New York – March 14, 2024 – Today, IAB released its annual report, “State of Data 2024: How the Digital Ad Industry is Adapting to the Privacy-by-Design Ecosystem.”

The study, conducted by IAB in partnership with BWG Strategy, surveyed over 500 advertising and data experts at brands, agencies, and publishers. It reveals the substantial operational and financial adjustments being undertaken by the digital ecosystem as it moves towards a privacy-by design architecture.

“The meaningful investments being made are proof positive of the industry’s commitment to a privacy-first orientation,” said David Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, IAB. “Executives are taking notice and funding the right initiatives for the next stage of industry growth”.

Key findings from the study include:

Nearly all (95%) advertising and data decision-makers at brands, agencies, and publishers expect continued signal loss and/or privacy legislation in 2024 and beyond.

The industry is investing in hiring new subject matter experts (SMEs), updating training for their staff, creating dedicated teams, expanding their legal expertise, leveraging new technology, and increasing first-party data efforts.

82% of the respondents said the makeup and structure of their organizations have been impacted by legislation and signal loss. Nearly 80% are training or planning to train their staff directly in data/privacy-related topics, while half of companies are creating or planning to create dedicated teams/departments (49%) and hiring or planning to hire external SMEs (48%).

Respondents believe the new paradigm will challenge targeting, personalization, and measurement. 

More than half expect it to be harder to track conversions overall (55%), post-view conversions (52%), attribute campaign/channel performance (55%), measure ROI (55%), make optimizations (50%), and measure frequency (50%) and reach (47%). Nearly nine-in-ten ad buyers report shifts in personalization tactics, ad spend, and their mix of first, second, and third-party data. Over three-in-four cite selection changes in media channels and KPIs, along with more seller-direct deals.

To improve data quality, brands, agencies, and publishers are turning to first-party data and data-enrichment tools. 

The study found that 71% of brands, agencies, and publishers are currently or planning to grow their first-party datasets, nearly twice the rate of just two years ago (41%).

“To tackle data quality challenges, it’s crucial for brands, agencies, and publishers to continue to adopt innovative analytical methods including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and media mix modeling that are less dependent on tracking signals and third-party cookies,” said Angelina Eng, VP Measurement, Addressability & Data Center, IAB.

The shift to privacy-by-design is transforming media planning and buying. 

Ad spend that taps first-party data and engages audiences at scale are being prioritized. Nearly nine-in-ten ad buyers report a shift in message personalization strategies (89%), ad investment costs (87%), and over three-in-four cite selection changes in media channels (81%) and KPIs (79%), along with more seller-direct deals.

Ad buyers are shifting budgets to Connected TV, retail media, search, and social networks which rely less on cookies, provide access to valuable first-party data and precise targeting, and contain embedded measurement.

Overhauling and reinventing data processes is a costly sea change that will hurt small and medium-sized publishers and favor giants.

Large companies are investing more in identity anonymization training (79%) than small companies (64%). They are also investing more in training in privacy-preserving technologies (62%) — which can cost over $2 million annually — than small companies (44%). Signal loss is already pushing advertising budgets toward closed ecosystems at a moment when independent publishers can least afford to lose revenue.

“The industry’s embrace of privacy-by-design is the right thing for the industry and consumers alike,” Eng continued. “But if small independent publishers aren’t protected, the vibrant, independent open web that consumers love is at serious risk.”

The study, State of Data 2024: How the Digital Ad Industry is Adapting to the Privacy-by-Design Ecosystem can be downloaded here.

About IAB
The Interactive Advertising Bureau empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City.

About BWG Strategy
Established in 2013, BWG Strategy is a primary research firm with an unwavering commitment to data quality. Our journey began with hosting live in-person events featuring industry thought leaders in New York City. These events have established BWG as a trusted thought partner to the buyside community.​ As BWG’s reputation for investment-grade insights grew, so did the strong client following. Today, BWG’s research is leveraged by 300+ investment firms managing over $6T in assets. BWG supports multi-strategy funds, private equity and venture capital investors, as well as corporate decision makers in finding answers to their most challenging questions.​ BWG Custom Research, the firm’s fastest growing segment, delivers meticulously tailored custom research projects to help clients in their research and decision making. BWG Custom Research team is proud to serve a diverse client portfolio that spans the top private equity and management consulting firms, and Fortune 500 corporations. BWG Custom Research offers solutions for a wide array of use cases, including product marketing, mergers and acquisitions, customer and competitor studies and thought leadership. This dynamic evolution underscores BWG Strategy’s commitment to providing innovative, tailored research solutions that empower its clients to excel in an ever-changing business landscape.

