In this week's guest blog post, we have Filippo Gramigna, CEO at Audiencerate diving into the world of data clean rooms. What are they? What are the benefits and drawbacks? Ultimately, are they worth it? Keep reading to find out!
The marketing world has been busy, if not slightly chaotic, following the abjuration of the cookie. Google’s FLoC came and went, only to be replaced by Topics, while Meta teamed up with Mozilla to develop Interoperable Private Attribution (IPA). The Trade Desk, LiveRamp, and others opted for identifiers, and still more solutions are being configured, rejected, and refined at any given time.
In the race for privacy-compliant technologies that offer omnichannel measurement and campaign oversight, one piece of tech is steadily growing in popularity: data clean rooms.
The Basics
Simply put, a data clean room is a piece of intermediary software that enables two parties to pool their data safely and securely. The process allows companies to connect insights from other parties, creating a more comprehensive dataset.
Anonymisation is configured into the design: any personally identifiable information, such as email addresses, is encrypted, and access is only granted to those involved in a partnership. This brings us to the next point: there are different kinds of data clean rooms, which plays a significant role when it comes to the kind of data and insights available.
Walled gardens run media clean rooms. Think Google Ads Data Hub, Amazon Marketing Cloud, and Meta Business Suite. In this scenario, each platform has a full view of its own data but only provides hashed and aggregated insights to partnered companies. Marketers then match this information with their own first-party data, using the inconsistencies to flag inefficient ad spend or targeting, for example. While undoubtedly valuable, these insights do come at a price; brands can only evaluate campaign performance within the rules and parameters set out by each platform, with no possibility for competitive oversight and comparisons.
Another option is a partner data clean room, where two parties – a publisher and an advertiser, for example – can share their data, each gleaning insights from a more complete understanding of customer journeys. Both parties have full control over the amount and type of data shared and benefit from a secure, closed environment.
The Benefits
Data clean rooms are a secure, privacy-friendly way to help brands get a clearer and more detailed picture of their media performance, with insights that can help determine reach, frequency, and attribution metrics. This means brands can evaluate their ad spend, optimise strategies, and maintain value-driven campaigns.
As data clean rooms rely on partnerships, this technology may also help pave the way for a more inclusive, cooperative, and equal marketing environment. For example, brands that have less access to consumer or transactional data, such as some consumer goods brands, can collaborate with retailers to gauge campaign performance, while simultaneously ensuring retailers can offer popular products to their customers.
Meanwhile, alliances between publishers and advertisers can strengthen their overall position in the market, bolstering data independence from tech giants and moving away from outsourcing revenue and audience monetisation. While this may impact scalability to a certain extent, rich and high-quality audiences will still be available, with quality outweighing quantity. Many clean rooms, therefore, help brands segment and target audiences, even without cookies.
Loyal customers and high-quality audience data will further encourage advertisers to reach out for partnerships, increasing the potential of valuable alliances in the future. This idea of increased cooperation and interoperability extends to the tech, with data clean rooms complementing other existing technologies such as customer data platforms (CDPs), improving data sharing and optimising data strategies and asset activation.
The Drawbacks
As with any emerging technology, there remain some kinks to iron out. Some of these are purely technical, such as the issue of formatting: without universal standardisation, parties can find themselves with two incompatible data sets that might cause some hiccups when it comes to matching them.
Others are more social: the culture of cooperation is not quite here yet, with many still wary of sharing data due to privacy concerns, data breaches, and anything that might risk their reputation. As data clean rooms rely on first-party data, data-rich companies – direct-to-consumer brands and other major players – will have a considerable marketing advantage until the environment truly adapts to the technology.
Finally, a fully integrated, omnichannel understanding of a brand’s performance is not yet possible. With no option to pull data from different platforms, brands can only achieve a siloed view of their activities, which becomes both confusing and pricey as investing in multiple data clean rooms can rack up a fair cost. Some companies have already begun to tackle this particular issue, yet it remains to be seen to what extent walled gardens are willing to cede data in a privacy-first landscape.
Conclusion
Are data clean rooms worth it? The immediate answer is yes: they provide more insights, allowing brands to evaluate and adjust campaigns, targeting, and ad spend in a way that is safe and privacy compliant, while simultaneously complementing pre-existing tech. As we move closer to a first-party data future, combining the use of data clean rooms with CDPs can create a package of tools that will allow data orchestration and trading, also in a privacy-safe manner. Since some fine-tuning remains when it comes to standardisation and omnichannel attribution, companies should still see how and where they can maximise their first-party data, establish valuable partnerships, and experiment, explore, and collaborate.
