DV’s David Goddard Appointed to Key Role at IAB Europe

Let’s Build a Better Industry^® is more than just a tagline at DoubleVerify. Working with key organizations across the globe, DV helps to shape industry initiatives and guidelines to promote transparency and quality in the digital advertising ecosystem.

At the start of 2020, David Goddard, Sr. Director of Business Development, was appointed to chair IAB Europe’s Programmatic Trading Committee. David joined DoubleVerify at the end of 2019 and operates out of DV’s London office.

David, can you tell us a bit about your background?

Prior to DoubleVerify, I spent 5.5 years at BBC Global News and BBC Studios (formerly known as BBC WorldWide), as Vice President Global Programmatic Strategy & Commercial Development. I built and led a Global team of programmatic specialists tasked with driving the adoption and growth of Programmatic monetization solutions across our Global commercial teams and clients. Prior to the BBC, I spent 4.5 years at eBay Classified Group (Gumtree) where I was tasked with driving growth at a time when programmatic was in its infancy.

How did you come to chair the IAB Europe’s Programmatic Trading committee?

I have been a member of IAB Europe’s Programmatic Trading Committee for 3.5 years and have thoroughly enjoyed working with all the corporate members, local IABs and IAB Europe staff. I joined to try and make a difference and support our fantastic industry. The output from the committee is valued by many in the industry, it is also incredible that the contributors are doing this in addition to their day jobs.

What companies can benefit from collaborating with IAB?

The industry is becoming increasingly complex, so stakeholders (advertisers, ad tech firms, agencies, and publishers) are looking to IAB Europe as a beacon for guidance. IAB corporate members have the opportunity to participate in the committees, lend their knowledge and expertise to white papers and learn from industry leaders about an array of topics that are challenging the ecosystem. All this is invaluable knowledge that they can take back into their respective organizations. Corporate members also receive brand exposure as part of white papers, blogs, videos or events they participate in.

There are plenty of ways for companies to get involved throughout 2020, and we encourage people to do so. If you are interested in getting involved at IAB Europe, you can contact Marie-Clare Puffett – puffett@iabeurope.eu.

What are the key IAB initiatives and themes in Europe for 2020?

IAB Europe Programmatic Trading Committee will be focused on the following topics:

• OpenRTB protocol;
• Preparing for a post-cookie world; and
• Supply path optimization.

This is in addition to our biannual Virtual Programmatic Day which is a free conference featuring content and insights from industry leaders. The H2 2019 event was live streamed from Verizon studios in London. We will also be continuing a 101 video series.

In conjunction with IAB Europe’s research committee, our committee will also be contributing to IAB Europe’s Attitudes to Programmatic Survey and report, which takes a pulse on the European digital ecosystem, as well as the European Programmatic Ad Spend Report. There is a lot of valuable content and resources for consumer and industry stakeholders, as well as our corporate members, to get involved with and excited about.

What are the most interesting developments and challenges in Ad Tech in 2020?

Consumer appetite for Connected TV (CTV) programming is at an all time high, so 2020 will be a year of growth in advertising. Not surprising, CTV’s high value inventory is attractive to good and bad actors alike, thus we expect ad fraud in this emerging channel to increase in volume and sophistication in 2020. We also anticipate progress in standardization that will facilitate consistent quality measurement – including viewability and brand safety – across CTV platforms and providers.

Contextual targeting will re-emerge in 2020, as advertisers attempt to reach users in a post-GDPR world. With increased scrutiny and regulation around consumer privacy on the Internet, targeting audiences based on user data is becoming problematic for global brands. In response, contextual targeting at scale and publishers’ ability to package inventory in line with advertisers’ brand suitability requirements, will become increasingly important.

2020 will bring improved measurement to digital audio, that in turn will lead to growth. Digital Audio is not new, but as it grows, it is causing a sea-change in the advertising landscape. From streaming our favorite music to listening to the latest podcast, the additive nature of audio enables advertisers to avoid the fierce battle for consumer screens and reach a highly engaged, captive audience. Despite these benefits, audio is not being measured as other channels are, making it hard to compare to the wider media mix. In addition to measurement, greater quantity and variety of content will naturally increase brand safety concerns, meaning the need for quality authentication will grow, especially as more inventory becomes available both directly and programmatically.

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