IAB Media Contacts
Brittany Tibaldi / Michael Vaughan
347-487-6794 / 813-210-1706
btibaldi@kcsa.com/mvaughan@kcsa.com

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NEW YORK – January 24, 2023 – The continuing wave of inconsistent state level privacy legislation, coupled with increased signal loss, has set the stage for data clean rooms (DCRs) to become an indispensable privacy-preserving technology.

However, the significant investments in talent, technology, and data setup required to implement DCRs create significant challenges for smaller agencies, brands, and publishers.​

These are among the conclusions from IAB’s annual State of Data report from the Measurement, Addressability & Data Center, titled “State of Data 2023: Data Clean Rooms & the Democratization of Data in the Privacy-Centric Ecosystem.”

The report, conducted on IAB’s behalf by Ipsos, features insights gleaned from over 200 completed surveys and 20 in-depth interviews among data decision-makers at brands, agencies, and publishers/retailers about how privacy-preserving technologies are being managed and activated.

DCR Adoption Investment is Significant

Unveiled during IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting, the report found that DCRs are typically used with other privacy-preserving technology. As a result, compounded annual costs can soar above $2M. ​​For example, while more than 80% of DCR users are using CDPs (customer data platforms) and DMPs (data management platforms), roughly half are using identity solutions and CMPs (consent management platforms).

Investing to Unlock The Next Level of Functionality

“So far, most companies are using DCRs for privacy controls, matching data for collaboration, and data activation,” said Jeffrey Bustos, Vice President, Measurement, Addressability & Data, IAB. “But that only scratches the surface of what’s possible.” Less than a third of users are using DCRs’ advanced measurement capabilities, including attribution, return on investment (ROI) / return on ad spend (ROAS) measurement, media or marketing mix modeling, and propensity modeling and predictive analysis.

“Companies expect to invest 29% more in 2023 to make the most of their DCRs, and that’s really encouraging,” added Bustos. “There is growing demand due to loss of signals, and wanting to share data with partners without sharing sensitive data. This may show that companies are understanding what’s required and ramping up their investments accordingly.”

Some Growing Pains

The report reveals that while DCRs offer innovative, privacy-preserving capabilities, they are far from being turnkey technology. They require steep and ongoing investments in talent, cost, and setup, spanning everything from data infrastructure and connectivity to onboarding. More than half of DCR users (52%) cite leveraging results / proving ROI as a challenge. About one third of DCR users are also facing data interoperability / customization (39%), internal resource (38%), and privacy (32%) challenges when using DCRs.

• Nearly half of DCR users (49%) have 6+ employees dedicated to the technology—nearly one-third (30%) have a minimum of 11 people.
• Respondents cited time-frames of months to up to two years to get up and running with the technology.
• Nearly two thirds (62%) of users spent a minimum of $200K on the technology in 2022, with a quarter (23%) spending upwards of $500K.

The cost and talent requirements to successfully implement DCRs creates a tremendous market disadvantage for small agencies, brands, and publishers that don’t have the resources to invest at those levels—and may weaken the trend toward in-housing.

Calling on All Advertising Participants (including Walled Gardens)

The report also includes detailed information about what advertisers, brands, and publishers need to know as they begin their journey, including hurdles and opportunities for growth; privacy-preserving technology considerations and best practices; and understanding the benefits and use cases of DCRs.

“To make the most of DCRs, the industry needs all data providers to make their data interoperable so that advertisers can measure full campaign effectiveness and ROI,” said David Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, IAB. “There should be no exceptions. It’s in everyone’s interests for closed ecosystems to provide access so that advertisers can effectively analyze their campaign activity. Advertisers need a window into the data.”

Through industry collaboration, innovation, and education, IAB and IAB Tech Lab strive to make it easier for advertisers to understand and use DCRs. In Q1, IAB Tech Lab will announce its first DCR specification to support and define interoperable clean room interactions for digital advertising. Developed within IAB Tech Lab’s Rearc Addressability Working Group, it will be the first of a library of purpose-built, DCR specifications to support and define interoperable clean room interactions for digital advertising.

