IAB Europe’s second Virtual Programmatic Day of 2020 took place on the 19th of November and what an insightful day it was. Featuring speakers from IAB Europe member companies and advertisers including AdForm, CNN International, IAS, IndexExchange, Magnite, MediaMath, and more, the event was split into panel sessions to address and debate the hottest industry topics. From the programmatic landscape to the post third-party cookie, no stone was left unturned. 

Programmatic Advertising Beyond Third-Party Cookies
The second panel of the event explored the status of different solutions and industry initiatives to ensure our industry can continue to deliver privacy-first relevant ad experiences, in a post-third-party cookie world. 

Sara Vincent, Senior Director, Strategic Partner Development, Index Exchange moderated the panel and was joined by:

• Akshay Bhattacharjee, Programmatic Solutions Specialist for the Nordics & CEE Region, IAS
• Ben Hancock, Global Head of Programmatic Trading, CNN International 
• Jakob Bak, Co-Founder, Chief Technical Officer, Adform
• Viktor Zawadzki, General Manager EMEA and APAC, MediaMath 
• Tom Kershaw, Chief Technology Officer, Magnite

Event recording
Watch the session recording here. 

Audience Poll
We ran a poll at the end of the session to ask our audience what they think the depletion of the third-party cookie actually means for programmatic buying and selling. The vast majority (45%) felt they would see some decreases in programmatic. This was followed closely by no change at 29%.13% felt it would show some increase in programmatic, 9% said it would see a large decrease, and finally, 4% said they felt it would see a large increase. 

Key Takeaways

• The most important thing is to create a collaboration of standards. We have a limited amount of time to come up with an approach and to think about how we explain it to users. We have never renewed the dialogue with consumers about the internet, and the only way to explain it to them is to do it together in a standard way. 
• Everything comes back to the consumer and what kind of transparency they want over how their data is being stored and used. There is the potential to turn back to contextual targeting as an easy and more meaningful way to deliver scale and create a connection with audiences. 
• Context will play a big part in how we solve the problems of a post-third-party cookie world. Publishers’ first-party data and first-party IDs will also be key to solving this. 
• We need to work together to make the ecosystem more addressable and accountable and to ensure there is an understanding of the whole supply chain. 

To find out more about the impact of the post-third-party cookie era on our industry and the solutions that are being developed, check out IAB Europe’s Guide to Post-Third-Party Cookies here. 

IAB Europe’s second Virtual Programmatic Day of 2020 took place on the 19th of November and what an insightful day it was. Featuring speakers from IAB Europe member companies and advertisers including IAB Tech Lab, OneTrust PreferenceChoices, Xandr, and more, the event was split into panel sessions to address and debate the hottest industry topics. From the programmatic landscape to the role of the Transparency & Consent Framework, no programmatic stone was left unturned.

TCF v2.0
The third panel of the event discussed the latest version of the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF) v2.0. It explored market adoption, and future developments, whilst looking at the future of sustainable advertising in a privacy-centric world.

Townsend Feehan, CEO, IAB Europe moderated the panel and was joined by:

• Stephanie Hanson – Offering Manager, OneTrust
• Alex Cone – Senior Director, Product Management, IAB Tech Lab
• Thomas Mendrina - Senior Director, Publisher Central Europe, Xandr

Event recording
Watch the session recording here.

Key Takeaways

• Publishers have reacted positively to TCF v2.0. We have entered a new, more optimised phase of the framework where it’s less about getting it done, and more about how to do it well. With over 660 vendors now using the TCF v2.0 across 400,000 publishers, it is now widely adopted by the market. 
• In terms of how aware consumers are of the improvements made in TCF v2.0, it’s still too early to tell. Consumers need to learn how to take control of their data and we need to give them time to do it. Providing a level of consistency within the industry and delivering consent via a vehicle that is familiar to consumers will help with this. 
• With regards to the next stages for the TCF and how it will evolve, we need to reinforce what we have and ensure there is integrity in the supply chain that is interacting around it.
• In regards to the fluidity of the digital advertising landscape, TCF will remain relevant. We may see a split between consumers who are comfortable having an identity built around them and those that are more disconnected. We should see this as an opportunity to educate consumers and provide transparent opt-in and opt-out standards.

