it has now become more important than ever to take responsibility and action.
To tackle these numbers, the committee will produce a ‘Green Media standard’ which is composed of practical and measurable steps that participants can implement to decarbonise their digital media.
For members wishing to join the committee please sign up here. Organisations wanting to be involved in the committee who are not yet members of IAB Europe, please contact - communication@iabeurope.eu
Retail Media Working Group
The Retail Media Working Group will bring together stakeholders from across this emerging new channel in order to enable collaborative conversations, provide education and insights and create recommendations to shape and define this new, exciting advertising space.
Retail Media in Europe is accelerating each year and is a key part of the media plan. In 2021 the market was worth €7.9 billion and this is expected to reach €25bn by 2026, representing a significant investment opportunity. Further, a recent buy-side survey on the Retail Media Opportunity in Europe shows that retail media is already a key part of the media plan; 92% of advertisers and 74% of agencies surveyed state that they are currently partnering with retailers to reach consumers.
The new working group is open to all IAB Europe members and will provide education on the retail media landscape, the benefits, use cases as well as insights and standards to enable the market to continue to grow.
For members wishing to join the working group please sign up here. Organisations wanting to be involved in the committee who are not yet members of IAB Europe, please contact communication@iabeurope.eu
In this week's Member Guest Post we hear from Chris Costello, Senior Director of Marketing Research at Skai. He dives into what difference was seen across the two Prime Days that took place in 2022 and what happens when it's no longer a "singular" event.
Amazon Prime Day has been an event that always attracts both shoppers and advertisers in large numbers for years. As a singular event, once a year, it typically yields advertiser spending at three to four times the daily average for the month running up to the two-day online sale.
So, what happens when it is no longer a “singular” event?
Prime Day Early Access 2022 results
In 2022, we had a second Prime Day event for the first time, spanning October 11 and 12. Sandwiched between the first Prime Day—maybe call it Prime Day Prime?—and the holiday season, the nominal goal of the new event is to help jumpstart holiday spending well in advance of Thanksgiving weekend. To some extent, that was what happened in 2020 when the initial event was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With marquee events on either side of the Amazon Prime Day Early Access Sale, as it was officially called, advertisers and consumers could be forgiven if they didn’t respond quite as strongly. Compared to the 4X increase in advertiser spending for the first Prime Day in July, compared to the previous 30 days, the October version only saw an average spending increase of 2.8X.
One constant across both the two events this year and the Prime Day event in 2021 is the premium on ad prices. The average cost per click (CPC) across the October Prime Day was up 56% compared to the average for the 30 days beforehand. By comparison, CPC increased 50% in July and 53% for the 2021 event in June.
This means that the spending difference resulted from a smaller increase in click volume this time around. While it would be easy to point at the macroeconomic environment, it should also be noted that consumers do not have an inexhaustible supply of dollars to spend even in the best of economies, so competing with a similar event just three months ago was always going to be a very high bar to clear. Overall volumes, whether spending, clicks or sales revenue, were down compared to that event by 30-50% depending on the metric.
When we look at ad-driven sales revenue–how much Prime Day advertisers made in product sales–the increase over the previous 30 days was 2.9X.
If you’re doing the math at home, that makes the October Prime Day effectively neutral with regard to Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), up just 3%. By comparison, sales revenue in July increased 4.5X, resulting in a ROAS bump of 12%.
As we have come to expect, Computers & Consumer Electronics continued to dominate Prime Day, even in October. Spending increased 6.6X over the previous 30 days, and sales revenue grew 5.2X, making this event more purely about sales volume than ROAS this time around for the category. Other strong showings came from Hobbies & Leisure (3.5X spending increase) and Home & Garden (4.1X spending increase).
On balance, the Amazon Prime Day Early Access Sale 2022 ROAS took a bit of a hit for most individual categories, but a sales volume strategy can be just as compelling, as evidenced by previous Prime Day performances from categories like Beauty & Personal Care. Considering some of the inventory issues that have been reported as supply chain issues have convulsed over the last year, Prime Day may have ultimately been effective in clearing the decks, and the warehouses, as we prepare for the holidays.
For more information on Skai and its Retail Media Solution visit its website here.
On 25th October, IAB Europe hosted the H2 2022 Virtual CTV Event, and with almost 300 people in attendance, it was a huge success!