For more information, please visit https://iab.com/state-of-data and to download the “State of Data 2023: Data Clean Rooms & the Democratization of Data in the Privacy-Centric Ecosystem,” click here.

About IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City.

IAB Media Contacts

Brittany Tibaldi / Michael Vaughan
347-487-6794 / 813-210-1706
btibaldi@kcsa.com / mvaughan@kcsa.com  

The post Data Clean Rooms Are Now Essential for Audience Insights, Measurement, and Data Activation According to IAB State of Data Report appeared first on IAB.

Speakers include Professional Baseball Player and Entrepreneur Alex Rodriguez, Netflix’s Jeremi Gorman, Meta’s Erin Egan, TheSkimm’s Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin, Writer, Television and Podcast Host Baratunde Thurston, and more

NEW YORK, January 12, 2023 – Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the digital media and marketing trade association, today unveiled the final schedule for its Annual Leadership Meeting (ALM), taking place from January 22-24 in Marco Island, Florida.

“ALM has been and continues to be the epicenter of the digital economy, surfacing hotly-debated topics facing the ecosystem at large. IAB is the association that brings together the full digital ecosystem. ALM is where we set the year’s agenda, driving the direction of the industry,” said David Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, IAB. “Attendees will gain critical insight and perspective on important topics including measurement, privacy, the streaming revolution, sustainability, and the emerging metaverse. ALM is the time for alignment, consensus, and action from all stakeholders.”

The 2023 conference theme, “It Starts Here,” explores a vision for the industry, and will uncover opportunities, paths forward, new connections, and meaningful ideas for the future. The three-day event will be held in-person at JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, gathering industry leaders to address significant regulatory changes, challenges around consumer privacy and data use, the explosion of retail media networks, the evolving Metaverse/Web3, trust and transparency, and a host of new ad-supported opportunities.

Speakers will include:

• Matthew Ball, Pioneering Tech Authority, Venture Capitalist, and Bestselling Author, The Metaverse
• Krishan Bhatia, President and Chief Business Officer, NBCUniversal
• Jeffrey Cole, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Center for the Digital Future, USC Annenberg
• Sean Corcoran, U.S. Chief Executive Officer, Mediahub
• Soumya Donkada, Head of Digital, Media, and E-Commerce, Beauty and Well-being, Unilever
• Sean Downey, President, Americas and Global Partners, Google
• Erin Egan, Chief Privacy Officer, Policy, Meta
• Michele Fino, Head of Branded Entertainment, Crackle Plus
• Jeremi Gorman, President, Worldwide Advertising, Netflix
• Scott Howe, Chief Executive Officer, LiveRamp
• Jay Livingston, Chief Marketing Officer, Shake Shack
• Andy Monfried, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Lotame
• Ryan Moore, Global Chief Revenue Officer, SuperAwesome, an Epic Games Company
• Ian Orefice, President and Chief Operating Officer, TIME and TIME Studios
• John Osborn, U.S. Director, Ad Net Zero
• Christena Pyle, Chief Equity Officer, dentsu
• Alex Rodriguez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, A-Rod Corp
• Athan Stephanopoulos, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, CNN
• Baratunde Thurston, Host, America Outdoors and How To Citizen Podcast
• Deborah Wahl, Global Chief Marketing Officer, General Motors Company
• Kevin Warren, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, UPS
• Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin, Co-founders and Co-Chief Executive Officer’s, TheSkimm
• Andrea Zapata, Executive Vice President, Head of Ad Sales Research, Measurement and Insights, Warner Bros. Discovery

All times are in EST; Speakers and timing are subject to change, refer to the website for up-to-date information. Note the event will not be live streamed this year, ALM has prioritized the value of in-person connections. 

IAB does not require proof of vaccination to attend events. However, it is strongly recommended that in-person attendees be vaccinated, and that you stay home if symptomatic. IAB’s Event and COVID-19 Policy and Code of Conduct.

About IAB
The Interactive Advertising Bureau empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City.

IAB Media Contacts
Brittany Tibaldi / Michael Vaughan
347-487-6794 / 813-210-1706
btibaldi@kcsa.com / mvaughan@kcsa.com

The post IAB Announces Full Agenda for its Annual Leadership Meeting Jan. 22-24 in Marco Island, Florida appeared first on IAB.

NEW YORK, September 13, 2022 – The state of data will be significantly impacted by new state privacy laws coming into effect in 2023 and legislation that may be enacted in other states in the near future. Given the current trajectory of state-level privacy legislation, and federal legislation now being debated in Congress, managing these different legal standards will be challenging.