IAB Europe’s second Virtual Programmatic Day of 2020 took place on the 19th of November and what an insightful day it was. Featuring speakers from IAB Europe member companies and advertisers including DoubleVerify, IPONWEB, Pubmatic, Yieldbird, and more, the event was split into panel sessions to address and debate the hottest industry topics. From the post-third-party cookie to data management best practices for SSPs, no programmatic stone was left unturned. 

SSP Data Best Practices
The fourth panel of the event discussed data management best practices for SSPs, to increase transparency, trust, and solve unnecessary trading and information sharing complexities within the ecosystem. It looked into how publishers can reap the benefits of data in programmatic, and how working with SSPs can help them to maximise control of programmatic, and shape their future. 

Daniel Knapp, Chief Economist, IAB Europe moderated the panel and was joined by:

• Mark Bausinger – Director, Publisher Business Development, DoubleVerify
• Izabela Widawska – Senior Ad Ops Analyst, Yieldbird
• Shane Shevlin – SVP Strategic Development, IPONWEB
• Jacqueline Boakye – Regional VP, Customer Success EMEA, PubMatic

Event recording
Watch the session recording here. 

Audience Poll
At the end of the session, we asked our audience whether or not they agree that SSPs should standardise taxonomies and data to help publishers on the open internet. The vast majority of the audience (62%) agreed yes, that this was very much needed. This was followed by 37% that felt it was needed to some extent. Only 1% didn’t agree. 

Key Takeaways

• Programmatic trading on the open web is complex in both how it has evolved and in the fragmented nature of the supply that enables publishers to try and reach desired audiences. On the other hand, the open standards afford publishers the tools our industry needs for transparency. And this transparency is getting better. 
• What’s made programmatic difficult for publishers is that as an industry we have been relatively siloed. There are always new challenges to face but good initiatives like ads.txt have helped bring some level of cohesion to the fore, encouraging the industry to work together to help solve challenges for publishers.  
• With SPO gaining traction publishers can do a number of things to optimise the demand and orchestrate their SSPs in a more dynamic way. They can understand where the demand is coming from and can construct mapping as a key first step to Demand Path Optimisation. Constructing mapping gives publishers the insight they need into where the value is coming from. 
• When it comes to reporting there is a high degree of fragmentation being seen, where different taxonomises are being used by a variety of SSPs. In terms of how intermediaries can work together to enable publishers to see data holistically, we need to standardise the language being used and ensure, as an industry, that data isn’t misinterpreted. Publishers also need to input their own knowledge into the prorgammatic space, to ensure they are getting what they need out of SSPs.    

For more information on Demand Path Optimisation (DPO) for publishers, check out our Guide to Supply Path Optimisation.

IAB Europe’s second Virtual Programmatic Day of 2020 took place on the 19th of November and what an insightful day it was. Featuring speakers from IAB Europe member companies and advertisers including Mediacom, Microsoft, Pubmatic, Spotify, Triton Digital, Xaxis, and more, the event was split into panel sessions to address and debate the hottest industry topics. From the programmatic landscape to delivering powerful creatives, no programmatic stone was left unturned. 

Delivering Powerful Creatives with Programmatic Advertising
The final panel of the event discussed how in a world where advertisers are fighting for consumer’s attention, innovation, technology, and data delivered programmatically can help to power creatives that resonate with audiences. 

Lisa Kalyuzhny, Senior Director, Advertiser Solutions, PubMatic moderated the panel and was joined by:

• Johnny Won, Global Ad Tech Director, MediaCom
• Cecile Blanc, Senior Director, Global Solutions and Innovation, Xaxis
• Anne Bouttier, Automation Manager, EMEA, Spotify
• Benjamin Masse, Managing Director, Market Development and Strategy, Triton Digital
• Kelly Davidson, Director, Global Partnerships, Microsoft

Event recording
Watch the session recording here. 