IAB Europe is recruiting a full-time Privacy Compliance Officer to join our Brussels-based privacy team. The candidate should have a basic understanding of the European data protection framework and an interest in its impacts on technological development, especially digital advertising and media.
Scope of the Role: Key Responsibilities
The Privacy Compliance Officer will report to IAB Europe’s Privacy Director. The Privacy Compliance Officer will be responsible for executing IAB Europe’s compliance programmes in the context of the association’s GDPR compliance standard, the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF). Tasks and responsibilities include but are not limited to:
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Professional attributes:
Personal attributes:
What’s in it for you?
Location: Brussels
Type: Full-time
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Contract type: Indefinite
To apply, please send your CV & a covering letter by email to jobs@iabeurope.eu with a subject line: ‘Privacy Compliance Officer - Application’.
While we may not be able to reach out to every applicant, we will contact candidates whose skills and experience are a strong match for the position.
Launching in March, IAB Europe will be hosting a new and exclusive council for Advertisers to provide insights and information on the latest Digital Advertising trends and developments.
The council will meet on a quarterly basis, where IAB Europe will present market insights to help advertisers better prepare and understand the role of digital advertising and the wider advertising landscape. We will also share the latest policy and regulatory updates and showcase best practices and advances in digital advertising.
If you are an advertiser and interested in finding out more, please contact:
Lauren Wakefield, Marketing & Industry Programmes Director, IAB Europe - wakefield@iabeurope.eu
Marie-Clare Puffett, Senior Manager, Marketing & Industry Programmes, IAB Europe - puffett@iabeurope.eu
The Belgian Data Protection Authority (APD) handed down on 2 February 2022 a decision on IAB Europe and the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF). What does this decision actually say, and what does it mean for the TCF itself, for IAB Europe, for vendors, publishers and consent management platforms (CMPs)?
Read our FAQ document to find answers to these questions and more.
The document addresses questions including:
Read and download the full FAQ document here.
Entries for the prestigious annual MIXX Awards Europe and IAB Europe Research Awards are now open! Enter before the early bird deadline on Friday 11th March, to take advantage of the discounted entry fee!
Take part in the competitions that receive hundreds of entries every year showcasing the very best campaigns and research efforts from across Europe!
The MIXX Awards Europe recognise and celebrate the best digital advertising campaigns in Europe, while the IAB Europe Research Awards recognise and showcase great European digital research projects and the contribution they have made to the development of the digital advertising industry.
Why enter?
There are more than 20 categories to choose from across the two awards, from Campaign Effectiveness to Connected TV in the MIXX Awards and Cross-Media Measurement to Consumer Behaviour in the Research Awards.
Find out more and view the full list of categories, judging criteria, and entry fees here.
The winners of IAB Europe’s MIXX Awards Europe and Research Awards 2022 will be celebrated at IAB Europe’s flagship event, Interact on 25th-26th May, the must-attend event for the digital advertising and marketing industry.
For more information or to enter the MIXX awards, click here.
For more information or to enter the Research awards, click here.
We're kicking off the month of February with a brilliant blog post from one of our members, Audiencerate. CEO, Filippo Graminga, dives into the topic of consumer needs in a post-pandemic, digitally charged world, so if you want to know more about the expected online experience, keep reading!
As a result of two years of intermittent lockdowns and limited social interactivity, people have come to demand more and more from their digital experiences as a way to compensate. The spheres of online and offline continue their trajectory towards complete synthesis, and as they do, consumers expect the digital to be life-like, and to meet them in the here and now.
What does this mean for businesses? For one, 2022 can be considered “The Year of B2H” – business to human – where experience trumps all else. This means that to retain consumers and build long-lasting loyalties, companies have a lot of boxes to tick: interactions need to be immersive, personal, and real-time – all the time.
Up to 80% of consumers consider current experiences to be lacking, and businesses that did not meet expectations during lockdown could have lost as much as £2.5 billion per year. So as businesses set out in the new year, it is crucial for them – whatever their expertise – to remember that they are marketing to people searching for meaning, engagement, and personal value.