Featuring a series of panel discussions and market deep dives from IAB Europe member companies, the event unpacked key topics from what to expect from CTV in 2023 and Programmatic CTV in Europe to CTV and Consent.
In this post, you will find an overview of each of the sessions covered, as well as video recordings for you to view in your own time. Enjoy!
Panel Discussion with Audience Q&A: What Can We Expect From CTV in 2023?
We are now entering a new Advanced TV universe characterised by new digital-like capabilities offered by the TV ecosystem. The rise of connected devices exacerbates the fusion of formerly distinct media, distribution and business models by bringing digitally native video to the big screen in the living room. How will these advances shape the CTV ecosystem over the next 12-18 months?
Will Jones, VP Partnerships, MediaMath moderated this session and was joined by:
Watch the session recording here
Panel Discussion with Audience Q&A: Programmatic CTV in Europe
There has been great interest from broadcasters and buyers alike in finding new ways to enable more programmatic execution of advanced TV. The panel discussed the current capability of programmatic and CTV, shared best practices, and discussed how this unique ecosystem will continue to evolve in Europe.
Sarah Botherway, Director, Partner Development, Index Exchange moderated this session and was joined by:
Watch the session recording here
Keynote Presentation: Latest Measurement Standards and Initiatives for CTV
Watch the session recording here
Panel Discussion with Audience Q&A: Consent and CTV
How do you balance opportunity and responsibility in CTV? This panel discussed how consent is collected in the CTV environment, shared best practices and challenges that still need to be overcome. They looked at what the demise of the third-party cookie will mean for CTV and how the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF) works for the CTV industry.
Paul Gubbins, VP, CTV Strategy, Publica moderated this panel and was joined by:
Watch the session recording here
In this week's member guest blog post we caught up with Shez Iqbal, Director of Publisher Partnerships and Global BIPOC Co-Community Leader, Criteo to find out what brands need to know ahead of Black History Month's 100th Anniversary.
Originated in the US in 1926, Black History Month took more than 60 years to materialise in the UK in its current form.
While undoubtedly a move in the right direction for its time, in 2022 the concept of a Black History Month provokes key questions about the state of diversity and inclusion across the UK; shouldn’t Black history be woven into the fabric of British history? Should we really have a set month to celebrate it? Do we celebrate it in the right way?
It’s clear a more nuanced conversation is required, not least when it comes to advertising. To support this, Criteo held a series of talks and panels with leaders from the advertising industry. Here we summarise some of the key takeaways from Criteo’s BIPOC Community panel discussion with Media For All, hosted by Director of Publisher Partnerships, Shez Iqbal.
From The Little Mermaid to James Bond, the conversation about Black representation in blockbuster films is as hot as ever. However, Criteo’s Jessica Luzemo warns brands to be careful about the characters and personalities they create, “so often you see the runner, the athlete, the rapper et cetera, but among these needs to be the astrophysicist, the politician, as well as everyday people.”
Choosing the person who’s not well known gives communities who rarely see themselves represented in the media an important stake in the ground, not to mention the impact on their relationship with the brand whose name accompanies that memory.
“Who doesn’t like seeing someone who looks like them in a movie or on the front cover” quipped Darren Sital-Singh of Studio PI, “but the fact is most crews behind the camera are still predominantly white.”
The importance of representation within the brand cannot be understated. One of the most interesting developments in this space is the number of studies highlighting the improved performance of diverse teams. Simon Haynes of Havas Lyons Group quoted McKinsey research revealing it’s statistically proven outputs are 35% higher on average among businesses that embrace diversity in the decision making process.
Ali Syed of ZoomInfo picked up on the pitch process, which so often fails to make any stipulation about the diversity of the team responding to a brief. “While unseen, I think it’s a really powerful way to drive change in how you operate and ensure every campaign is centred around people who understand the subject matter best.”
Black publishers can be a fantastic help to brands unsure of how to bring their ideas to market when they’re in the planning stages.
As the founder of The Grape Juice, a leading urban news publication, Sam Ajilore reflected on the fact he has yet to be approached by a brand looking for his consultation on how to engage his readership. Rather, he drew from his recent experiences being approached by brands with very grime oriented briefs looking for a “rapping mascot”, where a more granular approach would reveal savvier partnerships with Rihanna or Beyonce, who produce far greater resonance with Black audiences.
Ali Syed raised the important question of profiteering as brands refocus on the Black pound. It’s all too easy to join in the clamour of the moment, but when a brand’s subsequent actions don’t empower Black consumers to improve products based on their needs for instance, a question must be asked about authenticity.