Key Takeaways

• Dynamic creative offers triggers that allow for a customised and tailored experience to happen in advertising. We are just getting started with advanced automation tools like this, and it’s an exciting time for creativity in the programmatic space. 
• In terms of best practices, there are a lot of tools available to deliver creatives programmatically. But we must remember that we still need to bring creativity to the message that we want to deliver, and not rely on automation too heavily in this process. We must see programmatic as an enhancer of creativity, where we can use data, precision, and efficiency to take it to the next level. 
• When thinking about the role of technology in creativity, it’s going to continue to evolve and enable us to get even more creative with the relevancy of the ad experience. We can add layers of creativity starting with the core ID, and then play with additional elements to create depth to strategies. We can also look to measurement, using real-time data to assess the performance of the creative, to adapt the strategy accordingly.    
• In regards to what is in store for the future of programmatic creativity, it’s going to be about making ads work better for people. Creatives will work harder to reach outcomes beyond clicks. We will also see steady growth in tech adoption, where more capabilities in the creative programmatic space will be leveraged, including AI and machine learning.  

Authored by Industry Leaders from Across Europe

Provides Valuable Insights To The Digital Audio Advertising Landscape

23rd November, Brussels, Belgium:  IAB Europe, the leading European-level industry association for the digital advertising and marketing ecosystem, has today released its ‘Buyer’s Guide to Digital Audio’ to help planners and buyers of media navigate the opportunities that a new world of audio creates for marketers. 

This guide has been developed by experts from IAB Europe’s Channels & Formats Taskforce (a part of the Brand Advertising Committee). It provides harmonised definitions for digital audio in Europe, an overview of the evolution of audio advertising and the landscape in Europe, as well as key considerations and best practices for digital audio advertising. In doing so, it ensures that buyers of traditional audio and buyers of digital advertising have the necessary knowledge to implement effective digital audio advertising campaigns.

Digital audio is reaching a pivotal moment, where it is critical for buyers to understand this channel and to maximise their digital investment in it. Commenting on the opportunity of digital audio, Marco Bertozzi, VP EMEA & Multi-market Global Sales at Spotify said “Audio consumption has changed drastically over the past decade. With the boom in smart speakers and other connected devices, consumers now have the ability to access streaming audio content, however, or wherever they like. Unlike other media, this makes digital audio unique in that it can be a constant companion. It moves with consumers whether they’re on-the-go or winding down and comes in a variety of forms, from spoken word to podcasts to music and more. This offers fantastic opportunities for advertisers to reach engaged audiences. Digital audio is now paving the way for greater connection with audiences and has the ability to address consumers in a more personal way. With that, we believe that the runway for this medium is massive and we’re just at the beginning of seeing where it will go.”

It has been a collaborative effort to produce this first European-level guide for Digital Audio, with contributors including Spotify, Magnite, Oracle Data Cloud, Triton Digital and Xaxis. Representatives from IAB Finland and IAB Italy also contributed their knowledge. 

Commenting on the value of the Digital Audio Guide Steve Wing, Head of EMEA at Magnite said "The IAB Europe Digital Audio Guide serves as an invaluable resource. Digital audio is a unique format and this guide offers actionable advice to help advertisers adapt their strategies to fit this medium for the highest impact." 

Moomal Shaikh, Senior Product Manager at Oracle Data Cloud, reiterated this point, commenting that “It’s an excellent tool for savvy marketers to get a better understanding of just how large the audio opportunity is and how to capitalise on it in the coming months and years. The potential of this resonant and untapped medium is hard to overstate, and the Moat by Oracle Data Cloud team is excited to lead the conversation around the measurement of audio advertising.”

This guide is the second output from IAB Europe’s new Channel & Formats Taskforce and follows the ‘Buyer’s Guide to CTV’, which was released in June 2020. The taskforce was launched in January 2020 with the aim to increase awareness and drive investment by providing best practices and guidance in emerging and established digital advertising channels and formats. As we enter 2021, the taskforce will continue to focus on these emerging channels and will also approach new topics including influencer and creator marketing. 

In order for channels like Digital Audio to flourish, it is vital to work together as an industry to ascertain guidelines and best practices. Commenting on IAB Europe’s focus to raise awareness, education, and standards in such channels and formats, Helen Mussard, Marketing & Industry Strategy Director at IAB Europe said, “When we set out this taskforce in January 2020, our main focus for the year was to build brand confidence and greater investment in digital advertising and marketing. Hit with the impact of COVID-19, we have seen just how fundamental this type of work is to our industry. Being able to provide a space for members to collaborate, and share advice and best practices has never been more important. The Digital Audio Guide is proof of what industry initiatives can achieve when working collaboratively. It shows how they can open up new opportunities in the face of crisis and find key ways to overcome barriers to success.

