International round-up: Google and Facebook’s digital dominance, HP fights against hiring bias
Plus the IAB forces its members to tackle fraud and lack of transparency, Germany rejects a new Google hub in Berlin and Transferwise sets up shop in Asia.
Google and Facebook take almost all revenue growth for digital advertising
Google and Facebook together took 99% of revenue growth from digital advertising in the US last year, according to an analysis of IAB estimates by Pivotal Research senior analyst Brian Wieser.
In a note to clients seen by Business Insider, Wieser said that both ad giants captured a combined 77% of gross spending in 2016, an increase from 72% in 2015. Facebook specifically accounted for 77% of the digital ad industry’s overall growth, he noted.
The overall US internet ad industry grew 21.8% from $59.6bn to $72.5bn in 2016, according to the IAB. But due to Google and Facebook’s dominance, “the average growth rate for every other company in the sector was close to 0” last year, says Wieser.
READ MORE: Facebook and Google completely dominate the digital ad industry
IAB forces its members to tackle fraud and lack of transparency
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is making all its member publishers and technology companies register with the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), the US ad industry’s programme to fight fraud and other criminal activity, to remain eligible for continued membership with the trade association.
The IAB is giving its 463 General Member companies until 1 June 1 2018 to obtain TAG Registration, a process verifying them as “legitimate” participants in the digital advertising industry. TAG was launched in 2015 by the IAB and the American Association of Advertising Agencies and Association for National Advertisers to fight fraud, malware, piracy and lack of transparency.
“The digital ad industry’s open supply chain is the source of our innovation and the source of our risks,” says IAB president and CEO Randall Rothenberg. “Making TAG Registration a requirement for IAB members will make our supply chain safer, while still allowing innovative media and advertising solutions to flourish.”
Transferwise sets up shop in Asia
One of the UK’s biggest fintech companies is opening a new office in Singapore to serve the Asia-Pacific region.
It’s the ninth office for fintech unicorn Transferwise, which hopes to have around 30 staff in the location by the end of the year and it will become a hub for the area.
“It made perfect sense for TransferWise to choose Singapore as our Apac hub,” says co-founder and chief executive Taavet Hinrikus.
“The region is important for us as we expand globally, bringing our service to everyone in the world that transfers money internationally. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have demonstrated their commitment to making Singapore a place where fintech companies can flourish and we’re excited to be part of that.”
Transferwise, one of just a handful of UK startups to be valued at more than $1bn, is already in Australia, New Zealand and Japan and allows transfers to China Korea and plans to launch in new countries in the region.
Germany rejects new Google hub in Berlin
Google is eager to build a “start-up campus” in Berlin’s highly trendy Kreuzberg district. While the city’s mayor is delighted, local residents fear for their rent, livelihoods and the area’s unique character.
This weekend, a Green party representative on Kreuzberg’s local district assembly told the Neues Deutschland newspaper that initial planning permission had been denied because of the potential noise for local residents.
In response to the setback, Google Germany offered only a brief emailed statement, which reads: “We are excited to house Campus Berlin in the [substation]. As with every rebuilding of historical sites there are tasks that we solve together with the authorities. We build out our space for local community and local entrepreneurs, and are thus working closely with the city to not only preserve, but highlight, the historic features of the building.”
READ MORE: Berlin residents reject Google Campus
HP promises to fight bias in its hiring
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gAfi15ttKA
HP has unveiled a new ad showing its commitment to reduce bias when hiring managers. The video begins by showing a series of black job candidates on interviews that conclude with the dreaded words, “We’ll be in touch.”
“When qualified for a job,” text on the screen explains, “African-Americans are 3x more likely to experience a denial.”
“It’s intended to raise awareness around the ingrained biases that exist in the hiring process,” says Lesley Slaton Brown, who was named HP’s first chief diversity officer in 2015 after the company’s split with business-focused counterpart Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
“It’s meant to wake people up and get people talking about this,” she adds.
READ MORE: HP continues diversity push with promise to fight bias in its hiring
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