The solution here is in considering if and where a connection can be made the drives meaningful benefit and opportunity for Black communities. “There’s so much potential for brands to more directly connect with consumers and give them the chance to educate the business in a way that positively grows the brand” Ali explained.
One sector which takes full advantage of the opportunity presented by the diversity of thought is pharmaceuticals. As Simon Haynes recounted from his campaign experiences, “they’re acutely aware of the discrepancies in healthcare provision to the degree the conversation about representation simply isn’t needed, it’s the modus operandi.”
Whether its the specialised hair and skin requirements of women from ethnic minority backgrounds or something universally relevant like common cold remedies, representation is woven into every creative; a benchmark for all brands to aspire to.
Finally, it’s one thing to make a host of commitments each year as October comes around, but what matters is how you deliver on them. Sam Ajilore has noticed a trend of companies speaking about their value or what they’ll achieve but in many cases last year’s promises have simply “fallen by the wayside”.
More often than not this the product of myopic thinking at the campaign planning level. To escape the vicious cycle of promise and re-promise, brands should take all of the above into consideration when planning and embed the delivery of real change throughout the organisation, from top to bottom.
Perhaps, as Darren Sital-Singh points out, “the need to talk about it in October takes away from the need to talk about it all through the year.”
As the Amazon Ads program mix becomes an ever more critical part of the advertising landscape, competition for attention on the platform has also become increasingly fierce. In this week's member guest blog post with Josh Dreller, Sr. Director of Content Marketing at Skai learn how to remain successful on the platform without overshooting your advertising budgets.
For most retail advertisers, Amazon has become too big to ignore. Over a relatively brief period, Amazon has gone from being an online bookstore to one of the largest global retail brands.
And because of its giant online footprint, Amazon Ads has become one of the leading digital ad channels for retail marketers, with worldwide advertising revenue forecasted to reach nearly £36 billion by the end of this year.
But as the Amazon Ads program mix becomes an ever more critical part of the advertising landscape, competition for attention on the platform has also become increasingly fierce. Some reports estimate that Amazon Ads prices have gone up nearly 50% year-over-year.
To remain successful on the platform without overshooting their advertising budgets, Amazon marketers must understand the types of ads Amazon offers and how to best use those ad offerings together to create a cohesive advertising strategy that maximizes spending.
Amazon Ad Types
The first step to optimising your Amazon ads program mix is understanding the four main types of Amazon ads.
Where and how you invest in these Amazon ad types will dictate a lot of the value you can get from your Amazon Ads program.
Five Best Practices for Optimising Your Amazon Ads Program Mix
Once you understand the main types of Amazon ads, the next step to successful Amazon advertising is using those ad types together to maximize their impact.
Here are some best practices for making the most of your Amazon ads:
Be Price-Conscious
Amazon ad prices vary by ad type. And as with any media mix, a balance of volume and quality is vital. Sponsored Products can offer tremendous volume and will most likely represent the bulk of your Amazon Ad impressions. However, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, and Amazon DSP ads should all work together to drive a specific action.
When thinking through your program mix, ensure you are always buying about your total program, not just one ad format at a time.
Be Funnel-Focused
Retail media has long been relegated to a bottom-of-funnel tactic, but Amazon ads can be used at every stage of the purchase funnel. Amazon shoppers use the platform at every stage of their buyer’s journey, from research to final purchase. Think carefully about where your product fits into the market and how the right mix of ad formats can meet potential customers at the awareness, consideration, and action phases.
Be Target-Minded
No matter which Amazon ad type you’re using, there are plenty of targeting options–keywords, product, audiences, interests, behaviors, and more. However, not every ad type offers all of these targeting methods, so understand what each ad type is capable of, then use those capabilities in conjunction with one another to seek out your ideal audience with each ad.
Be Competitive
The Amazon ad landscape is crowded, and knowing what types of ads your competitors are buying and where those ads are popping up is a critical piece of the Amazon advertising puzzle.
To remain competitive with your Amazon Ads program mix, you will sometimes need to bid higher because competitors are buying up the market share of ads, but occasionally, you will have to back off. For example, a competitor launching a new product might raise keyword bids in the first weeks or months after the release but lower bids afterward. Waiting means still claiming share of voice without blowing your budget trying to compete.
