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How has this crisis emphasised the importance of research in the media industry? Mike Follett, Managing Director, Lumen The COVID crisis has unleashed a torrent of (often conflicting) advice and opinion. In response, smart marketers will see the importance of getting real, behavioural data on what is actually happening and what really works. Decent research helps brand owners see through the chaos and take advantage of the opportunities out there. In the next few months, we’ll see lots of...

The research, which was conducted in June 2020, shows that people have been more attuned to brands’ actions since the start of the pandemic and say they are more likely to purchase products from brands that they feel have reacted well to the crisis. They are less likely to buy from brands that they feel have taken advantage of the situation or acted insensitively. Here is a round-up of the key findings: 79% of people asked said that they are likely to favour brands that have behaved well during...

With holidays during lockdown out of the question, there are few industries that have been hit by COVID-19 as hard as the travel industry. In this episode, the IAB's James Chandler talks to Tripadvisor's Associate Director of Research and Insights, Shibani Walia. They discuss Tripadvisor's COVID-19 recovery white paper, new travel patterns already emerging and what consumers want from travel brands right now. For more information about how we are supporting our members at this time, as well as...

After many years working with media companies, Sarah Christie, a coach and hypnotherapist, bought Crockwell Farm in Cornwall where she set up a retreat to help people escape life and manage work-related stress. In this episode of the IAB Connected Podcast, Sarah joins James from here retreat (her description of which will whisk you away to rolling hills and blue seas) to take a different perspective on lockdown: how different types of people have coped, what we can learn from those who have...

It’s official: the EU Court of Justice has invalidated the U.S. Department of Commerce EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework in their landmark ‘ Schrems II’ case. To summarise, this means that any company that has been relying on the Privacy Shield to transfer personal data from the UK to the U.S. will no longer be able to do so. The Court also reviewed the validity of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) as an alternative basis for international data transfers and concluded that they remain valid...

Diversity has become an increasingly important discussion topic in the digital advertising industry in the last few years and it has recently been amplified by the #blacklivesmatter movement and protests around the world. Have we, as an industry, done enough to support diversity in our organisations and in our initiatives? Some have probably done more than others, but we can recognise that our industry is far from being a fair representation of society’s overall diversity. At ID5, we have put...

Ahead of the Government's expected announcement regarding online advertising of High Fat Sugar and Salt foods (HFSS) - and with speculation of an outright ban on HFSS online ads circulating - IAB UK’s stance is that such an untargeted intervention disregards the prevailing causal evidence relating to obesity, bluntly overlooks digital advertising’s capabilities as an addressable medium and will disproportionately impact our world-leading digital ad industry at a crucial time of tentative...

We are very concerned about reports today that the Government will shortly announce new and draconian advertising restrictions on TV and online as part of its strategy to combat obesity. A pre-9 pm watershed ban is an out-of-date solution that has been discredited as an effective solution to obesity, whilst a total ban online is a blunt and totally disproportionate proposal that completely disregards the fact that advertisers target their ads very accurately away from children online. These...

Following the Government's announcement that it will introduce a ban on online advertising of High Fat, Salt and Sugar foods (HFSS) before 9pm, and potentially at any time of day, by the end of 2022 (pending another industry consultation), IAB UK stands by its previously expressed view that such action disregards prevailing evidence relating to the causes of obesity in favour of tokenistic measures that the Government's own analysis showed would make little meaningful difference to obesity. It...

Most performance metrics for video advertising centre on views. Who is watching and for how long? However, hidden among the views, View-through Rate (VTR) and Completion Rate, there’s a key point that’s rarely mentioned – most video in a social media newsfeed is viewed with the sound off. Your audience may be watching, but most of the time they’re not listening. It’s a data point that should really be driving your creative development. Audio can play a pivotal role in online video, albeit one...

