AdEx Benchmark is the definitive guide to the state of the European digital advertising market.  The report reveals the key milestones contributing to the 2018 market value of €55bn and the fastest growth since 2011.

The report provides a comprehensive perspective of digital advertising spend across Europe which is essential in benchmarking market development trends, the increasingly pan-regional nature of digital advertising investments and the role of Europe’s digital economy in a global context, attracting global start-up funding and European policy formulation.

Based on a study of twenty-eight markets in Europe, the report includes data on social ad spend and splits video by in-stream and out-stream. Out-stream video and mobile both dominated results in 2018, as they both grew by double-digits in all twenty-eight markets. Out-stream video grew by 44.7 percent on average, compared to in-stream at 19.7 percent. Overall, video grew by 30.9 percent, to €7.6bn, accounting for 33 percent of the display market.

The results and trends highlighted in the AdEx Benchmark Report will be discussed in our first Economic Trends Forum webinar on 25th July at 15.00 CEST / 14.00 BST. Find out more about the IAB Europe Economic Trends Forum here. 

You can download the full report below

So how do you stay relevant in an environment which continuously shifts and evolves and where disruptors are the ones fashioning the markets of tomorrow? If I had the answer to that I would be writing this blog from my own yacht moored somewhere on the French Riviera. The truth is there is no one answer. There are many paths to be followed on the journey to digital transformation, some more straightforward, some easier to trek. The topic itself is so broad, so all-encompassing, that it’s increasingly at risk of getting diluted into just another buzzword. And yet, the underlying question remains as critical as ever: will you be the next Uber or Netflix, or the next company which falls behind in the digital race?

In a bid to take steps to support our members and followers, we organised a webinar last year with the participation of a diverse roster of speakers, from tech giants discussing their take on what digital transformation is, to representatives from a leading European bank discussing how digital transformation is becoming reality in an Eastern-European market. What we saw was great interest and so this year we are taking steps to put together a valuable and concrete resource for businesses on their path to digital transformation, digital optimisation, or business transformation, no matter which term they may employ. One of the projects the IAB Europe Education and Training Committee is working on is a Digital Transformation Playbook.

The goal is to create an interactive resource which houses top-of-the-line theoretical and practical work carried out by our members on the topic of digital transformation. With a stellar roster of contributors, ranging from titans in the field to National IABs and their members, the ambitions are high. Both for those working on creating this truly invaluable resource and also for those who will ultimately use it - beyond the concrete advice, tips, tools, and platforms, presented in a variety of mediums - what will be exciting to watch is how different approaches coalesce into one general stream of insights: how to make your business more suited to today’s digital environment.

Like I said, the task is bold and broad. Its achievement rests on the contributions of those with experience, with know-how, with the deep understanding of the steps that a business needs to take not to simply adapt, but to flourish in the increasingly digitised market, be it at a business level, technological one, or company culture level; or all of them combined. If you are part of an organisation which shapes the future of tomorrow’s digital businesses or a thought leader with clear insight into the matter, get involved. If you want to learn more about digital transformation for yourself and your organisation, stay tuned. We have great things coming!

The study asked respondents about advertising in radio, podcast and streamed environments, drivers and barriers to programmatic audio investment, stakeholder knowledge of programmatic audio and the metrics used to evaluate programmatic audio campaigns.

John Wittesaele, EMEA President at Xaxis, says: “We’re buoyed by the confidence that buy-side stakeholders will very likely plan to increase programmatic audio spend in the near future, although there is work to be done to educate.”

IAB Europe’s Chief Economist, Daniel Knapp, agrees that “Programmatic audio is still at a nascent stage but growing quickly. Innovative European companies, both those with a history in radio and online streaming, are helping to drive growth.”

