Welcome to an audio-led edition of Unmade. Today’s edition features an interview with Gai Le Roy, CEO of the IAB, about where it all went right.
Also in today’s post, the Unmade Index follows the ASX upwards, but remains well below the record hit by the wider market.
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Le Roy’s IAB agenda: Setting standards, building investment confidence, creating communities (and directing a panto)
Covering the shenanigans of the IAB’s digital metrics tender nearly 15 years ago, it was impossible to predict that the industry body would grow into the big tent it has since become.
Much of the credit for that goes to Gai Le Roy, the CEO since 2018. Le Roy rose through media research roles including as research and insights director for Nine, VP of research at Nielsen and GM of audience insights at Fairfax Media.
In today’s Unmade podcast, we explore how she has shifted the IAB to consensus building by spreading its wings across the whole digital ecosystem. That includes a series of ongoing working groups focused on specific topics such as gaming, digital out of home, sustainability, retail media, affiliate marketing, careers and search. And the IAB runs a series of member summits across Sydney and Melbourne including this month’s Audio Summit, April’s affiliate marketing and digital out of home events and September’s annual MeasureUp metrics conference.
During the conversation, Le Roy offers a little detail on the financial state of the organisation, which she describes as healthy, with a turnover of around $2m.
She also reveals why she doesn’t want to bring back the IAB Awards, how she ended up involved in the unlikely success story of last year’s UnLtd industry pantomime and she attempts to answer the question of what happens in her career after the IAB.
The conversation also covers off the key issues coming up for 2024, including the loss of signal through cookie deprecation, forthcoming privacy legislation and where video ratings go next.
Unmade Index rises, but remains well behind wider ASX
The Unmade Index followed the wider share market upwards on Wednesday, although it is a long way off the record high hit by the ASX yesterday.
While the ASX celebrated the new record, the Unmade Index, which covers listed media and marketing companies, is still languishing on 618.3 points, well down on its 1000-point opening in January 2022.
Yesterday’s biggest movement came from Southern Cross Austereo, up 5.1%. Its potential acquirer ARN Media lost 0.99%.
Meanwhile, the Unmade Index will now gain another stock. The Vinyl Group acquisition of Brag Media completed yesterday, which means that Vinyl is now predominantly a media stock. Vinyl’s current market capitalisation in $36m.
Time to leave you to your Thursday. We’ll be back with Best of the Week on Saturday.
Editing was courtesy of Abe’s Audio, the people to talk to about voiceovers, sound design and podcast production.
Message us: letters@unmade.media
Tim Burrowes
Publisher - Unmade
How Gai Le Roy steered the IAB from spruiking digital to industry consensus