Closing the Experience Gap
Traditionally, there has been a discrepancy between what consumers want and what businesses and organisations offer. Customers want their brands to see them as they are, for who they are, and what they need. Importantly, the picture of the public is changing: purchasing power and influence are escaping narrowly definable cohorts, extending to digitally savvy TikTokers, senior citizens with more disposable income, financially empowered female consumers, and globally attainable markets. Companies need to learn how to tap into shifting paradigms and power dynamics while avoiding tuning out existing long-term customers. The ability to communicate personal messages across borders, generations, and circumstances is no easy task – and it takes more than simple data collection.
The truth is, simply amassing information is no longer enough. One of the ways businesses can begin to tackle this is by introducing unity from the ground up: making more connections, creating fewer barriers. In practice, this means everything from your tech stack to your business operations needs to reach new levels of effective cooperation. Intelligence must be able to flow from product development and design to marketing, with gathered insights then feeding back up the supply chain, constantly optimising and integrating new information. Tools that aid businesses in aggregating and centralising their data – thus preventing the formation of disconnected data silos – will be vital to help companies provide users across the globe with the experiences they are looking for.
It’s Now or Never
While the word ‘instant’ in a digital context once referred primarily to messaging, ‘instant’ now permeates, if not defines, the entire online experience. The pandemic accelerated this process, exemplified by companies such as Gorillas and Weezy popping up to provide ultra-speedy grocery deliveries alongside go-to established supermarkets, while transactions within the realms of banking and real estate occurred as close to real-time as they can get. It has been seven years since Google started to talk about ‘micro moments’ – that itchy impulse we all have to reach for our phones, tablets, or laptops to answer a sudden but pressing question or need that has infiltrated our brain – and still, businesses are failing to truly capitalise on these.
Customers are looking for answers within the first seconds of their search, and the first five minutes of a query. Since technological development and processing speeds are becoming more reliable, the onus is migrating from the device to the company to fulfill expectations, and any lags are considered a failure on the behalf of the business for not updating their deals, their inventory, or their content properly. In some cases, going further and messaging proactively can hit the spot – as long as it stays personal, relevant, and most importantly, valuable to the consumer: specific new products, information on purchased products, and time-sensitive updates. For businesses to meet these expectations, they need to make sure that not only their technology is continuously providing and integrating real-time updates, but that they are acting on this information effectively.
Every Path is a Path to the Consumer
While communications from businesses to the public used to be unilateral, following a “one-to-many” approach – from newspaper announcements to TV and radio advertising – communication paths have opened up, giving consumers unprecedented access to the companies that serve them. The surge of e-commerce, bolstered by the pandemic, further emphasised this reliance on digital channels. Crucially, there is no one channel to dominate them all: customers flick between platforms and applications, with nearly half (46%) opting for email, more than a third (35%) for live chat online, and nearly a fifth (17%) taking the social media route.
Up to 80% of interactions between customers and businesses are now digital, with companies such as WhatsApp, Pinterest, and Instagram expanding features to meet demand with personalised responses, and refusing any one of these would lose out on a considerable user base. Yet while 70% of UK SMEs acknowledge that communication is key, 40% do not invest in personalised strategies or more than one channel. This has to change: digital can no longer be an afterthought, it needs to be integrated from step one, with the right tools and technology to facilitate omnichannel experiences while enabling tracking and performance measurement. A growing number of marketers have turned to specific data management systems – Customer Data Platforms (CPDs) – to accurately gather and collate data from multiple touchpoints, building and updating consumer profiles in real-time, to meet all of the criteria.
Digital and social experiences are inextricably intertwined. Companies must make sound technological investments moving into 2022, to meet consumer demands. Only through providing the best services can they expect to stand out in a saturated market, a challenge that is becoming ever more complex. The key elements of hyper-personalisation, hyper-speed, and hyper-connectivity help create a positive customer experience, which will unlock company growth. There is no turning back the clock: digital immersion is necessary for survival.
Ecommerce Berlin Expo is one of the most renowned international conferences for digital leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs in the e-commerce space. It will take place on the 5th of May 2022, in STATION-Berlin. The event features an impressive lineup of speakers from around Europe who are leading experts in their respective areas - so you can look forward to some thrilling insights!
Ecommerce Berlin Expo always features dynamic and innovative speakers with considerable experience in their fields. This conference is not only about business models and trading strategies, but also about new technologies and future trends. The focus is always on the attendees and what will benefit them most.
Now, without further ado, here are the first speakers of Ecommerce Berlin Expo 2022. More to come though, so look out for future announcements.
The first set of speakers included reps from Sky Deutschland, MediaMarktSaturn, Douglas, Henkel, Hubspot or MYTOYS!