Download the full report below:

This takes us to the crux of the problem: digital advertising is a vital cog in the machinery that is the Internet - it creates jobs, it boosts economies, it drives progress. In many respects it is the core of online experiences. However, this whole construction, this vast ecosystem, rests on mere individuals. Until Skynet takes over and AIs replace people, this critical dimension of today’s society rests on the shoulders of highly-skilled individuals in digital. Unfortunately, as with all good things, digital talent is in short supply. The European Commission estimates that by 2020, Europe will suffer from a shortage of around 756,000 ICT professionals[4]. What this translates into, of course, is not only digital advertising falling short of its full potential for a positive impact from a societal point of view, but from an economic standpoint as well. The UK alone is set to forfeit up to GBP 141.5 Billion by 2028 if the skill gap is not closed. For the whole of G20 countries this amount rises to a staggering US 11.5 Trillion[5]. This is made even more acute by the rate at which technology evolves, which means that becoming proficient in one area or another is a constant pursuit.

Before addressing the issue of the digital skill gap, we first need to understand where it stems from. And it is that what IAB Europe and its Education & Training Committee aim to achieve with the Human Capital in the Digital Environment survey. Targeting recruiters, trainers, managers, and those looking to start or transition into a job in digital, the survey asks questions to dig down and root out the key causes of the shortage of digital talent: Is it a matter of an educational system that is not aligned with the demands of today's job market? Are the candidates misjudging their own abilities? Are employers not willing to meet the expectations of those seeking a job in digital?

So whether you’re in HR, training, involved in the hiring of new talent or are potentially looking for a new career path in the exciting field of digital advertising, donate no more than 10 minutes of your time and take the survey. Its findings will be decanted into a report that will be published in September and shared with all participants.

Of course, this is merely the first step in addressing a critical issue for the industry which often times is only challenged declaratively - with not much being done about it - so if you want to get involved and kept up to date with the work of our Education & Training Committee please contact me.

[1] As of 31 March 2019: https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

[2] As of April 2019, the total number of unique mobile users was 4 Billion: https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/

[3] IAB Europe infographic: Digital Advertising Supports Europe’s Economy: https://iabeurope.eu/research-thought-leadership/iab-europe-infographic/

[4] https://ec.europa.eu/epale/fr/content/e-skills-and-jobs-digital-age

[5] https://www.consultancy.uk/news/18895/digital-skills-gap-could-cost-uk-1415-billion-in-gdp-growth

A perpetual student of the human mind, passionate marketer, full-time entrepreneur, that's Ionuț R. Munteanu. Licensed in Psychology and Sociology with extensive marketing experience, he
has helped over 500+ businesses and coached young professionals guiding them in digital marketing.

Through online programs and speaking on stages, Ionuț has reached thousands. He totaled almost 20 000 hours of strategy, analytics and optimization work in his professional life.

Ionuț is the founding Partner of WebDigital, first specialized PPC Marketing Agency in Romania, founded around 2009, managing advertising portfolios for almost 100 active accounts across Central and Eastern Europe every month. 

He also serves as Managing Partner of UpGradient, a small software company, founded in 2017, designed to automate processes and offer solutions for marketing agencies.

A complete profile of Ionuț can be downloaded below.

When we set out at IAB Europe to draft a white paper on blockchain, the main drive was the tremendous appetite in the digital advertising industry for resources and understanding on the topic. We have the companies, we have the experts, why not?! So we reached out to IAB Europe member companies who are at the cutting edge of technology to help us create a resource that paints blockchain in its true colours: its benefits as well as its drawbacks. Organisations such as GroupM, eBay, Rubicon Project, FreeWheel, MetaX, Publicis, Adform and even National IABs such as IAB Italy came together to create a resource that will act as the stepping stone of work on blockchain at IAB Europe: our Blockchain Demystified white paper. Its reception was positively overwhelming. And rightly so. It’s not an ode to blockchain. It’s not an exposé on its drawbacks. It’s a resource that walks the fine line between identifying the inherent advantages presented by blockchain, alongside its current limitations and drawbacks. 

The fact remains that blockchain technology, with all its shortcomings, could potentially provide the answer to some of the most pressing issues of digital advertising today: transparency and trust. And so we are now following up the publication of the white paper with an extra step to deliver insight into blockchain and its applicability in the digital advertising sector: a webinar.  