That’s among the conclusions revealed in IAB’s State of Data 2022 Part II: Preparing for the New Addressability Landscape report, commissioned by IAB and executed by MediaScience, which included qualitative, in-depth interviews with 30 senior-level, data decision-makers at brands, agencies, and publishers.

The report, to be released at IAB Audience Connect on September 13, 2022, highlights new privacy legislation, the deprecation of third-party cookies and identifiers, and platform policies that affect data collection, addressability, measurement, and optimization for digital advertising and marketing.

2022 marks the fifth year and sixth installment of this research, which aims to understand market readiness for rapid shifts around data use, privacy and addressability, and provide an overview of scalable solutions brands, agencies, publishers and ad tech firms can adopt today while protecting consumer privacy.

“While Google’s decision to postpone the deprecation of third-party cookies until 2024 may feel like a reprieve, the industry is far from off the hook,” said David Cohen, CEO, IAB. “The industry is already operating with significantly less signal given the changes by Apple, Firefox, and others. Consumers need transparency and control. We need addressability and measurement solutions that are privacy-by-design and fully compliant with state, Federal, and international standards.”

Companies are struggling to keep up — and facing compromises

Creating consistent measures and protocols that work inside their companies and with external partners has become a major issue. In the face of rising complexity, the majority of respondents agree a “one size fits all” approach spanning multiple jurisdictions is probably necessary. But there is a significant trade-off: failing to leverage data that is fully permitted in certain states means lost opportunities.

We can advance privacy and enable advertising to reach the right consumers at the same time, but misguided legislative efforts risk harming both. The IAB Legal Affairs Council plans to roll out an MSPA (Multi-State Privacy Agreement) and Global Privacy Platform through the IAB Tech Lab as solutions.

The goal is a practical multi-jurisdictional approach to compliance that creates consistency where state laws are similar and options when requirements are unique to a state. IAB is ensuring that the essential functions of the ad-supported internet — measurement, frequency capping, engaging in programmatic and contextual ads and utilizing publisher’s first party segments when consumers opt-out — still work.

Consumers know what they’re giving up, but don’t know what they’re getting

The senior-level, data decision-makers at brands, agencies, and publishers interviewed for this study agree that consumer trust is paramount. Yet the value proposition for consumers remains unclear. While the industry is better about disclosing what data it will use, it is not doing enough to help consumers understand why gathering their data delivers real benefits.

Myopia about first party data ignores up to 80% of consumers

Investing in deterministic first party datasets (data from their logged-in, “known” audiences) remains vital. Yet, in most instances this only represents about 20% of potential consumers. Marketers need proven, probabilistic solutions to target and measure the 80% of consumers who are not part of their first party data.

The publishers interviewed were optimistic about the use of Seller Defined Audiences (e.g., custom cohorts) as one solution for addressability. Still, for this to succeed, publishers must do more to drive buy-side awareness and adoption.

Can smaller publishers afford to keep up?

Ironically, privacy legislation may benefit platforms and publishing giants while inadvertently punishing smaller publishers who have small but intensely loyal audiences. While there are a range of third-party tools that can help power data collection and enrichment, only a handful of interviewees have the budgets to test these new approaches. The consensus is that there are too many tools and not enough resources to test or manage them all — particularly among smaller publishers.

“With third-party cookies, the sky has been falling for more than a decade. No wonder there’s a deepening disconnect between how prepared senior-level, data decision-makers feel, and how prepared they actually are,” said Angelina Eng, Vice President, Programmatic+Data Center, IAB. “But no matter what happens with cookies, the rising tide of patchwork regulation is already here.”

Please visit iab.com/state-of-data-2022 for more information about the IAB’s 2022 State of Data: Preparing for the New Addressability Landscape report.

And don’t miss our in-depth discussion on the findings from the report with the State of Data Town Hall Series on October 18 (State of Data Town Hall: The New Privacy Landscape) and November 15 (State of Data Town Hall: Data Collection and Addressability).

About IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau empowers the media and marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership comprises more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and the technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands, agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge, skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry. Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., the trade association advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City.

IAB Media Contacts
Kate Tumino / Brittany Tibaldi
212-896-1252 / 347-487-6794
ktumino@kcsa.com / btibaldi@kcsa.com

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