There will be presentations by these outstanding speakers:
Not all of the topics are confirmed, but here is the list thus far. The speakers will be talking about conversion rate optimization, making money with e-commerce, and scaling your business into a global phenomenon.
#1 Buy Now, Pay later
Monique Paulsen and Thomas Ficht from MYTOYSGROUP will be talking about the payment approach that revolutionizes the e-commerce industry. They will be discussing the technology behind it and talk about their vision for the future.
The brand is now at a point where it can share some insights on how the "Buy Now, Pay Later" approach to payment in the world of e-commerce and what it means for businesses.
#2 Content meets Commerce
"MissPompadours Einkaufserlebnis für über 100.000 DIY- Begeisterte" is the title of the presentation that Erik Reintjes, Co-Founder/GF or MissPompadour is going to rock the stage with. MissPompadour is one of the leading paint dealers in Europe. The presentation will concern the world of e-commerce and how it can be made more modern, beautiful, and appealing with the right shopping experience.
The goal is to make people want to buy things - not just by making them look good but also with an emotional component attached to the purchase.
#3 Product Strategy
Product Strategy in eCommerce is really important because your product is your main asset. You need to focus on what you are selling, who you are selling it to, and how you will make money from it.
Fathy Abdelmonam, Product Manager at Zalando, comes with a presentation titled "From a feature request to a problem worth solving. How other teams can inspire your Product strategy?".
Zalando is one of the leading companies in Europe when it comes to fashion and e-commerce. They are well known for their ability to innovate, so we encourage you to check out this presentation.
#4 Marketplaces
Marketplaces are really crucial for eCommerce because it allows businesses to expand their customer base and reach more potential buyers. Miro Morczinek, CEO of moebel24, will cover the topic of "Platform Extreme – the new area of marketplaces post-pandemic", with a focus on vertical marketplaces and retail marketplaces.
The presentation will dive into how marketplaces can be successful and what you should consider before venturing into that space.
Moebel24 is a marketplace with a focus on the e-commerce industry. They are very strong when it comes to categories like furniture, home appliances, or kitchenware - which is why they are one of the most important players in this sector.
This won’t be the only presentation on marketplaces, you can also hear from Sakina Hitzemann, Account Manager DACH for WISH Marketplace - she’ll cover personalised product feeds and expansion in detail.
#5 Data-driven approach
Ecommerce is a competitive and fast-paced industry. With new businesses and innovations popping up all the time, it's essential to make sure your e-commerce strategy is constantly updated and evolving. One of the most important aspects of any e-commerce strategy is using data to drive your decisions - test, learn, and optimise! Cengiz Duelger (VP Digital Performance Hub @Sky) will discuss why using data is so important in e-commerce and provide some tips on how you can start using data in your own business. So watch out - data-driven ecommerce could be the key to your success!
The list does not end here. More speakers and topics will be announced very soon.
Ecommerce Berlin Expo 2022 is going to be one of the most important events in this year's calendar. If you are in any way related to the eCommerce industry, then this is an event that you cannot afford to miss!
Attendees can visit the booths and speak with many great exhibitors during the EBE 2020; BigCommerce, Tradebyte, Hypernode, Namogoo, Global-e, Websale, Checkout.com, Deutsche Post, and Shopware to name a few. They will be eager to exchange feedback and knowledge.
To find out more about the speakers and register for tickets, visit the website here.
The EBE2022 is free to attend.
The E-Commerce Berlin Expo will be taking place for the sixth time on the 5th of May, 2022, at Station Berlin. Doors will open at 10 AM, and EBE2022 is expected to welcome more than 10,000 visitors. The annual fair has become a leading e-commerce event in Berlin with representatives from Google, Facebook, YouTube, Zalando, Otto Groupm, Amazon, and Alibaba Group as past participants. Learn more at http://ecommerceberlin.com
For further questions, reach out to pr@ecommerceberlin.com
IAB Europe is recruiting a full-time Privacy Counsel to join our Brussels-based privacy team. The candidate should have sound knowledge of the European data protection framework and an interest in its impacts on technological development, especially on digital media.
Scope of the role: Key responsibilities
The Privacy Counsel will report to IAB Europe’s Privacy Director. The Privacy Counsel will be responsible for conducting expert analyses of the impact of privacy and data protection legislation, case law and guidance on the digital media and advertising industry. Tasks and responsibilities include but are not limited to:
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Professional attributes:
Personal attributes:
What’s in it for you?
