Dear Members,
This is my twelfth year with the IAB and with how much the industry has changed in this time it feels I’ve lived many lives during this time. Up until a few years ago, we’d set our annual strategy in January and tweak it quarterly as we went. Now, just like the rest of the industry, we’re in a constant cycle of review, analyse, adjust. As a data-driven industry association, we balance qualitative and quantitative insights to inform our decisions. It’s how we stay hyper focused when opinions are often tied to someone’s business’s goals.
At the end of each year I reflect through a mindfulness framework: rose (success), bud (growth), and thorn (learning). This year, all three come back to the power of the collective. There’s an ancient Chinese proverb that captures this perfectly: 众人拾柴火焰高 “When everyone gathers firewood, the flames rise high.”
Here are my 2025 reflections:
Rose: At a time when people are stretched more than ever and economic headwinds are applying huge amounts of pressure, we’ve become a safe haven of support and camaraderie. Our boards and councils scored 4.8 out of 5 for value of experience and despite requiring a consistent time commitment, 98% want to return in 2026. Members described “a circle of friendships beyond just peers” where brands, agencies, publishers and partners “leave their own agenda at the door to work together around a common goal.”. Being part of something bigger gives energy, especially when everything else is demanding more.
Bud: We’re becoming the voice of authority and first stop for regional insight and intelligence. Our Q4 content reached 80k views, breaking all previous engagement records. One marketer told us “you are now my first stop when looking for regional insights and inspiration.” When clients, competitors, partners and peers reach consensus and align on the essential industry resources we create, marketers trust them to inform their business, budget, and workforce decisions.
Thorn: The podcast didn’t happen. Even with the best of intentions, it had to be deprioritised as mergers, restructures and legislation changes we couldn’t have anticipated forced us to adjust. As an industry association, we flow with our members and the local market ecosystems we service. When you needed extra support and guidance through transitions, this is where we focused. The collective comes first.
2025 was the year of MORE
2025 was the year of MORE; More events, more Councils, more Board members, more thought leadership, more research, more industry resources, more government advisory work.
Some key highlights include:
We brought on Jo Cockle as our Head of Marketing to help our voice be heard even louder and be seen in even more places. And create the coolest merch (IYKYK).
We expanded to two Boards: the Strategic Advisory Board setting direction, and the Industry Leadership Board turning priorities into action as heads of our Councils. As one Co-Lead shared, “working with a cross section of people from the industry has helped me develop leadership skills in interpersonal dynamics, process, planning and more that I didn’t even know I needed.” More boards and councils means more opportunities for leadership and professional growth.
Our new AI Council published a thought leadership series developed from expert workstreams on how AI can be applied at each stage of campaign development, packed with expert quotes and case studies from this region to inform and inspire.
Our Retail Media Council published a thought leadership series covering consumer-first retail media, non-endemic brands, measurement, and retail media network strategies to help marketers with regional use cases to support experimentation and greater investment.
Our Comscore partnership will continue to deliver monthly India Scorecards giving marketers a regular pulse check on social platform performance across India.
Tiffin Time, our virtual networking event, created 192 1:1 connections across the region. One member shared, “it’s a fantastic way to quickly gain new perspectives and truly get to know others’ journeys, all while organically building my professional network without the pressure of a formal meeting.”
Our Member News and Meet Our Members features introduced your expertise to an even broader marketing audience.
What you can expect in Q1 2026
We started with a bang; over 100 of us got together last week for our Members Evening – food, fun, friendship and some healthy competition. To help people connect beyond their business bubbles, we took inspiration from Tiffin Time for our pub quiz: board members became team captains and guests were randomly assigned to a team. The quiz got competitive enough that Apple Watches started alerting people about excessive noise. Congratulations to “Closest To The Bar” captained by Strategic Advisory Board Member Sonal Patel from The Trade Desk. The event was such a success we’re considering a second one in August – but based on my learnings from the podcast (see “Thorn” above), we’ll confirm closer to the time.
We also have six major publications on their way:
Winning the Scroll Social Commerce Playbook: For marketers who know they need to be in social commerce but aren’t sure where to start or what to prioritise. It covers which platforms work where, how to structure content across the consumer journey, and how to assess what your team needs to focus on next.
The New Economics of Streaming CTV/OTT Playbook: Using the formula Attention × Consumption = Effectiveness as its foundation, this guide helps you plan campaigns for how audiences watch; across the day, the device, and the room.
Measurement Maturity Framework: This is the first regional framework giving teams a shared language for measurement. The 3×3 grid maps metrics by Data Readiness and KPI Type, with a glossary of 140+ metrics so teams can plot where they sit today and see what becomes possible as capabilities advance.
ABCs of Responsible AI Integration: As AI adoption across the region is outpacing policy development, this framework guides companies through preparation (Access), implementation (Build), and ongoing operations (Conduct), with a compliance table mapping what’s required in each of our seven markets based on your role as provider, buyer, partner, or approver.
Regulatory Readiness Survey Results: The first regional study of its kind. 1,752 respondents told us how they resource for compliance, where accountability sits in their company, and how confident they feel preparing for regulations across privacy, AI, e-commerce, advertising standards, and cybersecurity.
State of Industry Survey Fieldwork: The most comprehensive study of digital marketing in Southeast Asia and India. Covering industry outlook, investment strategy, partnership effectiveness, workforce development, and AI adoption. Fieldwork starts this quarter and you will all have the opportunity to contribute to what we anticipate will be a monumental reference.
How to make the most of your membership in 2026
We asked you which Councils we should have this year and based on member demand we have seven on the table currently:
- AI
- B2B
- Commerce Media (combining Retail Media and Social Commerce)
- DOOH
- Measurement
- Programmatic
- Video (including CTV/OTT)
Boards and Councils are where members tell us they develop leadership and professional skills they didn’t know they needed, while representing their company and contributing to guidance the industry trusts. Our exclusive member mailing list is how we share membership opportunities, so make sure you’re signed up to receive more information. Nominations open 24th February and close 13th March.
Whether it’s joining a Board or Council, amplifying your expertise through Member News and Meet Our Members, connecting at an upcoming Tiffin Time, or having your say in our research, there’s a breadth of ways to make the most of your membership. If you’re not sure where to start, Jo Cockle, our Head of Marketing, can help. Reach out to her at jo@iabseaindia.com.
To everyone who contributed their time and thinking last year: thank you. Whether your capacity was the kindling that sparked the fire or a hefty log that burnt for hours, when everyone gathers firewood, the flames rise high.
Kind regards,
