IAB Expands Operations As Online Adspend Soars
The Interactive Advertising Bureau has announced a raft of appointments to boost its marketing and research operations ahead of figures expected to reveal record revenues for the medium.
Official full-year figures are not due to be published until the end of this month, but industry sources claim online adspend could have risen as high as £330 million, representing growth of almost 68% on the previous year’s figure of £197 million (see Online Expected To See Revenue Reach £350 Million).
The IAB is keen to maintain this momentum and has appointed former Capital Radio marketing chief, Lizzie Palmer, to the newly created role of strategic marketing advisor. Palmer will oversee the IAB’s ongoing advertising campaign and will manage relations with its agency, Masius.
Last year the IAB launched its first ever integrated marketing push to raise awareness and understanding of the medium. More activity is planned for the summer around the theme of persuading marketers to reconsider their media thinking.
The IAB has also created two part-time industry initiative leader positions to review the way the agency explains its offering to clients. These will be occupied by Richard Holman, former managing director of AdLink and Andrew Gerrerd, former EMEA marketing director of Doubleclick.
Holman will be responsible for developing resources for agencies and media owners, while Gerrard will explore how online is helping marketers within specific sectors. He will initially look at how marketers can reach a female online audience.
Danny Meadows-Klue, chief executive of the IAB, said: “The IAB is searching for the best talent in the digital and marketing industries to help us tell the story of how the world of marketing is changing. It’s great that senior people want to work with us including some of the industry’s founders from the early days.”
The IAB has also created a number of permanent positions to bolster its event and marketing services. These include an event manager, a membership services manager and marketing research executive to help run key projects.
Meadows-Klue added: “All our new appointees understand the industry and have a vast wealth of experience. Online is mainstream and a crucial ingredient in the majority of Britain’s media diets. An expanded team will help us tell the story of what online is doing and how brands that are backing it are benefiting.”
The recent growth in online advertising has been fuelled by a significant increase in the number of advertisers using online as part of an integrated strategy. There has also been an incremental rise in the amount of time consumers spend using the internet.
IAB: 020 8683 955 www.iabuk.net
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