IAB Europe is working with some of its members to provide additional insight into channels such as the connected TV and digital audio landscapes in a series of Industry Insiders that explore buy-side and sell-side perspectives, as well as how these channels sit in the broader advertising ecosystem. These will continue to be expanded upon, alongside new initiatives in 2021.

The Buyer’s Guide to Digital Audio can be downloaded from IAB Europe’s website here. 

For more information, please contact:

Helen Mussard, Marketing & Industry Strategy Director, IAB Europe - mussard@iabeurope.eu

Stephanie Hanson, Offering Manager at OneTrust PreferenceChoice shares her thoughts on the updated TCF 2.0 and the impact it has had on Publishers and Business. Stephanie will also be joining the Virtual Programmatic Day on 19^th November, where she will join a panel of experts to discuss the TCF 2.0 in more detail - Register here!

TCF 2.0: Publishers, Advertisers, and Ad Tech Vendors

Recently, new industry updates have kept publishers, advertisers, and ad tech vendors on their toes. Industry leaders are preparing for the removal of third-party cookies, adjusting to iOS 14 masking the IDFA, and recently adopted the IAB Europe’s Transparency Consent Framework (TCF 2.0). The first version of TCF was developed in 2018 and was recently enhanced to give consumers more control over their personal data and provide publishers greater flexibility when integrating with ad tech partners.

TCF 2.0 comes at a time when personal data has never mattered more to consumers and on the other hand, to publishers and advertisers that are striving to deliver personalised experiences based on data gathered. The framework is one of a kind and leading the way to transform towards an ad landscape that puts privacy first. With over 500 IAB TCF certified ad tech vendors, including Google and Adobe, the industry is working together towards the new future of advertising with the respect of user consent.

“TCF v2.0 takes the standard to the next level with respect to consumer transparency and choice, publisher control over data processing for advertising and content personalisation, and cross-industry collaboration,” said Townsend Feehan, CEO IAB Europe. “We’ve spent the last year providing support and guidance to CMPs, publishers, and vendors, and are confident that we have a robust framework in place that can continue to evolve in light of European Court case law and regulatory enforcement.”

Implications for the Ad Tech Industry 

The TCF was created to help companies that serve, measure, and manage digital ads comply with certain obligations of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ePrivacy Directive (ePD) when processing personal data or accessing and/or storing information on a user’s device. TCF 2.0 consists of technical specifications and policies that assist all companies in the digital advertising supply chain to meet transparency and user choice requirements.

TCF 2.0 provides ten specific purposes for the processing of personal data about which users must be informed and to which they must give their consent, including the storage of information on devices, ad targeting according to targeting criteria, personalised ads, measurement of ad and content performance, market research, and product development.

In addition, the new version allows the mapping of legitimate interest as a legal basis for the various uses. With the entry into force of TCF 2.0, users will be able to object to the collection of data on the legal basis of ‘legitimate interest’ for the relevant purposes.

Have No Fear – Opt-Ins Are Still High with TCF 2.0 

The privacy, technology, and advertising worlds are all witnessing change to ultimately give consumers more transparency and control over their personal data. With the TCF 2.0, some publishers are concerned that adopting it will impact consent opt-ins and ultimately, ad revenue. However, this framework was created to help, not hurt all parties.

In fact, the majority of publishers leveraging our CMP have made the decision to adopt the TCF framework. Customers in the publishing industry who are live with our CMP that are also leveraging TCF 2.0 signals are seeing up to 85% opt-in rates.

How OneTrust PreferenceChoice Helps 

Leading publishers and advertisers leverage OneTrust PreferenceChoice to build and deploy a tailored CMP, optimize consent rates while ensuring compliance with global regulations and frameworks, and engage with customers across web, mobile, OTT and offline channels.