Be “Retail Ready”
Amazon has always encouraged its sellers to make product detail pages (PDPs) as well-built as possible. These pages act as a virtual storefront, offering potential customers insights into your product.
For advertisers, winning a bid that leads those shoppers to a PDP that doesn’t look like a virtual showroom that fully answers all their questions about a product is not likely to move shoppers down the funnel. So save your ad spend for PDPs that do your product justice.
For more information about how you can make the most of your Amazon ads program mix, download “The Skai™ Marketing Guide to Mastering Amazon Ad Types” here.
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The leading digital advertising and marketing companies in the Baltics have joined together to launch a unique industry association - The Interactive Advertising Bureau Baltics (IAB Baltics). IAB Baltics aims to bring together the leading players of digital media and advertising industries in Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania to represent their interests, conduct cutting-edge marketing and media research, promote employee education, and exchange experience.
IAB is an industry-recognised global association of digital advertising players, operating in dozens of countries with more than 700 members. "The Baltic States was one of the few regions not represented on the IAB European map and our market data was not analysed in the IAB global research. There is a lack of sufficient data on the size and opportunities of Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian online advertising markets. It has a negative impact on attracting global advertisers and reduces opportunities for exporting advertising services. Regular research of Baltic advertising market data will identify trends and provide a more accurate picture of the volume of interactive advertising activity," says Digna Degtjarova, Chairman of the Board of IAB Baltics.
Besides research, IAB Baltics' main tasks are to promote the industry's expansion, establish clear guidelines and quality standards for digital advertising.
"Currently, there are no uniform rules in the Baltic digital advertising market. We believe that the introduction of uniform guidelines will reduce the number of unscrupulous players, make the industry more transparent and increase the level of trust among advertisers. IAB Baltics plans to defend the interests of its members, to increase the value of the industry to legislators and policymakers. We are here as a trusted source for our members, the industry, advertisers and authorities to help simplify and explain the complex world of digital advertising," says D. Degtjarova.
Another key focus of IAB Baltics is on educating market players, offering digital advertising education to agencies and media as well as advertisers. This will help to use the funds invested in advertising more efficiently and increase the competitiveness of the Baltic advertising market in the global environment. The IAB's unified standards and certification system are recognised in the USA, Canada, Europe, and other regions, and the association will offer market-relevant knowledge to industry professionals and students alike.
The organisation was initiated by leading players in the digital advertising market, including Httpool, Google, Ekspress Grupp, digital advertising experts Digital Matter, on-demand printing and warehousing company Printful, Digital innovation bureau Quantitas, advertising agency Frank by Inspired, and media TVNET GRUPA. The organisation is encouraging other members to join.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - 7th October 2022: The Belgian Data Protection Authority (APD) has informed IAB Europe that it intends to pursue its examination of the action plan submitted in April with a view to its possible validation. This is despite the Belgian Market Court’s interim ruling of September 7th 2022 that declared illegal the APD decision (which served as a basis for the action plan) because of the APD’s lack of due care. In addition, the Market Court has referred fundamental questions on the substance of the matter - and relevant to the action plan - to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
IAB Europe welcomes every opportunity to enter into a dialogue with the APD, and other supervisory authorities concerned, on its action plan and how best to deliver extended functionality to the Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF). The action plan is the result of a careful assessment of what measures would best meet the APD's interpretation of the GDPR, and the resulting obligations that it creates for IAB Europe. It reflects the willingness of the sector to find solutions and to cooperate on tools that are meaningful for data subjects, while practical and scalable for all market players involved.
However, while the action plan is a basis for discussion to continue the work on improving the TCF, IAB Europe firmly believes that the APD decision cannot be enforced.
Firstly, the Market Court found that the APD’s decision was illegal due to irregularities at the stage of the APD’s investigation. Secondly, the measures proposed in the action plan stem directly from the assumptions that (i) the TC String (a digital signal containing user preferences) should be considered personal data and that (ii) IAB Europe acts as a (joint) controller for the dissemination of TC Strings and other data processing done by TCF participants. The Belgian Market Court has decided to seek guidance from the CJEU on both of these points, based on questions raised by the APD itself during the course of the proceedings.