Location: Brussels
Type: Full-time
Salary: Competitive, commensurate with experience
Contract type: Indefinite
About IAB Europe
IAB Europe is the European-level association for the digital marketing and advertising ecosystem. Through its membership of media, technology and marketing companies and national IABs, its mission is to lead political representation and promote industry collaboration to deliver frameworks, standards and industry programmes that enable businesses to thrive in the European market. Visit our website for more information about IAB Europe and its members.
How to Apply
To apply, please send your CV & a covering letter by email to jobs@iabeurope.eu with the subject line: ‘Privacy Counsel - Application’. While we may not be able to reach out to every applicant, we will contact candidates whose skills and experience are a strong match for the position.
In a note published last week, the Irish Council of Civil Liberties (ICCL) criticised IAB Europe’s efforts to monitor adtech vendors’ compliance with their commitments under the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF). In particular, it called out IAB Europe’s “inability to audit what 1000+ companies that use TCF do with personal data”, and concluded that transparency and control “cannot be established”.
Presumably, the above reasoning explains why, according to the ICCL, data-driven advertising should be banned and any industry compliance initiative should itself be immediately discredited and prohibited. In other words, since it is impossible to guarantee absolute compliance, it would be better to do nothing. If one would, by analogy, apply the same reasoning to national data protection authorities (DPAs) - responsible for enforcing data protection rules - then these should all just close shop in light of their inability to continuously audit all data processing everywhere.
Luckily, both DPAs and IAB Europe take a somewhat less defeatist attitude to compliance and enforcement. And while IAB Europe is in no way a DPA, nor does it have the same powers as a DPA, it continuously strives to improve its monitoring and auditing capabilities in the context of the TCF.
As a reminder, the TCF is a voluntary standard that companies which serve, measure and manage digital, including personalised, advertising or content can use to assist with their GDPR compliance. It doesn’t guarantee compliance, nor does it seek to help companies shirk their legal responsibility. It’s just a step in the compliance process that every business that implements the Framework must undertake individually. Portraying it as anything else signals a misunderstanding of the instrument and its objectives.
As an integral part of the TCF, IAB Europe has been running a Consent Management Platform (CMP) compliance programme since 2019. That programme comprises a pre-implementation validation stage and a post-implementation enforcement stage.
In August 2021, the programme was improved and expanded to include monitoring of Vendor implementations for compliance with the TCF Policies and Technical Specifications. You can read more about the Vendor Compliance Programme here.
While it should be absolutely clear that the responsibility for correct implementation of the TCF, and ultimately compliance with the EU’s data protection framework, lies with the businesses that are subject to it, IAB Europe provides support and develops dedicated procedures to make sure the TCF is implemented properly. As managing organisation of the Framework, IAB Europe also imposes penalties in line with its prerogatives under the TCF Terms and Conditions to contractually sanction non-compliance.
The first iteration of the Vendor Compliance Programme launched in August last year falls within this objective. And while client-side vendor operations constitute the focus of what is only an initial phase, its scope includes systematic large-scale monitoring of vendor behaviour at the point of data collection and, thus, an assessment of compliance with critical TCF policies, directly rooted in requirements set out in the ePrivacy Directive and the GDPR.
In particular, and contrary to the claims put forward by the ICCL, the programme not only monitors the writing and reading of cookies by Javascript and non-Javascript tags. It also audits all http requests and responses, and attempts to identify instances where vendors may not be collecting or transmitting personal data in accordance with the user’s preferences.
Crucially, to ensure accuracy of results, the auditing relies on both automated crawls and manual testing of web pages. This precludes any bad players within the system from circumventing the programme and evading their commitments towards the user and the industry as a whole.
It’s worth noting that such compliance monitoring and auditing is possible precisely because of the standardised and open format for signaling user preferences established by the TCF. This would not be possible with any other consent structure in use today. Our hope is that DPAs in particular, will consider leveraging the compliance auditing opportunities it offers.
For more information on the TCF Vendor Compliance Programme, please see this dedicated notification.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) is poised to shape Europe’s digital future for decades to come. But as the legislation has been debated and discussed, there have been a significant number of proposals that would vastly expand its scope – and could profoundly change the way we operate online.
