IAB releases 2015 plans, board members

In 2014, achievements included the appointment of Josephine Buys, the CEO for the IAB; the establishment of the Media Innovation Portfolio headed up by Mike Carter; the launch of the first IAB endorsed media marketing course together with AAA; the foundations for Telmar digital integration and the establishment of an industry wide digital spend research report.

Board members

IAB members also voted for the re-election the 2014 Board. The Board elected is as follows:

• Chair: Jarred Cinman (Native VML)
  
• Vice Chair and Head of Research: Gustav Goosen (The SpaceStation)
  
• Head of Publishing: Tim Spira (ENCA)
  
• Head of Agencies: Fred Roed (WorldWideCreative)
  
• Head of Regulatory Affairs & Treasurer: Andrew Allison (Quirk)

"I am confident that the new Board is completely dedicated to serving the interests of our members. Our goal has always been to grow, support and sustain a vibrant and profitable South African digital industry, and we will continue to work hard to achieve this," explains Cinman.

More accredited courses

The year also saw IAB laying the foundation of its future accreditation for third party course providers and the plans for 2015, which includes working with more of the education providers to set up digital and related training. The organisation also put in place the criteria for third party course endorsement and is working towards a national curriculum and standards for digital media and marketing courses. This is no small feat as there are a number of institutions. However, once complete, the presence of a benchmark will benefit the industry.

The publisher council's achievements include spearheading discussions with the press council, SANEF and other bodies to establish a self-regulation mechanism for online content. The council also set up an advertising campaign to promote local online publishers, which will be launching early this year. The council established work groups to educate and assist publishers with new digital developments such as the rise of programmatic buying, native advertising and the use of social media.

For more information, go to www.iabsa.net.