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Yesterday (March 16 2025), the Online Safety Act came into effect, meaning that providers of services in scope of the Act must now “start implementing appropriate measures to remove illegal material quickly when they become aware of it, and to reduce the risk of ‘priority’ criminal content from appearing in the first place”. At the end of last year, Ofcom released a set of codes of practice and guidance for in-scope firms - including social media firms, search engines, messaging, gaming and...

1. If we sign up to support the Gold Standard, do all the companies we work with have to be Gold Standard certified? We ask supporters to prioritise working with digital advertising suppliers who are Gold Standard certified. However, we recognise that since companies need to be members of IAB UK in order to certify, some players in the industry may not hold a certificate. We also recognise that brands may work with some smaller publishers who may not be big enough to manage the certification...

Opening Leadership Summit 2025, Jon Mew, CEO of IAB UK, said that relentless change has been a core theme for the event over the years, “but change today is different”. He pointed to global instability, political uncertainty, cultural division, and technological upheaval as forces defining the world. As Jon put it, our industry now sits at the intersection of politics, economics, and culture and “the decisions we make as businesses and leaders matter.” He called on the industry to collaborate...

ISBA – the trade body for advertisers in the UK – has released a new version of its Media Services Framework , which is designed to govern the relationship between advertisers and their media agencies. The new updates include adding DemandChain Object – an IAB Tech Lab tool and core part of the IAB Gold Standard – to the criteria. Utilising DemandChain Object boosts end-to-end transparency in the supply chain, helping to identify and eradicate scam ads. This is a significant step as it means...

At IAB UK, we know that UK SMEs benefit significantly from digital advertising. Our Digital Dividend research with Public First found that digital advertising is the most used paid-for advertising channel for SMEs, with an estimated total spend of up to £10bn per year - around 45% of the UK’s total digital ad spend. What’s more, SMEs that invested in digital advertising saw a combined annual sales uplift of £26bn and 81% of SMEs describe digital advertising as being important for the success of...

Launched today, Futurescape builds a comprehensive picture of what media, marketing and consumer attitudes will look like in 2030. The study draws on interviews with over 40 leaders from across advertising, media and tech, as well as original forecasting to predict ad spend at the turn of the decade Agency models and planning approaches will need to become less channel-centric over the next five years, according to IAB UK's new study Futurescape . The report explores how media owners are...

From the rise of AI and its impact on brand marketing, to all media evolving into retail media, Futurescape forecasts the 11 key shifts that will shape advertising and media in the lead up to 2030 and into the next decade. The study draws on qualitative interviews with over 40 leaders from across the advertising, media and technology industries; extensive analysis of existing research from a wide range of sources; and original forecasting conducted by economist and media analyst Dr Daniel Knapp...

63% of singles are more likely to say “yes” to someone interested in cooking, according to Tinder’s research, and Knorr leveraged that insight via a campaign with TInder to help people navigate the sea of dating red flags by celebrating the ultimate green flag - cooking. #UnlockYourGreenFlag primarily leveraged social video , with a focus on TikTok, to resonate with potential daters and capture the attention of a Gen Z audience. It was created with MullenLowe UK and launched in the lead up to...

During the most recent Advertising Association Industry Reputation Group, we presented an Industry Trends Analysis made in conjunction with Google’s AI tool, Gemini. We input 45 ‘year ahead’ and 2025 predictions articles from major industry press such as Campaign and Media Leader into the AI tool and asked it questions, including, ‘What is the industry most pessimistic about in 2025?’. One of the main areas of pessimism for 2025 was the talent and skills gap. Unfortunately, 2025 has already...

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) has released updated draft guidance for industry consultation relating to implementation of the LHF online ad ban (previously often referred to as the HFSS online ad ban) that is coming into force on 1 October 2025. CAP - which is tasked with producing industry guidance with support from co-regulators Ofcom and the ASA - consulted on initial draft guidance last year. This process resulted in an update last month where CAP stated that: “The consultation...