This has been an unprecedented year to date. Lockdown has seen a huge demand for online content as consumers turn to streaming services for light relief, entertainment, sport and education. Our own research has found 77% of UK consumers are spending one or more hours a day watching video-on-demand (VOD) services, with the average household signing up to at least two VOD services while in lockdown. Desire for more content has also seen the majority of consumers (60%) say they would watch adverts...

They say you should never meet your heroes, but in our latest episode, interviewer becomes interviewee as James speaks to Rachel Humphreys, co-host and producer of his favourite podcast, The Guardian's Today in Focus. It was, Rachel tells James, a Guardian staffer who invented the word "podcast" and The Guardian has long been committed to using audio to tell its stories. In this extended episode, Rachel talks to James about how she and the rest of the Today in Focus team put together each...

The latest Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report shows UK ad spend is predicted to fall 15.6% year-on-year in 2020 to £21.4bn - a slight improvement on the 16.7% drop forecast in April. This is linked to recent measures announced by the Government to increase consumer spending. New figures for Q1 2020 show total ad spend rose 2.9% year-on-year to reach £6.4bn, contrasting with the 39.0% decline estimated for Q2 when COVID-19 took hold. Total 2021 ad spend is forecast to be 16.6% higher...

Following the publication of the CMA Market Study into online platforms and digital advertising, the Digital Markets Taskforce (led by the CMA) is developing advice for the Government on how to design and implement new pro-competition measures practice. The Taskforce issued a call for information in July and IAB UK has submitted a response covering: some of the future developments we expect to see in the market the impact of COVID-10 on the UK digital ad industry the need for continuing industry...

As new purchasing behaviours replace traditional retail methods, the nature of Scommerce continues to redefine itself. With powerful tools like Instagram’s shoppable feature alongside the release of Facebook Shops and Instagram Live’s badges, social commerce is quickly becoming a rich and engaging alternative to encounters with physical retailers and modern-day Ecommerce stores. No longer is ‘shopping’ merely an act or task; but rather a feeling, an experience, a journey that begins with visual...

When the country went into lockdown, with many of us confined to our homes, companies and individuals were forced to embrace a much more digitised lifestyle almost overnight, with telecommunications, quality networks and efficient connectivity becoming more vital than ever. During the lockdown period, digital technologies have proven to be essential for society to function and support our new ways of working, living and socialising - from virtual conferences, online workouts and video calls with...

“With the Government's unprecedented announcement just a little over a week old, the aim of this event is for you to come away more informed than you are right now”, said IAB UK’s CMO James Chandler, opening our Member Forum on the proposed HFSS online ad ban. Bringing together speakers including the Advertising Association’s Director of Public Affairs Sue Eustace, Mindshare UK’s CEO Jem Lloyd-Williams, Facebook’s UK Public Policy Manager Karim Palant, News UK’s Commercial Director of Publishing...

The first recorded esports event was in 1972 - The Intergalactic Spacewar Olympics - hosted by the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University. Since then, esports has turned into a billion-dollar industry, attracting an enormous global audience expected to reach 495 million in 2020 . But what makes esports so successful? The competitive aspect of esports might seem like the main attraction, but our love of a good competition is nothing new. Competitiveness is a biological...

From podcasts to audiobooks to digital radio to music streaming services, there’s never been so much high-quality audio content available. And that means there are plenty of new opportunities for advertisers to engage with audiences. However, advertisers' approach to audio will need to change if they’re to gain cut-through with an audience grown used to personalised experiences in other digital channels. Tomorrow's audio advertising will be more adaptive and much more relevant. Creatives will be...

BBC Global News, Facebook, Snap and Twitter to host virtual events Plus first-ever Gaming Upfronts to take place, as Podcast Upfronts returns for 2020 BBC Global News, Facebook, Snap and Twitter will be giving advertisers an exclusive first-look at new products, insights and upcoming launches as Digital Upfronts goes virtual for the first time. Running from 12 - 16 October, the week-long series of partner Upfronts will see each brand host an unmissable line up of high-profile speakers, debut new...