13 August 2014: The Interactive Advertising Bureau of Australia (IAB) and the Media Federation of Australia (MFA) announced today that they have joined forces to launch the IAB-MFA Agency Advisory Group (IMAAG). The Group, which will be chaired by Group M’s Chief Investment and Intelligence Officer Danny Bass, has a core mission to build a bridge between the interactive publishing community and advertising agencies, as well as addressing key industry wide matters.
IMAAG, which is a merger of IAB’s Agency Advisory Board and the MFA’s Interactive Committee, will facilitate dialogue between agencies, publishers, marketers and measurement vendors. Measurement will be a priority for the IMAAG and the Group will also work closely with the IAB Brand Safety council on issues including online traffic fraud.
IAB Australia CEO, Alice Manners commented, “The depth of knowledge and experience of the IMAAG members is unparalleled and we are confident that the Group will provide the market with one strong, consolidated voice.”
According to MFA’s CEO, Sophie Madden IMAAG is a natural collaboration given the close alignment of IAB and MFA on many key issues.
“IMAAG is a unique opportunity to get agencies, publishers and technology partners in the same room, working together towards industry-wide solutions that will shape our industry’s future,” said Madden.
IMAAG’s Chair Danny Bass commented: “There’s always lots of things to look at in the digital space, so the Group will focus on one issue at a time and give it the time and attention it demands. Our first priority will be the development of a code of conduct which will focus on fraudulent traffic, viewability and verification.
“The classification of news sites and definition of premium display are also important issues we wish to address. It is important to acknowledge the importance of quality journalism, educate clients about the benefits of aligning with respected publications, and recognise the significant differences between types of news sites,” said Bass.
IMAAG’s founding members are:
Anya Collingwood Match Media
Ally Cooney TMS Australia
Dan Robins Resolution Media
Danny Bass Group M
Esther Carlsen Xaxis
James Greet Ikon
Jason Tonelli SMV Group
John Miskelly Group M
Jonathan Betts Zenith Optimedia
Peter Hunter PhD Network
Leigh Terry OMD
Ros Allison Zenith Optimedia
Sophie Madden MFA
Stuart Bailey OMD
Travis Johnson Mnet Mobile
