Collin Colburn — VP, Commerce & Retail Media at IAB

Collin Colburn has taken on the role of VP, Commerce & Retail Media at the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the leading trade association for the digital advertising and marketing industry. Colburn previously served as an analyst at Forrester Research, where he was a recognized expert in commerce media, retail media networks, and the intersection of advertising and e-commerce. His move to IAB signals a strategic elevation of retail media as a core focus area for the organization. In this VP-level role, Colburn is expected to lead IAB's initiatives around commerce and retail media standards, research, and industry education, helping to shape best practices and measurement frameworks for one of the fastest-growing segments in digital advertising. This appointment reflects the growing institutional importance of retail media within the broader AdTech ecosystem, as brands, agencies, and retailers increasingly invest in closed-loop advertising solutions that connect ad spend directly to purchase outcomes.

The appointment of a dedicated VP of Commerce & Retail Media at IAB underscores how central retail media networks have become to the digital advertising industry. Retail media is projected to surpass $50 billion in U.S. ad spend in the coming years, with players like Amazon Advertising, Walmart Connect, Kroger Precision Marketing, and Target's Roundel competing aggressively for brand budgets. By elevating this function within IAB, the organization signals its intent to drive standardization — a critical need in a fragmented landscape where each retail media network operates with proprietary measurement, attribution, and reporting methodologies. Colburn's background at Forrester, where he advised brands and agencies on commerce media strategy, positions him well to bridge the gap between buy-side needs and sell-side capabilities. His work at IAB is likely to accelerate the development of common measurement standards, data clean room guidelines, and audience taxonomy frameworks that could reduce friction for advertisers operating across multiple retail media networks. This move may also influence competitive dynamics by encouraging more transparency and interoperability, potentially benefiting mid-tier retail media networks that struggle to compete with Amazon's scale.