With the European Parliament plenary session to be held next week in Strasbourg, IAB Europe organised a roundtable discussion, The Digital Services Act: What Can We Expect from the Plenary Session?, where we were pleased to host Slavina Ancheva, Parliamentary Assistant to MEP Eva Maydell (EPP, Bulgaria), Benedikt Blomeyer (Director EU Policy, Allied for Startups), Tim Geenen (Managing Director, LiveRamp) and Fernando Parreira (Business Director, SAPO). The discussion was moderated by MLex’s Chief Correspondent Matthew Newman and saw participants share their insights on the state of play of the DSA debate.
One of the most prominent proposals in the DSA has been to introduce a blanket ban on targeted ads. This essential – unfairly maligned – low-cost marketing tool has been transformative for businesses large and small throughout the pandemic. It has allowed SMEs to reach new audiences across Europe and convert them into paying customers. Enterprises that have embraced digital tools have fared significantly better amid the uncertainty of Covid-19 and, as Allied for Startups’ Benedikt Blomeyer highlighted last Wednesday, they are essential for startups too.
MEPs in the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee voted to avoid the blanket ban that would have had devastating consequences for consumers and businesses across Europe. This is to be welcomed but concerns remain about the scope of new measures that could make their way in during the plenary vote. Indeed, Slavina Ancheva cautioned that proposals for a ban could reappear during the plenary session, though she does not believe such a proposal would garner enough support to pass.
There are also open questions around practical implications of a ban on targeting minors, with an underlying concern about whether age verification of users’ will be allowed under the new rules. If a robust, reliable and affordable method of age verification cannot be used, these measures could potentially amount to a full ban on targeted advertising.
There has also been talk by some MEPs of using a wide-ranging ban on so-called ‘dark patterns’ as a way of banning targeted advertising by the back door. Sweeping language in the proposed Article 13a (1)(b) and (e) would take away the right of publishers to independently hold a dialogue with their users on consent for advertising purposes and heavily interfere with existing provisions in the EU’s consumer law and data protection framework, which are already being interpreted and applied by Data Protection Authorities (DPAs). Similarly, proposals relating to ‘consent’ around the use of personal data in targeting risk duplicating and undermining existing legislation.
Overlapping and sometimes conflictual rules would represent a significant regulatory burden for thousands of small businesses across Europe and could undermine the broader digital advertising ecosystem.
What is needed is proper enforcement of the EU’s world-leading General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), not new measures – a point agreed with by Fernando Parreira and Tim Geenen, who said the way to go for any new legislative instrument should be to empower users in line with the GDPR requirements.
There remains a wide divergence in the views of policymakers and the final outcome remains unclear. This was illustrated during a Targeting Startups event which saw MEP Henna Virkkunen (EPP, Finland) state that targeted ads are vital to SMEs. On the other hand, MEP Patrick Breyer (Greens/EFA, Germany) claimed that contextual advertising is an adequate replacement for the existing business model. Above all this, the lead rapporteur Christel Schaldemose (S&D, Denmark) spoke of her aim of “reinforcing the intention of the GDPR” by making it easier “to refuse digital ads than accepting ads”.
Such a discrepancy of views will need to be reconciled ahead of the vote, a task that will not be easy. MEPs must remain alive to the risks of a ban or heavy restrictions on targeted advertising. Otherwise, businesses and consumers could be facing far-reaching, irreversible unintended consequences that will impact the very fabric of our free and open internet.
We are jumping into the new year with a wonderful new guest blog post from one of our members, Audiencerate. Filippo Gramigna CEO at Audiencerate, shares some wise words on the ever-changing digital landscape, touching on the developments and trends marketers can expect to see in the next 12 months and beyond.
It is that time of year when industry experts come together to make their predictions about what lies ahead: exciting changes, emerging technologies, and technical developments are all being considered for success. However, as we look forwards, we also think about what we have that is yet to evolve.
The spheres of advertising technology and marketing technology have always run in parallel, and we’re now beginning to see them merge. CMOs, marketers, and publishers are starting to understand that to benefit from emerging data technologies requires combining stacks in the most seamless way possible. Where before there was a disconnect, the future will see a bridge being built between these.
In the meantime, while we watch the ways in which the architecture of the landscape is shifting, there are a number of other areas we need to be aware of; the pillars of the ecosystem to come.
Consent
There are a number of challenges currently defining the landscape: Google’s deprecation of third-party cookies, Apple’s increasing privacy restrictions, and shifting legal structures across the globe. We are already on a clear trajectory towards privacy, and while users are becoming more aware of the value of their data, there is still a lot of uncertainty around what “consent” entails. For this reason, it’s up to brands to lead the way and be transparent around how consent and data will be used and managed. Aside from inspiring trust, companies that enact these measures ahead of time will experience less disruption as a result of future changes.