• Track consent opt-in percentage metrics to optimize over time 
• Geotarget specific regions and visitors to comply with local jurisdictions 
• Integrate with Google, Facebook, Amazon and IAB TCF 2.0 simultaneously 
• Capture cross-domain consent across multiple properties 
• A/B Testing to measure and optimize opt-ins 
• Store consent records for downstream system integration 

For more information, contact OneTrust PreferenceChoice or request a demo today! 

On 19th November, IAB Europe will be hosting The Virtual Programmatic Day (VPD), where we have a stellar lineup of speakers ready to discuss and debate the hottest topics in Programmatic Advertising.

Ahead of the event, we caught up with one of our speakers, Vincent Tessier, Brand and Agency Lead EMEA from MoPub, Twitter UK to get his thoughts on the future growth areas of programmatic advertising and why he thinks this is a must-attend event. Check out our Q&A below.

Firstly, thank you for supporting the Virtual Programmatic Day. Thanks to the help of our sponsors, we’ve been able to create a free event for all of the industry to join. You will be joining the first panel to discuss the European Programmatic Advertising Landscape, what are some of the big developments you’ve seen this year?

1. Apps: The solidity of the app ecosystem during this global pandemic is very reassuring and welcome.
2. Privacy & Trust is definitely at the forefront of everything we do, and they go hand in hand.
3. Measurement: OMSDK is slowly but surely rolling out to allow brands to measure in-app

The panel will also be discussing the future growth areas of programmatic advertising. What do you predict for 2021?

I am personally very excited by the advent of header bidding in the mobile in-app landscape. This is such a fundamental change in the way advertisers can access premium app inventory.

It’s been a very different year for the industry with challenging circumstances for many, what’s been your biggest learning this year?

The rise of mobile gaming and brands noticing it.

What is your role at MoPub and what’s been your focus so far this year?

My role is to support Brand Advertisers and their media agencies on their programmatic activities with MoPub.

Outside of work (and before the lockdown) what do you most enjoy doing in your free time?

Spending more time with my kids, morning run and listening & making music!

Why should people attend The Virtual Programmatic Day?

Ad tech & programmatic is a very fast paced environment and there are a lot of changes, specifically this year with the cookie deprecation, iOS 14 changes, CTV, Gaming, IAB Tech Lab standards adoptions. It’s important to have a forum at the european level, to gather and share the latest developments.

IAB Europe has been informed by the Belgian data protection authority, the APD, that it has completed an investigation into IAB Europe’s privacy and data protection practices in connection with its role as Managing Organisation of the Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF). The APD’s report represents the preliminary views of the APD’s investigations unit and has no binding effect with regard to any breach of the law by IAB Europe.

While IAB Europe is currently assessing the APD’s report, we note that the findings point to a number of alleged compliance issues that stem solely from IAB Europe’s role as Managing Organisation of the Framework. We respectfully disagree with the APD's apparent interpretation of the law, pursuant to which IAB Europe is a data controller in the context of publishers' implementation of the TCF. If upheld, the APD’s interpretation would have a chilling effect on the development of open-source compliance standards that serve to support industry players and protect consumers.

The TCF is a voluntary standard whose purpose is precisely to assist companies from the digital advertising ecosystem in their compliance efforts with EU data protection law. It contains a minimal set of best practices seeking to ensure that when personal data is processed, users are provided with adequate transparency and choice. Its policies do not assist or seek to assist the processing of special categories of data. It does not intend to replace legal obligations nor enable practices prohibited under the law.

We find it regrettable that a standard whose requirements reflect an interpretation of the law that errs on the side of consumer protection and aligns with multiple DPA guidance materials across the EU (CNIL, DPC, ICO, etc.), should be the focus of an enforcement action, rather than an opportunity for a constructive, good-faith dialogue on how the TCF can be improved in ways that better align with the APD's vision and with consumer and industry needs.

Over the past three years we have had the chance to present the TCF to a number of European DPAs, whose feedback we reflected in important changes in the V2 of the Framework, rolled out earlier this year. We will be fully engaging with the APD over the coming months as its services conduct evaluations on the merits of the report. We will also continue to work with regulators and seek their guidance on how the TCF can promote compliance with both the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive.

For more information, please contact:

Townsend Feehan, CEO, IAB Europe (feehan@iabeurope.eu)

Helen Mussard, Marketing & Industry Strategy Director, IAB Europe (mussard@iabeurope.eu)