The IAB UK Podcast

What makes advertising in gaming work for players and brands alike? In the second part of our Gaming Upfronts special, we hear from Xbox, Unity and Snap about building partnerships, understanding audiences and turning attention into action. First, Chris Bailes, Head of EMEA Sales, from Xbox Media Solutions explores the collaboration between KitKat and Candy Crush, sharing how a simple creative ide...

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 b...

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 blurri...

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 br...

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 In...

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 Luke Ball, 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 audienc...

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...

What does digital advertising’s £175 billion contribution to the UK economy look like beyond the headlines? James Chandler is joined by Sinead Coogan Jobes, Head of Policy & Public Affairs at IAB UK, and Neil Ross, Partner and Head of Practice for Tech, Media and Telecoms at Public First, to explore the Powering Growth report. From helping small businesses find customers to supporting growth a...

AI is changing the way advertisers discover, package and optimise inventory, but what does that actually mean for buyers, publishers and the wider ad tech ecosystem? In this episode of the IAB UK Ad Tech Podcast , Pat is joined by Alexandra Balashoiu, Chief Product Officer at OneTag , to unpack the next evolution of programmatic curation. Together they explore how AI is helping move curation beyon...

AI is reshaping every corner of advertising, but what does that mean for the publishers whose content underpins the open web? In this episode of the IAB UK Ad Tech Podcast, Pat is joined by Damon Reeve, CEO of Ozone , to explore how AI is changing the ad tech landscape and the role publishers will play in its next chapter. Together they discuss the industry's biggest AI conversations, Ozone's appr...

Personas have long been a cornerstone of marketing, but AI is fundamentally changing how they're built, understood and activated. In this episode of the IAB UK Ad Tech Podcast, Pat is joined by Joe Mountford, Director Of Insights at Crimtan , to explore how AI is redefining audience modelling. Together they discuss the evolution from traditional survey-based personas to AI-powered audience intelli...

In the inaugural episode of the New Ad Tech Podcast, the team explores the technology and industry developments moving digital advertising forward. Cadi Jones, SVP, EMEA at Index Exchange, joins the podcast to unpack containerisation, sell-side decisioning and Index Cloud. She explains how bringing custom algorithms and optimisation closer to supply can reduce latency, unlock greater scale and imp...

In this special season finale, we look back on Season 19 of the IAB UK Podcast, from conversations on agentic AI, retail media and creator marketing to trust, audio innovation, measurement and cruise media. We also revisit some of the season’s standout moments, including recording live from SXSW London and going behind the scenes at Spotify and Snapchat. Plus, we look ahead to Season 20, launching...

In the second episode of the IAB UK Podcast’s summer sports two-parter, we look at how brands can win the moments that matter during one of the biggest cultural events in the world: the World Cup. Host James Chandler is joined by Andy Baker, Head of Strategy at Footballco, JT Tesfamariam, Content Sales Lead at YouTube, and Emma Newman, Chief Revenue Officer at PubMatic, to explore what it takes fo...

In the first episode of our summer sports mini-series, we dive into how major sporting events like the World Cup have evolved into cultural moments that extend far beyond the final whistle. Host James Chandler is joined by Matt Eschert, Head of Industry at Reddit, Imogen Blackwood, Business Director at Publicis Media, and Paul Lowrey, Director of Solutions Marketing & Enablement at GumGum, to...

In this special episode of the IAB UK Podcast, recorded live from SXSW London, James Chandler is joined by Sir Martin Sorrell for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of advertising, media and technology. As one of the industry's most influential figures, Sir Martin shares his perspective on the trends reshaping the marketing landscape, from the rapid rise of AI and changing consumer behaviou...

In this episode of the IAB UK Podcast, James Chandler is joined by Jake Thomas, UK General Manager at Snap Inc., to explore how Snapchat has evolved from its early beginnings into a platform that plays a growing role across the entire customer journey. They discuss the biggest misconceptions that still persist about Snapchat, the unique company culture that helps shape decision-making at Snap, and...

In this episode of the IAB UK Podcast, James Chandler is joined by Anne-Marie Lavan, CMO at Bauer Media, to unpack the recent rebrand of one of the UK’s most recognisable audio brands: KISS. From refreshed visuals and unique identities across each KISS channel to the development of a new audio language and a high-profile launch event, the rebrand marks a major evolution for the brand. Anne-Marie s...

Trust has become one of the advertising industry’s biggest talking points, but what does it actually mean in practice for brands, publishers and audiences? In this episode of the IAB UK Podcast, Alex Kozloff sits down with Imogen Fox from The Guardian and Theo Luke from The Trade Desk to unpack the relationship between media environments, trust and advertising effectiveness. Together, they explore...

In this episode of The IAB UK Podcast, James is joined by Cecilia Morelli, Director of Marketing at SXSW London, to explore how one of the world’s most influential festivals is making the leap from Austin to Europe. From the challenges of launching in a new market to the core idea of 'convergence', where tech, music, film, business and innovation collide, the conversation unpacks what makes SXSW s...

Recorded live at the IAB’s Last Thursday Club, this special episode of Open Web Surgery brings together leading voices from across the industry to explore the evolving role of the open web. Hosted by IAB’s Pat Hann, the discussion features Joel Livesey (The Trade Desk), Samara Hocihara (The Telegraph) and Max Gold (the7stars), offering a mix of brand, publisher and platform perspectives. Together,...

In this episode of the IAB UK Podcast, we explore the rapid rise of retail media, and why it’s become one of the most important areas of innovation in digital advertising. What began as sponsored product listings and shopper marketing has quickly evolved into something much broader: an ecosystem built on first-party data, customer trust and closer proximity to purchase, with the ability to demonst...

Host James Chandler is joined by Andy Harmer OBE, Managing Director of the Cruise Lines International Association, and Robertina Tompa, Head of Cruise at Mail Metro Media, to unpack what’s driving this shift and why cruise is becoming an increasingly important growth area for publishers. The conversation looks at how storytelling is helping to reposition the category, with a focus on Mail Metro Me...

In this episode of the IAB UK Podcast, we explore Spotify’s latest research, The Sound On Era , and what it reveals about how people are engaging with audio today. Host James Chandler is joined by Jenny Haggard to unpack the key findings, from the role of trust and personalisation to how “taste” shapes the way ads are delivered and received. Together, they discuss why advertisers may need to rethi...

In this episode of the IAB UK Podcast, we’re joined by Matt Bourn from the Advertising Association to explore the themes behind his new book, Trusted Advertising: How to Harness the Value of Trust in Your Brand . As trust becomes an increasingly important, and complex, part of the advertising landscape, we unpack how it has evolved over time, what’s shaping consumer attitudes today, and why contex...