Structured into four sections, followed by a dedicated Q&A session, this complimentary webinar aims to not only reinforce the key takeaways from the white paper, but to also give attendees a chance to get answers to their most pressing questions tied to the technology. The answers to be provided by some of the leading experts in blockchain from companies such as Anton Kopytov, Partner Technology Consulting, Mindshare Worldwide (GroupM) and Chair of the IAB Europe Research Committee, Hunter Gebron, Director of Strategic Initiatives, MetaX, Jason Manningham, General Manager, Blockgraph (part of FreeWheel), and Samuel Zwaan, EU Product Lead Programmatic Advertising, eBay, Tom Kersahw, Chief Technology Officer, Rubicon Project, and Shailley Singh, Vice President, Product Management, IAB Tech Lab. In addition to the dedicated Q&A session mentioned above, the topics that will be covered in the webinar range from an introduction into the technology, to the opportunities it offers, its limitations and the challenges it has to overcome, as well as a panel discussion on its future applications. 

It’s certainly no easy feat to build a comprehensive library of resources on a topic such as blockchain, but our recent work is hopefully laying a strong foundation on which future work can be erected.

You can register and find more info on the speakers for the upcoming webinar here. The Blockchain Demystified white paper can be accessed here. 

For more information on how to get involved with IAB Europe’s Education & Training Committee and its initiatives, please feel free to contact me.

The AdEx Benchmark study is the definitive guide to the state of the European digital advertising market, covering 28 markets, and is now in its thirteenth year. In 2018, a total of twenty-one markets saw double-digit year-on-year growth.

Access the study below.

This webinar aims to build on the Blockchain Demystified white paper published in April and delve deeper - in an impartial way - into a technology that has the potential to revolutionise the digital advertising industry. Its promises, its shortcomings, and essentially its future will be dissected by a roster of experts in the field, from both Europe and the US. More importantly, the webinar will provide attendees with the opportunity to get answers to their most pressing questions related to blockchain in a live Q&A session.

Join us at 15.00 BST / 16.00 CEST on 25 September

Moderator and speaker

• Anton Kopytov, Partner Technology Consulting, Mindshare Worldwide and Chair of the IAB Europe Research Committee

Speakers

• Jason Manningham, General Manager, Blockgraph (part of FreeWheel)
• Samuel Zwaan, EU Product Lead Programmatic Advertising, eBay
• Tom Kersahw, Chief Technology Officer, Rubicon Project
• Shailley Singh, Vice President, Product Management, IAB Tech Lab
• Toccara Baker, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Ad Cloud, EMEA, Adobe

Previously being a digital advertising manager with hands-on approach and head of Facebook & Google department in Slovenian performance agency and later evolving into head of performance division for CEE, at a renowned international digital media agency, where he focused on regional digital advertising strategies for global brands, lead Luka to the current position – digital strategist managing online presence in a global startup Viberate, which is set to reinvent the live music industry.

His familiarity with clients, media and agency perspective on digital marketing make his lectures full of insights and actionable advice for any audience.

Luka is a certified DIMAQ Master Trainer since the very beginning of DIMAQ programme in Slovenia, in May 2017. He is an expert in digital marketing with practical knowledge and more than 10 years of working experience.

Uroš Žižek is owner and director of research at E-laborat d.o.o.. He is a full-time lecturer at the NETFORK Digital Business Academy, Nasvet seminars and other seminars dealing with digital marketing. His expertise are from different areas such as research methods for measuring effectiveness of the digital performance, Digital User Experience, Google Analytics and developing digital strategies. In last ten years, he consulted to companies such as Terme Olimia, Slovenian tourist board, NLB, Bitstamp, Mercator, Triglav Insurance Company etc.

He is also the author of a series of published articles and co-author of the book Outernet – Turnaround in digital business and a certified DIMAQ Master Trainer, since May 2017.

Contact information:
e-mail: uros.zizek@e-laborat.si
website: www.e-laborat.si, www.netfork-akademija.si

Digital strategist. Passionate about the internet, effectiveness and day-to-day marketer challenges. She believes that advertising can and should bring value to consumers. An active observer of sharing economy development. She worked on the side of a media house, an agency, as well as an internet advertising network. She is an expert in the field of digital advertising with experience in performance marketing and in brand advertising. She carried out campaigns for such brands like Renault, McDonald's, NIVEA, TaxCare, PANDORA, and many others.