EASA Spring Biannual Meetings 2024 – thanks for joining!
29 May 2024
From May 22 to 24, our members and partners gathered in Amsterdam to exchange ideas and connect. Hosted by our Dutch SRO members, Stichting Reclame Code, we spent two days filled by insightful sessions, social activities, and panel discussions.
The Meetings kicked off with the keynote speech by Joana Duarte, Supervision Director of ERC, that explained the challenges of supervision in the digital landscape, followed by a session on influencer marketing. In this session, Tudor Manda, EASA’s Self-regulation Development Manager, and Inés Ollero Candau, Project Officer and Data-Driven SR Coordinator, presented how ad SR is responding to the pan-european challenge of influencer marketing. The day proceeded with key sessions for the EASA Meetings, such as the SR Committee, the Board and the General Assembly.
In occasion of the General Assembly the new composition of the Executive Office has been announced: Orla Twomey, Chief Executive at Advertising Standards Authority Ireland has been nominated Chairwoman, together with Zsolt Gerendi, Secretary General of Önszabályozó Reklám Testület (ÖRT) and Tamara Daltroff, CEO of European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), the new Vice-Chairs. They will join EASA’s Treasurer Conor Murray, Head of Regulatory and Public Affairs at egta. EASA welcomes the newly elected, wishing them a successful mandate, and thanks the former Chairwoman Charo Fernando, Deputy Director of Autocontrol, and former Vice-Chair Angela Mills Wade, Director of the European Publishers Council (EPC) for the great work done.
In Amsterdam, EASA also welcomed two new members; the Lithuanian Advertising Standards Bureau and the European Influencer Marketing Alliance.
The Lithuanian Advertising Standards Bureau joined the Alliance as an observer member. The organisations’ representatives Alvyde Palaimaite and Ugnė Sungailė travelled to Amsterdam, where they had the opportunity to present themselves and connect with the other members. The Lithuanian Advertising Standards Bureau has been officially established in May, under the lead of the Lithuanian Marketing Association. The Lithuanian Marketing Association is a 19-year-old organization that unites more than 1,400 professionals and business representatives in marketing and related fields. The main goal of LiMA is to strengthen the field of marketing and enhance its perceived value in Lithuania. The other new member, the European Influencer Marketing Alliance (EIMA), is a collective of local trade bodies that brings together leading influencer marketing agencies, agents, technologies, and creators in Europe. This was presented in Amsterdam by Scott Guthrie, Director General of the Influencer Marketing Trade Body. Among other things, EIMA elevates industry standards, promotes responsible practices to protect both the creator economy and consumers, and facilitates industry-wide collaboration by acting as a unified, authoritative voice for research, guidance, and education. EASA is delighted to have these two new members, and their expertise, on board.
The second and final day of the Meetings featured a session in which Google’s Country Manager, Netherlands, Brian Crowley, presented its Ad Safety Report, and illustrated the actions they are currently undertaking to ensure ad transparency. The day wrapped up with a panel discussion on the relationship between AI and responsible advertising moderated by Otto van der Harst, Director of the hosting organisation SRC, where panellists, including Lisa Blom, Head of Industry Relations Northern Europe, Google, Adam Davison, Head of Data Science, Advertising Standards Authority, Rob Van Griesven, Director Consumer Connections, Heineken and Morten Legarth, Creative Director at VCCP and the AI Creative Agency, Faith, provided different perspectives on this hot topic.
Thanks to all the members that joined us, and see you in London for the 2024 Autumn Biannual Meetings!
