Digital Company news South Africa

IAB SA Research Council empowers the industry with data-driven insights

As digital adoption continues to grow exponentially, so too do the opportunities available to publishers, agencies and brands. On the flip side, this rapid adoption and evolution presents challenges and hurdles that require data-driven insight to navigate. The IAB SA Research Council exists to empower the industry by collecting, collating and distributing accurate, non-biased research-findings that accurately reflect industry trends.

Chaired by Claudelle Naidoo, managing director of MediaCom South Africa, the council is made up of a talented group of individuals who have extensive experience and a passion for facilitating a better understanding of South Africa’s digital landscape. They are: Angelique Amado, client service director at Nielsen Media South Africa; Shaun Frazao, head of digital and content at Wavemaker; Oresti Patricios, CEO of Ornico; Karin Du Chenne, chief growth officer Africa and Middle East at Kantar; and Garteh Lloyd, head of research and analytics at 24.com.

“Our goal is to empower the industry with data-driven research that is crucial for aligning growth strategies with what’s happening on the ground, so to speak. The IAB Digital AdSpend Report aims to do this by providing the industry with a multifaceted view of the current state of digital in South Africa. In a climate that is filled with uncertainty, the availability of factual, relevant, and timely information is more critical than ever,” says council chair Claudelle Naidoo.

The council has a busy year ahead of them, with various projects in the pipeline, including two notable initiatives, the IAB SA/PwC Online AdSpend Study and (resulting report) and the IAB SA Consumer Research Study, conducted in partnership with Narrative, which will focus on online audience news consumption and behaviour.

The objective of the IAB SA/PwC Online AdSpend Report is to effectively quantify the size of internet (online and mobile) revenues in South Africa based on actual figures. This domestic digital advertising expenditure analysis was launched in 2012, and since then, has empowered the industry with realistic, reliable and trustworthy data thanks to a variety of participants from the online and mobile publishing and agency space. As in previous years, the breadth and depth of available data relies on widespread industry participation.

If your agency or company is interested in participating, please email IAB CEO Paula Hulley. The survey will be emailed to participants by the PwC South Africa. The final deadline to submit completed surveys is the 17 March 2021. Once all data has been collated, the final report will be shared with IAB SA members and survey participants in the first half of May 2021. You can also access the IAB SA/PwC Online Adspend Workshop Webinar recording here:


Your input is invaluable. By joining the IAB SA and PwC in our study, you will play a crucial role in empowering the industry with smart, actionable insights, enabling them to make informed digital marketing decisions.

In the second project, the IAB SA Research Council has commenced the IAB SA Consumer Research study in partnership with Narrative and the PRC. This report focuses on online audience news consumption and behaviour with the objective to better understand preferences and trust in online news sites. The questionnaire has been designed, edited, and sense checked by our panel of experts on the IAB Research Council, representatives of the AMF, and the team at Narrative. We have also factored in various online survey criteria and applied this accordingly to ensure that we get a quantifiable response rate.  The report will be available to all IAB members, however, we will share a top-line summary of findings with the industry.

About the IAB SA:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) South Africa is a non-profit, non-government trade group that champions the media and marketing industries, empowering them in an ever-evolving digital economy. With more than 150 members from leading companies and brands, as well as the firms that make and distribute digital marketing technology, the IAB conducts and disseminates crucial research on interactive advertising, educating brands, agencies, and publishers (as well as the business community at large) on the key role that digital marketing plays in the 21st century.

IAB South Africa
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) South Africa is an independent, voluntary, non-profit association focused on growing and sustaining a vibrant and profitable digital media and marketing industry within South Africa.
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