EDAA promotes transparency, choice and consumer control over digital advertising
Brussels, Belgium 22 March 2017 – The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) released its 2016 Activity Report today. The report shows a strong record of activity and adaptation to consumer needs over the course of last year, but more importantly, a vibrant and inclusive advertising ecosystem infrastructure ready to adapt to the changing regulatory landscape going forward.
The digital advertising industry and digital media are characterised by rapid change and innovation. Collaboration between the stakeholders gathered around the table in the EDAA – from advertisers to agencies, technology companies and publishers – ensures that technology is harnessed to address consumer requirements that are equally fast-moving, and that the industry is held accountable for its commitments.
The programme continues to grow year-on-year, with over 165 businesses participating in the programme in 2016 across Europe, representing a unique achievement. Furthermore, internet users across the 33 markets (EU, EEA, Switzerland and Turkey) have been exercising choice and control over their online advertising preferences, with an average of 1.9 million visitors to the “youronlinechoices” website – where they can decide whether to receive OBA from the companies listed. What’s more, recent research , detailed in the report, shows growing awareness of the OBA programme amongst users. In Portugal (59%), Greece (52%) and Ireland (39%), followed by Great Britain (34%), awareness of the OBA Icon has risen steadily for five consecutive years. And the evidence is clear that better information, and the ability to manage one’s online advertising preferences, results in internet users being more favourable towards OBA. 44% of respondents say they are more favourable towards the concept of OBA when presented with information provided by clicking on the icon and having the opportunity to manage their privacy preferences.
The 2016 activity report also details how the EDAA’s self-regulation model has been adapting to changes in consumer behaviour. As consumers move to smaller mobile screens, and businesses bet on digital video as the new frontier in advertising (representing 16.7% of the overall European display advertising market (IAB Europe, 2016)), EDAA has introduced guidance to adapt the Self-Regulatory Programme to the mobile and video environment. The scope was also extended to cover the collection and use of cross-application data, location data and personal device data (such as address book information), all of which are relevant in a mobile setting. Businesses received technical guidance around applying the OBA icon to online video ads.
Townsend Feehan, EDAA Chair, noted “the 2016 Activity Report demonstrates the industry’s continuing commitment to delivering transparency, control and choice for European citizens when it comes to interest-based advertising, a type of advertising that aligns advertisers’ need for efficiency with consumers’ demonstrated preferences for ads that are relevant. It provides a snapshot of a programme that is continuing to improve consumer awareness, and even more importantly, can adapt to the fluid regulatory and policy environment. That regulatory environment will change as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is enforced as from May 2018, and may be upended by the introduction of new rules on “ePrivacy” thereafter. Initiatives like the EDAA programme provide the best hope of salvaging the user benefits of advertising’s support for valuable online services in a policy environment that is making the delivery of that support more and more challenging.”
The EDAA Programme is based on the European Principles on OBA, meaning internet users can be confident that participating companies are respecting key principles, including notice, user choice, data security, sensitive segmentation and education. On top of this, is a system of credible compliance and enforcement. National advertising self-regulatory organisations implement these standards into their own Codes, and handle complaints – so that the OBA programme delivers effective and accountable enforcement.
For Media enquiries, please contact:
Uzo Madu
EDAA Communications Coordinator
+32 2 213 4180
uzo.madu@edaa.eu
About the EDAA
The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) is a non-profit organisation based in Brussels and is responsible for enacting key aspects of the Self-Regulatory Programme for Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA) across Europe since its launch in October 2012. EDAA principally acts as the central licensing body for the OBA Icon and provides technical means for consumers to exercise transparency and control over OBA through the youronlinechoices.euonline consumer choice platform. EDAA is governed by EU-level organisations which make up the value chain of OBA within Europe and acts to ensure European consistency in approach. More information can be found at www.edaa.eu
[/spb_text_block] [/spb_row]