As IAB marks 30 years since our first organizational meeting, the industry faces a familiar question: how do we help shape the next evolution when there’s so much to be figured out?
In April of 1996, 32 of us got together at CNET in San Francisco and conceived what an internet advertising trade association might be. We were on a shared mission: that “new media” could be a better way of advertising. We were believers. The rest of the advertising community was not. And who could blame them?
Early online advertising was chaotic, and credibility was nonexistent. There was no general understanding of why, how, and when to advertise online. There was doubt that online spending was real. It was too hard to generate online creative across over 500 ad sizes on dozens of websites. Insertion orders lacked a common structure and varied as much as the sites. There was wild overpromise: “The most accountable medium of all time”, “Reach the right person, at the right time, with the right message”. “John Wanamaker was right: you’re wasting half your budget. We can tell you which half.”
In short, all of us in the room at CNET had a tall mission. The success of our new organization was far from guaranteed. Even before that meeting, when future IAB CEO Randy Rothenberg, then writing for Esquire, heard me state the vision for an internet ad trade association, he said it was the dumbest idea he had ever heard.
Undaunted, we later formed a steering committee, focused on supporting companies “actively engaged in the sale of advertising delivered over the internet” and, on a volunteer basis with no paid staff, set about building a platform to establish the credibility of the medium. In June, over 60 member companies had joined our cause, and by December, we had a board of 17 directors who helped build the organization from scratch.
We worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers to establish the Online Advertising Revenue Report to prove that online ad spending was real, measure growth over time, and provide air cover for our salespeople.
Richy Glassberg from Turner Broadcasting organized the development of creative banner standards to help reduce friction in the marketplace. He worked with members to develop 8 sizes, then with the 4A’s to help establish those standards in the marketplace.
Richy also helped develop the first terms and conditions, in collaboration with members and again with the 4A’s, so that business deals no longer had to start from scratch.
That spirit of collaboration became one of IAB’s greatest strengths. The organization has evolved over the years into a big tent where competitors, publishers, agencies, platforms, brands, and technology companies can work together to solve shared problems. That’s a bigger accomplishment than any single standard.
What worked then, and will be important as we navigate the disruption and opportunity of AI, is that we work together to come up with solutions that work for an entire industry, not just a well-positioned few. Back in the early days of IAB, our general membership and board meetings had a familiar refrain: “A rising tide lifts all boats”. We were also fond of “Leave your ego at the door”. All to mean that we needed to work together to help the industry grow, rather than to try to advantage the company or business model of a particular member.
AI is doing to digital advertising what digital did to traditional advertising: challenging its assumptions, exposing its limitations, and forcing it to evolve. We at IAB are actively working together to help shape the rules, norms, and standards that will allow digital advertising to thrive in the AI age, and we need your participation to help develop solutions that enable the entire digital advertising ecosystem to continue thriving. 30 years of collaboration have gotten us here – we’re looking forward to even more with your help.
Here’s a tribute to the initial steering committee of IAB in April of 1996, known initially as the Internet Advertising Council, until we were scared Barry Diller and the InterActiveCorp (IAC) would come after us: Molly Ford, Richy Glassberg, Steve Goldberg, Leslie Laredo, Linda McCutcheon, John (Jed) Savage, Scott Schiller, and Kate Thorp.
And to the founding IAB board members: Lynn Bolger Slavin, Rick Boyce, Susan Bratton, Molly Ford, Gina Garrubbo, Richy Glassberg, Steve Goldberg, Leslie Laredo, Linda McCutcheon, Mary Ann Packo, Scott Schiller, John (Jed) Savage, Dan Stone, Kate Thorp, and Doug Weaver.