IAB Europe reserves the right to engage in any form of available legal action should the APD attempt to enforce its illegal decision and preempt responses from the CJEU on the central issues that have been referred to it
“The questions that have been referred to the CJEU are foundational as they call into question whether an enforcement action should have been brought against IAB Europe in the first place,” comments Townsend Feehan, CEO of IAB Europe. “Pending the answers from the CJEU on the matter, we look forward to soliciting guidance from Data Protection Authorities to deliver extended functionality to the TCF. ”
An updated FAQ on the case may be consulted on IAB Europe’s website here.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - 7th September 2022: IAB Europe acknowledges the interim ruling handed down today by the Belgian Market Court (part of the Brussels Court of Appeal) in connection with IAB Europe’s appeal of the February 2022 decision by the Belgian Data Protection Authority (APD) on IAB Europe and the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF). In its interim ruling, the Market Court has decided to refer preliminary questions to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on how the concept of data controllership in the GDPR as it pertains in this case, is to be interpreted and on whether a TC String (a digital signal containing user preferences) can be considered as “personal data” under the GDPR. The referral to the CJEU means that a final judgement by the Market Court is unlikely until 2023 or even 2024.
IAB Europe welcomes the Market Court’s decision to seek guidance from the CJEU. “The interpretation of the notions of personal data and controllership embraced by the APD is unnecessarily broad from a consumer protection point of view and has significant negative implications for the development of open standards and the Codes of Conduct foreseen in the GDPR,” noted Townsend Feehan, IAB Europe’s CEO. “It would place an unacceptable financial burden on host organisations, discouraging the development of these important compliance tools”.
An updated FAQ on the case may be consulted on IAB Europe's website here.
The world of commerce is changing at high speed. Accelerated by shifting consumer habits during the pandemic, a nuclear explosion has sparked for the digital commerce landscape.
As habits changed, a rapid uptake of commerce solutions emerged. Faced with not being able to leave home, consumers increasingly adopted eCommerce to facilitate their shopping needs and more and more brands started to turn to and tap into this valuable channel. The once distinct worlds of brick and mortar and online merged allowing consumers to seamlessly change environments and shop with ease.
There is now a vast frictionlessness in the way people can buy things, with new technology removing the obstacles of exploring goods, buying and enquiring about them, without having to be in a physical store.
Social commerce is a rapid expansion of this already booming eCommerce landscape. Where the content and products now travel with the consumer, the social aspect, in this environment, has the ability to manifest conversations around the product and the transaction, in a fun and engaging way. And all in one place.
To further explore commerce, the rise of social commerce, and the opportunities it presents for brands, we’ve partnered with TikTok along with GroupM and Shopify to discuss commerce in more detail and to look at where this growing trend is headed.
In a series of short videos, produced by TikTok, you can hear from key stakeholders including:
Keen to learn more?
If you want to dive into commerce deeper, why not join IAB Europe and TikTok 15:00 CET on 28th September for an exclusive Industry Insider webinar as thought leaders from across the industry will join a panel to discuss their thoughts on the past, present, and future of commerce, and the opportunities this presents for marketers.
Find out more and register here to secure your free space.
According to the recently released AdEx 2021 study, the European digital ad market is now programmatic first with 57% of all non-social display spend now being transacted programmatically.
Programmatic is and continues to be a big deal. But to really understand the status of programmatic adoption across Europe on both the buy and the sell side of the digital advertising industry, we need your help.
IAB Europe is inviting all stakeholders, from advertisers and agencies to ad tech and publishers, to answer the 2022 Programmatic Survey! Take part here.
Now in its eight year, this survey aims to illustrate the current adoption of and attitudes towards programmatic advertising. The results will help inform the IAB Europe Programmatic Trading Committee that provide guidance on developing a programmatic advertising strategy for publishers, agencies, and advertisers.
The deadline to complete the survey is Friday 5th August and it takes just 10 minutes to complete. Plus your response will be treated in the strictest confidence and all respondents will be sent a copy of the 2022 report with full results.
Help us uncover how programmatic advertising attitudes, adoption, and strategies are evolving. Take the survey today!
Check out last year’s report to see what the findings provide so much value and insight.
As part of IAB Europe’s key focus on topics of corporate responsibility in the digital advertising industry, The Programmatic Trading Committee has set up a mini-series to discuss diversity and inclusion in 2022, with the latest blog post diving into the theme of marketing in digital advertising. In this blog, our contributors explore D&I in media planning and buying, talk about what companies can do to embrace more diversity in marketing campaigns, and assess what can be done to make media more inclusive and culturally relevant.
