For the last six years, both groups have played a pivotal role in setting the strategy and direction of the IAB across online and mobile. The board merger reflects the growing importance of mobile to the digital industry as smartphones and tablets are now the most commonly used internet enabled devices. A recent announcement from the IAB showed that consumers spend 1 hour and 37 minutes per day on their smartphones and tablets, compared to just 1 hour 16 minutes on desktop. The IAB feels it is a crucial time to ensure that mobile no longer sits as a separate discipline, and this move sets the example to the wider digital industry, says the IAB.
The IAB Board is the main leadership group at the IAB, providing the trade body with its long-term strategy, coming together to make collaborative tactical decisions on behalf of the digital advertising industry. The group meets every six weeks to tackle key industry issues as well as work towards their annual objectives. Goals for 2015 include highlighting the strengths of digital as a branding medium and ensuring the advertiser can connect with consumers equally effectively across multiple devices. The Board inputs into the direction of IAB projects as they are executed and works with the IAB team to set KPIs for the trade body.
IAB’s CEO, Guy Phillipson said: “We have taken the decision to merge the IAB Board and the Mobile Board after much discussion with our members. We feel it’s the right time to do this with mobile ad spend now accounting for nearly one quarter of digital advertising. Mobile has been a core focus for us for a while now but making it central to everything we do is a significant move for the IAB and reflects mobile's mainstream status in the lives of UK consumers.”