When it comes to actual data collection, brands need to be more imaginative when it comes to getting to know their customers. For example, interactive communications across multiple platforms — social, digital, and email — openly involve consumers in choosing their preferences and shaping their own experience. Consider Airbnb, who got families to pick photos of their ideal holiday and derived shareable profiles from this, combining a fun gaming activity with engagement to reveal information about personal inclinations.
Interoperability
When it comes to future developments to watch out for, technology tools that can offer a solution to our complex ecosystem while facilitating accessibility and usability will be the main contenders. For current and future operations, data tracking will be vital to master, for as methods change, different structures will be necessary to translate the information gathered into viable input.
Among a number of tools that marketers are adopting to streamline internal — and consequently external — methodologies and applications, Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) are one of the technological developments that have been drawing in investors across the board. CDPs prevent data silos and facilitate the communication and transparency companies will need in a future where, far from losing its value, data will continue to reign supreme. The tool builds comprehensive user profiles and simultaneously manages and optimises campaign performance while maintaining privacy at its core.
Collaboration
Effective collaboration has always been at the heart of success. In order to create impactful campaigns, different departments — across advertising, marketing, research, and analysis — all need to be able to communicate and share both ideas and data. Customer relations can no longer be severed from content; all parts need to be integrated into a working whole to achieve the best results.
But success also derives from external collaboration: be it to source capabilities, to share the burden of investment, or to develop ecosystem-wide solutions through privacy-first environments. The current state of fragmentation and inherent challenges predicts a shake-up of the industry, with many players restructuring their market positioning. Going forward we can expect more consolidation in the form of partnerships or M&As. As an example, we recently partnered with Roq.ad, Europe’s leading independent identity resolution provider, to move closer to achieving cookieless cross-device capabilities and a larger range of data solutions from enhanced targeting and scale options. This collaboration also allows us to extend our reach in proprietary data and data segment markets. Combining forces is all about pooling resources, and doing so can only lead to new creative solutions.
Identity
There’s no question that identity resolution will continue to pose a formidable challenge. Google has received backlash for providing a solution that ultimately favours larger platforms that benefit from more user data. In light of a few satisfactory alternatives, other players have already been developing their own ID solutions, most notably the Trade Desk with Unified ID 2.0 and LiveRamp’s IdentityLink.
The future of IDs is still unclear, navigating questions around authenticated versus anonymous, and industry-wide versus independent, solutions. Whatever the way forward, this is another area where collaboration across disciplines will be paramount to producing the best outcome. Only if publishers and tech companies work together closely can they truly elaborate which solutions will be the most impactful to consumers, beneficial to the company, and safe for all.
We may only be at the start of the evolution of the digital ad sales ecosystem, but we can already see which areas will be more important in defining the landscape ahead. By staying on top of key pillars — such as consent, interoperability, collaboration, and identity — marketers, brands, and publishers can maintain resilience in the face of change and even be the ones leading the transformation. Each pillar helps support the next, and by looking at the ad tech environment both on a holistic and granular level we can meet challenges head-on to build a better future.
After a relaxing Christmas break, it’s time to consider what the new year has to offer. 2022 could be the year to make a difference and have your say, so why not make joining an IAB Europe Committee one of your new year’s resolutions!
IAB Europe’s Committees and Task Forces produced a whole host of insightful and impactful outputs in 2021. We talked about trust and transparency, CTV, in-game advertising, digital audio advertising, and so much more. In 2022 we plan to continue this fantastic work and tackle even more pressing issues such as sustainability & corporate responsibility, disinformation, and post third-party cookie world preparation.
Being a part of an IAB Europe committee gives you the unparalleled opportunity to expand your knowledge and network, and provide valuable education and guidance to the wider community. It allows you to stay up to date on the latest regulatory affairs and public policy initiatives that promote self-regulation, best practices, and industry standards, and possibly most exciting of all, you are also given the opportunity to become a speaker or moderator at large events, which bring together hundreds of industry peers. Being a part of a committee truly lets you directly influence the work we are doing to drive forward the future of our industry.
What’s involved?
