Digital Advertising Alliance Launches Educational Ad Campaign

YourAdChoices seeks to educate viewers about the control they have over online privacy

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/20/2012 3:59:24 PM

Associations representing interest-based advertising -- the industry's term of art for targeted/behavioral advertising -- have launched an online public education ad campaign, YourAdChoices.
 
Faced with congressional and Administration pressure to better self-regulate or face possible legislation circumscribing online advertising, the Digital Advertising Alliance wants to better educate viewers about the control they already have over their online privacy.
 
"With widespread industry adoption of the DAA's Self-Regulatory Principles, the DAA remains committed to informing consumers about interest-based advertising, online data collection and use, and the simple way they can exercise control over their web viewing data," said Peter Kosmala, managing director, in a statement announcing the campaign, which was created pro bono by an arm of McCann Worldgroup.
 
DAA points out that its self-regulatory program, with its opt-out icon, has been adopted by over 400 companies, including top 20 global advertisers American Express, AT&T, Disney, General Motors, Kraft Foods, Microsoft and Walmart.
 
DAA has gotten a shout-out from the FTC and some in Congress for its efforts, but often with the caveat that more needs to be done.