In a continuing effort to fend off government regulation, the advertising industry will, today, add to its arsenal of self regulation tools. Working with the Future of Privacy Forum, several WPP divisions worked together to create an icon which, when placed in an ad along with the text “Why did I get this ad?”and clicked, will take a person to a page explaining how web surfing history, demographics, phychographics and behavioral targeting where used to deliver the ad.
The efforts is aimed at addressing privacy concerns about data marketers use to target their advertising.
Future of Privacy Forum Co-Chairman Jules Polonetsky explained the creative effort – while snubbing associated legal efforts – saying, “We said, let’s turn to creative people whose job it is to sell things, to communicate, instead of to lawyers whose job is to create highly accurate things that mean only what they mean and can be highly complex.”
The IAB is behind the effort as well but there’s no legal requirement any marketer or publisher adopt the icon.