At the end of January, the ICO released a number of updates on work it will be pursuing in 2025, including a new online tracking strategy and new guidance or ‘consent or pay’ models . Overall, the regulator’s priorities for the year ahead include: Encouraging adoption of more ‘privacy-friendly’ online advertising models Supporting compliant deployment of ‘consent or pay’ models and supporting their economic viability Investigating potential DMP non-compliance, with a particular focus on consent...

The latest figures from the Advertising Association and WARC show the UK advertising market rose by 9.7% to £10.6bn in Q3 2024, marking the first time ad spend has surpassed the £10bn barrier in the third quarter. The growth exceeded expectations by 1.4 percentage points, driven primarily by strong performances in digital advertising such as in Search, which grew 12.6% to £4.6bn, fuelled in part by the expanding retail media sector. You can find out more here. Speaking about the latest data...

For its first campaign of the year, P&O Cruises teamed up with Wavemaker UK, GroupM and Dooh.com to create an innovative digital out-of-home (DOOH) experience that’s making commuters feel like they’re already on vacation. The ad features a mesmerising 3D animation of an underwater scene, with fish swimming out of the screen - immersing commuters on the London Underground in the warm, sun-soaked vibes of a dream holiday. “It’s a genius use of DOOH – engaging, immersive and downright magical,”...

What is Digital Adspend? IAB UK’s annual  Digital Adspend report is the official measure of the UK digital advertising market going back to 1997. Produced with MediaSense (formerly PwC), the report provides detailed spend data including crucial insights on market trends, sector development and the impact of emerging channels. It is free for all IAB UK members to access as part of their membership.  Why contribute to Digital Adspend? The report comprises a mix of modelled and submitted data, but...

From today, we have introduced a number of updates to bolster the effectiveness and expand the scope of the Gold Standard - our multi-pronged initiative to tackle challenges in the digital advertising industry, such as ad fraud and supply chain transparency - which forms a core part of Government-led work to address digital advertising harms. CTV & Retail Media Significantly, the Gold Standard has been expanded to encompass specifications for retail media and CTV for the first time. For CTV...

Even though I’ve been to Parliament countless times, there is always something quite special about making a visit at Christmas when all the decorations are up and a somewhat uncharacteristic festive joy imbues the ancient space of Westminster Hall. It’s this that IAB Board members were treated to when we teamed up with Labour Digital to host their Christmas drinks in mid-December, bringing together over 100 people including our industry’s leaders, MPs, Peers and Ministers. One of the standout...

Hosted by James Chandler, Chief Marketing Officer at IAB UK, The IAB UK Podcast features in-depth discussions with leaders and innovators from across the media, advertising and tech landscapes. We’re looking for fresh voices for 2025, so if you’re an IAB UK member, passionate about the industry and have a great story to tell, we’d love to hear your pitch. Topics included to date include brand safety, football fandom, sustainability, content creation, inclusive marketing and much more. Last...

By answering the four key questions below, you can understand whether an ad is likely to be subject to the HFSS online ad ban when it comes into force on 1st October 2025. Please note that this is based on information that is available to us at the time of publishing (January 2025). View the guidance below and download it at the bottom of the page for a version that includes hyperlinks to further information.

What’s the background? Ofcom is the statutory regulator for the HFSS online advertising ban and has appointed the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) as its frontline advertising co-regulator. On behalf of the ASA, CAP consulted on rules and guidance for advertisers to support the implementation of the online ban on ads for ‘less healthy food and drink' (often referred to as LHF - a subset of products high in fat, salt or sugar). IAB UK responded to this consultation in February 2024. What’s...

Why has the ICO launched a consultation? The ICO’s consultation, which opens today (Friday 20 December 2025), is inviting industry feedback on draft guidance it has issued on how data protection law, including PECR , applies to storage and access technologies such as fingerprinting. This follows a response from the ICO to Google’s announcement that it will allow organisations that use its advertising products to employ privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) from 16 February 2025. The ICO states...