As we ring in the new year, let us not forget the challenges we’ve faced over the past two years – both from a personal and professional standpoint. The global pandemic impacted humanity like we never could have imagined, altering our daily routines for the foreseeable future. From a business standpoint, many companies and jobs were lost, and most have had to adapt and usher in a new approach to the working environment – with an increased reliance on technology.

Consumer behavior has also changed. Amid the pandemic, adults spent an hour more per day on digital activities (across all devices) than they did in 2019, according to eMarketer’s latest time spent forecast from Insider Intelligence. In fact, total digital time is now on track to surpass 8 hours by the end of 2022. This has caused media planning and activation to adapt for advertisers.

But there are other factors at play, too. Google’s announcement of the depreciation of cross-site third-party cookies in Chrome leaves the advertising industry searching for privacy-friendly performance solutions that can replace their current targeting options.

And the 2020 US election and other major global events, such as the murder of George Floyd and the escalation in environmental and climate change issues, have created a dramatic increase in misinformation and inflammatory news that advertisers and consumers should wisely avoid.

During that time, DoubleVerify’s VP of Business Development, David Goddard, acted as the Chair of the Programmatic Trading Committee (PTC) for IAB Europe, 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. While David has recently stepped down from this position, the committee’s accomplishments during David’s tenure as Chair provided a wealth of information, thought leadership and guidance on a wide range of industry topics. This came in the form of multiple guides, reports, blogs, podcasts and a number of virtual events reaching, in total, over 4,000 industry colleagues.

Whether you’re just starting out in your career or a seasoned industry professional, you will find answers to challenging industry questions in IAB’s knowledge hub. While all of the content found in the hub is highly informative and uniquely helpful, David recommends a few pieces, developed over the past two years, that were of particular importance to him and the industry at large.

 

IAB Europe’s Guide to the Post Third-Party Cookie Era

Initially released in March 2020 and re-written in February 2021, this guide was developed by the PTC to prepare brands, agencies, publishers and tech intermediaries for the much-anticipated post third-party cookie advertising ecosystem. The current edition of the guide answers questions such as:

  • How will the absence of third-party cookies affect the execution of digital advertising campaigns?
  • What alternative solutions may be suitable for my business?
  • What industry solutions are currently being developed and by whom?

“This guide has had multiple updates since its first 2020 release as the topic is fluid,” says David. “The implications of this shift to a post third-party cookie era will have repercussions across the industry and will impact the entire industry. I recommend that everyone read up on the subject and understand how it could impact your company and start looking for solutions, as we are running out of time. For those who have had a chance to read the guide, we hope they’ve benefited from the guidance published thus far and are now getting involved in looking for the solutions, either internally at their company or externally with relevant industry bodies.”

 

IAB Europe’s Guide to Programmatic Connected TV

The European Connected TV (CTV) market has skyrocketed in recent years. Where the worlds of TV and digital have been gradually merging over time, more and more consumers have been tuning out of traditional linear TV options and moving into online streaming, paving the way for the CTV phenomenon.

“CTV is where it’s at, but the landscape and technical capabilities of CTV are complex and lacking industry standards,” warns David. “This guide takes a deeper dive into the channel, providing a European-level overview of the CTV programmatic supply chain and the programmatic buying options available to advertisers.”

The guide also addresses the challenges that planners currently face, with some key considerations and best practices to ensure programmatic CTV investment is being optimized and used effectively.

 

IAB Europe’s Attitudes to Programmatic Advertising Report

In order to understand the status of programmatic adoption across Europe on both the buy-side and sell-side of the digital advertising industry, IAB Europe’s PTC developed the Attitudes to Programmatic Advertising survey in 2015. This report dives into the following areas:

  • How much programmatic is used for different formats (display, mobile and video)
  • Drivers and barriers to programmatic investment
  • Operational models used for programmatic
  • Measurement and data strategy

“Over the past six years, we have seen a number of issues, barriers, operational models and trends represent themselves in the data from this report,” says David. “This report truly is a finger on the pulse of our industry and shapes the areas we need to tackle.”

 

PTC Plans for 2022

The committee has locked in the work plan for the year ahead and is looking at key areas such as mis/disinformation. “There is a need to educate consumers and industry stakeholders more widely on mis/disinformation, but this is easier said than done,” says David. “This is an international and complex challenge, and it is not clear where the responsibility lies, but that would mean we all have a role to play – from the platforms, news broadcasters and publishers right through to industry and governmental bodies.”

Still, there is positive work and industry collaboration happening now. For example, the European Code of Practice on Disinformation will serve as a tool for online platforms to improve their policies and mitigate risks linked to disinformation. DV has also signed up to support the creation of this Code of Practice by the European Commission, and look out for educational material on this topic coming from IAB Europe in the coming months.

“I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to Chair the IAB Europe’s Programmatic Trading Committee and to continue to work with IAB Europe colleagues such as Helen Mussard, Marie-Clare Puffett, Lauren Wakefield, Daniel Knapp and fellow committee members,” said David. “Together as a team, they all worked diligently to deliver a fantastic programme and thought leadership that helps drive the right conversations in the industry to move us all in the right direction. DV and I will continue to be a part of future projects and conversations, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing the product of the committee’s hard work in 2022.”

For more information about IAB Europe’s PTC, visit iabeurope.eu/programmatic-trading-committee.