The IAB UK Podcast

As commerce media continues to grow, the way consumers discover, engage with and purchase products is changing rapidly. But is commerce media genuinely creating new demand, or simply influencing decisions shoppers were already going to make?Recorded live at IAB UK's Last Thursday Club, this episode brings together Naomi Hamer, VP of Commerce at WPP Media; Laura Belcher, Retail Media Director at Ocado; and Katerina from Uber Advertising, to explore how commerce media is evolving beyond the point of purchase and becoming an increasingly important part of brand-building strategies.Together, they unpack the changing consumer journey, the growing importance of real-world moments and how brands can use commerce signals to reach audiences at the right time. From grocery shopping habits and personalised recommendations to Uber's approach to connecting brands with consumers on the move, the panel explores what meaningful engagement looks like in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.The conversation also tackles one of the industry's biggest challenges: measurement. How can brands distinguish incremental growth from sales that would have happened anyway? And should advertisers be looking beyond short-term returns to understand the lasting impact of their investments?With insights from across the agency, retailer and platform perspectives, this episode explores how commerce media can move beyond driving transactions to building stronger customer relationships, lasting loyalty and sustainable business growth.

In episode seven of the IAB UK Ad Tech Podcast, we're joined by Danny Holmes, Consulting Partner at Experian, to explore why so many businesses remain data-rich but insight-poor, and what needs to change to unlock the true value of customer intelligence.From first-party data and identity resolution to data enrichment and the challenges of connecting fragmented customer information, Danny unpacks the foundations of effective data strategies and explains why getting your data in order is more important than ever.The conversation also turns to AI, questioning whether the industry's excitement is translating into meaningful change. With new technologies promising to revolutionise targeting, personalisation and decision-making, are advertisers ready to take advantage, or is there still some essential groundwork to be done?Before the interview, we also catch up on the latest ad tech headlines, including developments in publisher control over programmatic auctions and the growing debate around advertising within AI platforms.With plenty of practical insights and a refreshingly grounded perspective on the future of advertising technology, this episode explores why the future of AI-powered advertising might depend less on the technology itself and more on the data behind it.

Gaming is part of mainstream culture, but what will it take for media plans to catch up? In the first of two episodes recorded at IAB UK’s Gaming Upfronts, Robert Jeromson speaks to Overwolf and ESL FACEIT Group about the opportunities for brands to connect with audiences through play.First, Overwolf’s Nathan Lindberg, VP of Brand Partnerships, explores the world of PC gaming, from the creators building mods and in-game tools to the audience insights helping advertisers challenge outdated stereotypes. He discusses how brands can support experiences players value and find their audiences within gaming.Then, ESL FACEIT Group's Dominic Grant, Director of Advertising Sales EMEA & Veronica Stevenson, Advertising Sales Lead, share why listening, consistency and trust matter when engaging esports communities. With DHL’s partnership as a case study, the conversation explores how brands can become part of gaming culture and turn community connections into business results.From rewarding players to building long-term partnerships, this episode asks how advertisers can earn their place in gaming.

As AI reshapes digital advertising, can the industry turn greater automation into better business outcomes? In episode six of the Ad Tech Podcast, Adlook’s Luca Filardo joins us to discuss what the next chapter of programmatic could look like.Drawing on experience across both the buy and sell sides, Luca explores how AI is changing contextual targeting, streamlining campaign management and blurring the boundaries between DSPs and SSPs. He makes the case for a simpler, more connected advertising ecosystem that helps the open web compete with walled gardens, with effectiveness at its centre.We also discuss the potential of agentic buying, where human judgement and relationships remain essential, and what Luca’s move from the UK to the US has revealed about working across markets.Plus, the team unpacks the implications of Apple’s browser changes for publishers and identity solutions, and explores how IAB Tech Lab’s Trusted Server initiative could give publishers greater control over their advertising infrastructure.

Commerce media has become one of the fastest-growing areas of digital advertising, but is it time to think bigger?In this episode of the IAB UK Podcast, James Chandler is joined by Denise Breslin, IAB UK's new Commerce Media Lead, and David Fieldhouse, Commerce, Media & Innovation Lead at WPP Media, to discuss why the industry is moving beyond the term retail media and embracing the broader opportunity of commerce media.Together they explore how first-party transactional data is opening up new opportunities far beyond traditional retail, with sectors including travel, finance and marketplaces all becoming powerful commerce media players. They discuss the challenges of fragmentation, the need for better measurement and standards, and why the convergence of brand and commerce is changing the way advertisers think about media investment.The conversation also looks ahead to the role AI will play in commerce media, from predictive modelling and agentic shopping to the growing importance of data collaboration. Plus, they consider where the UK sits on the global stage, why London continues to drive innovation, and what the next 12 months could hold for one of advertising's fastest-evolving disciplines.

The UK digital advertising market reached £21.2 billion in the first half of the year, but the biggest story isn't just how much was spent, it's where that investment is going and what it says about the future of advertising.In this episode of the IAB UK Podcast, James Chandler is joined by Adam Edelshain, VP of Client Services at Media Sense, and IAB UK's Elizabeth Lane, Head of Insights, to unpack the latest IAB UK Digital Adspend report. Together they explore the trends shaping today's market, from the continued rise of retail media and the rapid growth of TV+, to the increasing dominance of programmatic advertising and why digital investment continues to grow despite ongoing economic pressures.The conversation also looks ahead to what a £50 billion UK digital advertising market could look like by 2027, how AI is changing not only the way campaigns are created and optimised but also the way people discover and choose products, and why the boundaries between channels are becoming increasingly blurred. If you want to understand where digital advertising is heading next, this episode offers an insightful look beyond the headline figures.

AI isn't just making advertising smarter—it's making it simpler.In this episode of the IAB UK Ad Tech Podcast, Alex is joined by Tom Laband, CEO & Co-founder of Adsquare, and Luc Benyon, Head of Marketing, to explore how AI is transforming audience intelligence, campaign planning and media activation. From conversational interfaces that replace complex workflows to AI-powered audience modelling built around the IAB Audience Taxonomy, they discuss how technology is helping advertisers spend less time navigating platforms and more time making informed decisions.Plus, the team rounds up the latest developments in ad tech, including AMP 3.0, Amazon's latest AI announcements, conversational advertising and what the rise of agentic technologies could mean for the future of programmatic advertising.

After a decade of ranking the world’s Best Cities, Time Out welcomed Intrepid Travel as the franchise’s first commercial partner. What made it the right match, and what can other brands learn from their approach?James Chandler is joined by Hazel McGuire, Chief Marketing Officer at Intrepid Travel, and Gareth Thomas, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Time Out, to explore how the collaboration came together and what each organisation brings to the relationship.From choosing partners with shared values to protecting editorial independence, they discuss the decisions behind the partnership, the role of personal relationships and how to build lasting commercial value.