NATPE 2011: WPP'S Sorrell Calls for Self-Regulation in Addressable Advertising

(Predictably) wants government to stay out regarding privacy concerns as technologies improve

By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/24/2011 5:58:28 PM

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WPP Group Chief Executive Martin Sorrell on Monday claimed that as addressable advertising becomes more prevalent, it needs to remain up to the companies that implement the technologies to regulate themselves in terms of privacy issues.

"It has to be self-regulation, we musn't get into more regulation," he said during a keynote session at the NATPE conference in Miami. 

And Sorrell lauded the importance of the emerging addressable advertising platforms, noting that his organization has "become a VC company" in terms of investing in companies in the space.

"It gives us the ability to understand [media consumption] in a far, far more effective way," he said of the technology.

In an hour-long session at the media confab, Sorrell also called smart phone mobility the most disruptive development currently, and said that technology companies "are not really technology companies," noting they are basically media companies now.

Among other topics, Sorrell said the US is "going to have to grapple with its deficit, maybe not before the next general election - that will put some pressure on their economy."  However he noted that to "write off" the U.S. economy would be a mistake.