Sustainability ‘Critical’ to 74% of Ad Businesses; Reddit Readying Paywalls

News in brief: Sustainability 'Critical' to 74% of Ad Businesses; Reddit Readying Paywalls; Advertising Association Appoints Andria Vidler as President 

Sustainability 'Critical' to 74% of Ad Businesses

Sustainability is ranked as the second most important challenge for the digital ad ecosystem, overtaken only by measurement, according to IAB Europe’s latest State of Readiness Report which looks at sustainability in the digital ad industry. Almost half (48%) of businesses now estimate emissions from digital media – a significant jump from previous years; 42% are also disclosing impacts to clients. Just under three quarters of businesses surveyed claim that sustainability is non-negotiable, and a critical part of their strategy. When it comes to making progress, respondents say the biggest obstacles were the lack of industry education and standards surrounding sustainability. About three in ten businesses still identify as not having made a start on managing their footprint. Survey responses were collected from 102 businesses across 29 markets between November 2024 and January 2025. 

Reddit Readying Paywalls

Reddit is readying to introduce paywalls to its platform, according to CEO Steve Huffman. He said Reddit is actively testing ways to put certain content behind paywalls, with the end goal of rolling out a paid subreddit feature for the platform later this year. Huffman has described the paid model as a “work in progress”. This won’t be the first time Reddit has introduced paid features: the Reddit Gold subscription – which offers users and ad-free experience and exclusive access to the r/Lounge subreddit – has been available for over a decade. 

Advertising Association Appoints Andria Vidler as President

The Advertising Association has appointed a new president: Andria Vidler, chief executive of Allwyn UK, operator of the National Lottery, is set to take up the position from 1st March. Vidler will guide the strategic direction of the association’s work, promoting the role and rights of responsible advertising – trusted, inclusive and sustainable – and its value to people, society, businesses and the economy. Alongside Dame Annette King and Stephen Woodford, Vidler will lead a council of industry leaders from media owners, agencies, brands, and trade bodies, to work on issues affecting the ad ecosystem. The association’s current priorities include rebuilding public trust in advertising, talent recruitment and retention, as well as taking positive action on climate change through the Ad Net Zero initiative.  The AA’s outgoing President, Alessandra Bellini, will continue work with the association as UK Chair of Ad Net Zero.