Each committee has a monthly conference call with a quarterly face-to-face meeting (when guidelines allow). The committee Chair and Vice-Chair lead each session, proactively involving members to get the very best from each meeting. The latest projects and outputs are discussed each month, giving members the opportunity to select the projects they wish to get involved in. Most committees will focus on two to three key projects each quarter, ranging from 101 guides and white papers to policy discussions and industry research. Those that contribute to outputs are always cited and included in subsequent PR or related events.
What Committees can I join?
Policy Committee – IAB Europe’s Policy Committee represents the interests of Europe’s digital marketing & advertising industry to ensure that future EU policy and regulation enables continuous innovation and sustainable media while maximising the industry’s potential to contribute to Europe’s digital economy.
Legal Committee – The Legal Committee brings together legal experts to help member companies and National IABs understand and assess the impact of EU legislation, European Court of Justice (CJEU) rulings, and enforcement by Data Protection Authorities (DPAs) as they pertain to digital advertising. It works to develop agreed interpretations of the law and compliance guidance to the market on key issues such as the definition of consent, legitimate interest, pseudonymization, verification for access requests, and other data subject rights, that can be promoted with key external stakeholders, including EU and local regulators, advertisers, and consumer associations. The Legal Committee is also involved in the preparation of IAB Europe responses and comments to EDPB and national guidelines, and other policy documents.
Programmatic Trading Committee – The Programmatic Trading Committee is a multi-stakeholder group that aims to increase understanding of the programmatic ecosystem and the impact it is having on digital advertising and influence industry initiatives to improve the ecosystem. 2022 is the year of sustainability, SSP Data best practices and preparing for a post third-party cookie world for this committee; if they are topics that grab your attention, we’d love to see you there!
Brand Advertising Committee – The mission of IAB Europe’s Brand Advertising Committee is to drive brand investment into digital by providing Brand Advertisers with a reliable and trusted Brand Advertising Framework for the converging digital and traditional media environment. The Framework is composed of a set of initiatives designed to be compatible with global programs. If ECommerce is a big focus for you in 2022, this is the committee for you.
Quality & Transparency Task Force – As the first branch of the Brand Advertising Committee, the Quality & Transparency Task Force aims to combat stakeholder quality and transparency concerns and address the challenges that the industry is facing in order to fuel consumer trust and brand investment in the digital advertising and marketing ecosystem. The members of this task force will be leading our well-known Trust and Transparency Month again this year, pushing out valuable disinformation guides, and exploring key issues such as climate change.
Channels & Formats Task Force – As the second branch of the Brand Advertising Committee, the Channels & Formats Task Force aims to increase awareness and drive investment by providing best practices and guidance in emerging and established digital advertising channels and formats. Join this expert task force right now to contribute to a brand new Buyers Guide to ECommerce and an updated Buyers Guide to CTV.
Research Committee – The Research Committee provides strategic insight to drive digital advertising investment by overseeing and inputting to all of IAB Europe’s research activities and formulating an annual research plan. Version two of our Effectiveness Measurement Framework is in the research committee spotlight, alongside CTV/cross-screen measurement and key annual research projects such as the attitudes to programmatic advertising survey.
Post Third-Party Cookie Task Force – This highly relevant task force is a joint IAB France and IAB Europe group, set up to help to shape the technical standards and the future paradigm that will redefine our industry. It brings European National IABs and their corporate members together to both promote “home-grown” European ideas, consolidate and submit feedback on proposals emanating from the W3C and Rearc, including the Chrome Privacy Sandbox.
Providing users with choices that they can make with confidence based on information is the key to ensuring a fair and transparent advertising industry that can sustain the open internet we know today.
Participation in the task force is open to all IAB Europe, IAB France, and other National IAB corporate members (even if those corporate members are not members of either IAB France or IAB Europe).
Technical Committee - Finally, we have the newest IAB Europe committee, created to ensure that work done by other committees and task forces, whether on the policy & legal compliance side or the industry promotion side, is grounded in a thorough understanding of the technology that underpins digital advertising delivery. The Technical Committee is a forum for information exchange and technical projects, discussing how new technology trends in data processing, ad delivery, measurement, brand safety, ad fraud, ad serving and the whole programmatic ecosystem are affecting, and are expected to affect, the digital advertising business in our region and IAB Europe’s ability to support the industry to address the needs of consumers, clients and regulators.
Participants should be technologists or software engineers, or others in a technical role within agencies, ad tech companies and publishers.
There is no limit on the number of committees you can join, so you can be as involved as you wish. For more information on any of our committees and/or task forces, please reach out to the team via communication@iabeurope.eu.
We hope to see you in a committee meeting soon!
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