IAB Expands to Japan

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Japan Interactive Advertising Association (JIAA) have teamed up to form IAB Japan, with the trade organization having the same goals as the other 40-plus IAB-affiliated international trade groups: Promote common standards and improve the consumer experience with advertising.

The formation of IAB Japan marks the 43rd country to form its own IAB trade group.

“The Japanese digital marketplace is among the most important in the world, with digital ad spending estimated to hit $11 billion in 2016 and 100 million internet users nationwide,” said Dave Grimaldi, executive VP of public policy for IAB, in a statement. “The JIAA has been a tremendous partner, and their efforts as IAB Japan (JIAA), now part of the large IAB global network, will be key to ensuring that we capitalize on this opportunity to significantly grow digital advertising in Japan and worldwide.”

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JIAA currently has nearly 230 member companies, many overlapping with IAB, including Condé Nast, Hearst and Twitter. IAB and JIAA have been working together since 2014, via co-produced webinars and New York City tours for visiting Japanese executives, IAB said in a statement.

“For digital advertising to reach its peak, it is critical that the industry as a whole confront challenges from a global and regional perspective,” said JIAA chairman Yoshio Takada. “Throughout our nearly two decades in the business, we have strived to do exactly that. We have made giant strides in our homeland while working with IAB to apply lessons learned in other markets, and sharing the knowledge we have gained from our own. Becoming IAB Japan (JIAA) is the next logical step in creating a truly global and reliable digital advertising marketplace.”