Introducing IAB Communities: what they are & how to get involved

As digital advertising evolves and diversifies, there is no better place than an IAB Community to embrace growth, enhance your network and elevate your voice.  

Communities are either formed around specific channels (DOOH, Search, Retail Media, Gaming etc.) or are focused on areas that are relevant to everyone - such as environmental sustainability and inclusion, diversity & equity.  

Why join an IAB Community?  

IAB Communities are open for all IAB UK members to join - giving you influence, equipping you with essential insights to enhance your work, and helping you to forge new connections. They are replacing IAB Working Groups and have been designed to enable a more dynamic and holistic approach to our cross-industry work – in a way that works for you.  

Being part of an IAB Community means you gain…  

• A space to be informed & influence: By getting involved, you ensure you stay informed of latest trends and developments, but you also have a voice in how we shape pivotal projects - whether that’s pioneering standardisation in an emerging channel or helping to establish a framework for best practice  

• Channel specific initiatives - with flex: The majority of IAB Communities are focused on specific digital advertising channels, but they have been designed so that we can take a nimble and proactive approach to collaboration when it will strengthen the output or insight. For example, retail media and creator marketing often work hand-in-hand so that should be reflected in how we coordinate projects or events    

• A focus on vital issues: As well as channel-focused communities, we’re also facilitating collaboration on the big issues that matter to all of us – think sustainability, I,D & E, and policy work. All IAB UK members are invited to join these Communities to advance our shared progress, to the benefit of everyone  

• Lasting connections: By aligning with one - or more! - IAB Communities, you’ll have the opportunity to meet people from across the industry and establish productive, collaborative relationships  

• Tailored engagement to suit you: We know that your time is valuable so we want to make joining an IAB Community as workable as possible. This means that you can tailor the level of engagement you have – from being a fully-fledged community member who is actively involved with a project, to signing up to Community updates that keep you in-the-know    

• A fresh approach that mixes up meetings: In line with the above, we’ll be taking a dynamic approach to how we engage Communities to avoid meeting overkill. Community members can expect two core IRL meetings a year, which we will supplement with more action-orientated taskforce sessions for specific projects, LinkedIn group discussions, tailored email updates and optional networking sessions  

How can you get involved?  

If you’re already a member of an IAB UK Working Group, we are getting in touch with you directly to let you know about the launch of IAB Communities and the benefits of this new approach.  

Not yet involved? You can find out about all the IAB Communities we run and who to contact to join here.  

We will be continuing to evolve the Communities we run as the industry develops and we’re always keen to hear if there is something we don’t currently cover that you think we should. If there is enough demand, it’s the first step towards establishing a new Community! 

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]