A Q&A with:
Amina Begum, Solutions Consulting Director Xandr
Michael Shmarak, Senior Director of Communications, Verve Group
Clare Ritchie, Global Head of Programmatic, Mediacom
Alanna Tyminsk, Strategic Alliances Director, EMEA, IAS
Q1. In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges when you think about diversity and inclusion in marketing?
Amina - “A recent report from Media for All, showed that there is still a perception gap around diversity and inclusion in marketing and I think this is a constant challenge. According to the report ‘those who are not directly impacted by it are more positive across the board on outcomes and progress on diversity, equity and inclusion than those from minoritised backgrounds.
Part of the issue is that when there is an event that brings diversity and minoritised groups to focus, there is a quick reaction of support both from consumers and brands. However, the follow-through and action plan tend to be a lot slower and this lack of action creates a perception gap.
Thinking that we as a marketing industry are doing ‘enough’ is idle, we as an industry should do more to understand why this gap exists and ensure we have an action plan to address the outcomes.”
Michael - “The biggest challenge is making sure marketers look beyond D&I as "corporate social responsibility." It is as intertwined with the fabric of an organisation as anything that appears in financial statements. Ultimately, having the right and best people matters more than ever. At Verve Group, we have colleagues from more than 30 countries across the globe, so it is imperative that we practice what we preach. Marketers need to move beyond “checking off a box" and prove to their stakeholders that having diverse populations and ideas matter in a global economy.”
Clare - “The biggest challenges we face are authentication & intelligence. Diversity & Inclusion are more than buzzwords. Inclusive marketing for diverse audiences should come from diverse marketers with the aim of speaking to everyone and avoiding stereotyping. It is not just the change of a strapline or representative, but cultural awareness and appreciation which extends through planning, creative, and media placement. Messages should be tested and honed within the audience that they are trying to reach to ensure relevancy and reaction.”
Alanna - “Having a clear definition of what diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I) actually encapsulates is really important, and there is more progress to be made. Ethnicity, race, LGBTQ+, gender equality, people with disabilities, and more, all come under this umbrella. This is the first step to ensuring diverse groups in marketing and advertising are represented and have a voice that can be championed. There have been good steps made, but there is still a way to go.”
Q2. What are the biggest opportunities available today for more diversity in marketing?
Amina “When it comes to diversity in marketing there are huge opportunities available for the advertising industry, both from an advertising and publishing perspective. For brands, this is an opportunity to reach audiences they haven’t engaged with before and a chance to build up new target markets.
From a publisher perspective, support for smaller and minority-owned publishers who have historically been overlooked because they haven’t had the budgets from advertisers before, now get the opportunity to be able to scale up their businesses.”
Michael - “Marketers should do a better job of listening to those who don't typically sit in their comfort zone to learn more about how their decisions impact others, especially in advertising. Here at Verve Group, we often find that the best ideas come when "worlds collide," literally and figuratively speaking, because we are listening to vantage points of others. Imagine the possibilities if we listened more than we spoke!”
Clare - “Consumers, especially younger generations expect more from marketing than ever before. They look for brands who are supporting important issues and showing diversity. The engagement and opportunity for resonant marketing to be shared within the right audience groups allows these messages to travel beyond the confines of paid media, bringing incremental value to any communication.
Thinking specifically about programmatic, we are in the age of addressability. We have the option to engage with our audience with relevance not previously attainable.
One size does not fit all, one message is not relevant to all. Using the technology available to us, and bringing together more precise and intelligent data about a brand's audience, should allow for a more equitable conversation.”
Alanna - “Have a diverse voice from the very beginning to drive inclusivity from within the business.
That means especially involving individuals from all groups with different backgrounds to the conversations and projects to ensure everyone is heard and represented.
Businesses should create these opportunities for everyone. There are already positive steps that are being taken within the industry. Clients and agencies are forming working teams within the business that are focussed on DE&I and starting to build out policies that support diversity on marketing plans.”
Q3. How do you think we can advance D&I in the media planning and buying process?
Amina “To put D, E&I at the forefront, it should be engrained in every part of the process. For example, if as a company you’ve historically never had diverse media plans before you should take the approach of equity. Meaning, this is something you’ve neglected so you are going to take actionable measures to put extra focus on this topic until it naturally becomes embedded in everything you do.”
