Creating the Future, together.

In 2009 – as mobile became the preferred digital device for consumers and accounted for one-third of digital ad spend – we launched Mobile Engage. But as it’s pervasiveness increased and became a marketing mix mainstay, it no longer made sense to hold a mobile-only event, so we expanded our flagship Engage conference to encompass the breadth of digital advertising without siloing channels.  

Our industry is once again at a turning point. It’s not that measurement, effectiveness, viewability, or brand safety are new topics – they’ve always been an issue. But it wasn’t until discussions surfaced earlier in the year that suddenly sparked people to wake up and care where their ads are running. And caring is a good thing. 

We care too; we’ve always cared. In fact, that’s precisely why the IAB was founded more than 20 years ago – to act as an unbiased compass helping the industry navigate digital’s unfolding potential. 

We believe the best thing for digital is action, and we encourage everyone to get involved in learning, shaping and progressing the industry forward. It’s one thing to set standards, but it’s another thing to get people to care about them, and the fact that more people are expressing interest shows that collectively we’re shifting in the right direction.

As we look to the future, it’s clear to me that communication has never been more important, human, intimate or expressive.  

Digital is the newest and greatest frontier in the world of marketing, offering brands unbounded creativity and limitless ways to connect and engage with people. 

Now in its 13^th year, this year’s Engage is poised to be one of our best yet, featuring a stellar line-up of speakers from some of the smartest brands using digital to deliver best-in-class communications as well as highlighting the awe-inspiring potential that technology holds, including:  

• Futurist Tracey Follows will look at the ways we’ve historically used digital and give a glimpse at how we can unlock its potential by putting digital at the heart of everything we do. 

• Celtra’s Matevz Klanjsek pitted AI against humans to see who was better at judging aesthetics by judging the best films at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

• Ken Fawes, Editor-in-Chief of US newsbrand The Cincinnati Sentinel will discuss the future of news and the influential role the publication played in the battleground state during the 2016 US Presidential Election. 

• Emily Somers will explore how fast food giant McDonald’s has taken bold decisions as a result of the new digital reality, what it has learnt and how it’s adapted. 

• Audience Experience Designer Katy Newton will delve into the similarities between magic and VR and synthesizes magicians’ strategies into creative techniques for VR practitioners

• Wieden+Kennedy’s Ian Tait and R/GA’s Nicole Armstrong will join Facebook’s Calle Sjoenell to discuss how marketers can craft content for real-time consumption and capture attention while driving action for an instant future.   

The future of advertising is still digital, but as you’ll hear Tracey Follows re-iterate at Engage, it’s all about treating the industry as one holistic system – mental and physical, planet and profit, humanity and technology. Now more than ever we need to come together in order to break down barriers and innovate in places we never thought possible. 

We want to build a future that’s sustainable and works for everyone, and we need your help to do it: get involved, speak up, be curious, and stay engaged.  

The future is happening now. Don’t miss your opportunity to join the conversation.