New IAB chief executive issues challenge to industry and unveils rebrand

by Jennifer Whitehead, Brand Republic 27-Apr-05, 16:00

LONDON - Guy Phillipson, the new chief executive of Interactive Advertising Bureau, has challenged the online advertising industry to cross the £1bn mark and take over outdoors' market share by the middle of next year.

At the same time, Phillipson, who took over as chief executive 100 days ago, outlined a five-point plan for the future of the IAB, which will reposition itself as a service organisation for advertisers and be renamed the "Internet Advertising Bureau".

The organisation gets a new mission statement as well: "To help marketers find the best role for online advertising, to engage customers and build their brands."

Phillipson developed his plan after meeting with marketing directors from blue-chip companies to talk to them about the way they use the internet to advertise.

He has outlined three categories of marketing director: sceptics, who "can't click, won't click"; the "we're getting there" converts, typically from the automotive industry; and the experts, who tend to come from the telecoms, finance and travel industries.

This research has been used to develop the five-point plan, which will see the IAB help brands to understand consumers' online behaviour and work with other industry bodies to develop an official currency to measure coverage and frequency of online advertising such as Barb does for TV and Rajar does for radio.

"We are witnessing a sea change in consumer behaviour where people are judging brands through online conversations. Brand image is now highly influenced by the online experience and consumers are taking control like never before. The IAB will be at the heart of driving new advertisers online and helping existing advertisers get more out of the medium," Phillipson said.

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