Michael - “The industry needs to think about what "diversity" really means in this day and age, and to make it a part of one's strategy. There is so much opportunity to fuse diversity into operations and strategies, and in doing so, create great media plans. For example, I find it counterintuitive when I hear LGBTQ+ content is being blocked from ad plans because it is perceived as "different content." The LGBTQ+ community is vibrant, with people, ideas, and thinking that can influence brands. We often talk about walled gardens in our business, but we also need to break down some of these walls to achieve more.”
Clare - “We have a responsibility to hire with diversity, creating fluid talent pools across organisations, who are reflective of the market being reached. Creating approaches founded in insight-driven planning, allowing room for variation, feedback and change will advance thinking. Coupling this with clearly measurable outcomes will create accountability in advancing D&I throughout the media planning & buying process.”
Alanna - “First of all, education on effective tools that are already available in the market. They can really support media planning and buying when it comes to DE&I. The heavy reliance on existing tools, such as keyword lists, means that there is not only blocking of good content but also underprotection against unfavorable content for clients.
Technology vendors such as IAS need to also collaborate with clients to help them deliver against goals around DE&I in this process. We have worked with the Brand Safety team at GroupM to deliver a solution using our avoidance technology to help ensure that their clients do not appear against any negative content that is perceived as discriminatory.”
Q4. How can brands build more diversity and inclusion into their marketing plans?
Amina “Brands need to look internally at the make-up of their organisations – consumers can see through those that exhibit authenticity and those that are jumping on the latest bandwagon.
Companies need to ask the right questions, for example, are their staff diverse and representative of the local population? What about those in leadership positions? It is important that their employees feel empowered to put their voices forward and do not feel forced to change themselves in order to fit in and feel included. For brands to build more diversity and inclusion, they need to start by making sure their organisation is able to offer the right perspective in this area.”
Michael - “My father once said that we human beings have two ears and one mouth, and we need to remember that proportion. Brands would be wise to listen to my Dad’s advice–they should become active listeners to what diversity and inclusion mean to their customers as opposed to what THEY think D&I means to them. It also means that leadership teams need to become more deeply acclimated with the channels and networks where audiences reside and recognise the power that these channels hold in the marketplace.”
Clare - “We all need to take the time to really know our audience and understand how and where they are receptive. Listen to the data available, be that sales, focus groups, feedback, or social media, and create tailored approaches to speak to the complexities of real people that are a key representation of our brands. Accepting that what works today may not work tomorrow or next time and that we are in a fluid environment will aid success.”
Alanna - “Brands need to be conscious about where the advertising is being placed at the start of the media planning process. We advise to look at forming partnerships with publishers of under represented groups, as well as a diverse group of publishers during the planning process.”
Q5. What more can be done by the industry to make media more inclusive and culturally relevant?
Amina “Media has shifted and content creation has changed. It is now a lot easier to become a content creator as all you need is a camera phone. This means content creation has been opened up to a much more diverse pool of creators and brands should be taking note of this. By choosing to support a varied selection of creators and small businesses they can make their offering more inclusive and culturally relevant.
Formats are also evolving and some work better than others with diverse audiences. Brands should continue to experiment with formats to truly understand which platforms speak to broader audiences and invest in those spaces. Consumers will choose a platform that speaks to who they are, what represents them and they will take their spending power along with them.”
Michael - “I recall reading an article in CAMPAIGN that highlighted this issue to a tee–I highly recommend reviewing it, as it opened my eyes to where opportunities lie for all of us marketers. In it, the author cited a disconnect between the right/best data that is collected about audiences for specific campaigns. The author cited the methods that many marketers define audiences as inefficient because of racial, gender, and ethnic bias. If a media plan can be shaped with diversity and inclusion as a goal, some of those biases come off the table.”
Clare - “Ultimately we need to ensure that diversity and inclusion are given appropriate focus and space, through all stages of creative and media planning and buying. It's not a retrospective fit or a last-minute buying tweak. Audience and the approach to engage meaningfully should be in every conversation, but to enable this, we need to properly fund the time, thought and creativity needed.”
Alanna - “Policy can only succeed if culture drives it. What does this mean exactly? Everybody has the responsibility to play their role when it comes to diversity & inclusion - so does Ad Tech. Over the past years, we developed tools that can support our mutual goal for more inclusivity and deliver effective campaigns. So Tech providers have a responsibility to educate brands on how more sophisticated technologies can be used to achieve goals.
We want to make sure that we balance much-needed Brand Safety with a sensitive diversity level by consciously managing brand suitability and safety alongside inclusion.”
