By Lou Mastria
The following post is another part of our DAA Summit 2014 coverage series.
Whether at home or in the car, or at play or at work, consumers are more connected than ever before. Between smartphones, e-readers, laptops and tablets, consumers are communicating, and accessing and sharing information, using multiple platforms and devices -- and they are doing it quickly and easily.
This new menu of options presents great opportunities for those in the digital advertising space, yet it also poses a challenge for online advertisers seeking to maximize their value to consumers while also allowing for transparency and choice.
This was the context for just one of the topics of discussion at our recent Digital Advertising Alliance annual summit: Innovation and consumer value by leveraging transparency and control in online advertising across screens. At a session titled, “Meeting the Multi-Platform Challenge: Creating Transparency and Choice Tools for Users Wherever They Connect,” a dynamic panel of experts including Chris Babel, chief executive officer with TrustArc; James Lamberti, vice president & general manager with AdTruth, a part of Experian, and; Ho shin, general counsel with Millennial Media – tackled questions around how digital advertisers can continue to meet consumer’s needs in a multi-platform environment while creating transparency and choice tools that meet users’ privacy expectations where they are. The panel was moderated by Dick O’Brien, executive vice president, government relations with 4A’s.
The overall discussion centered on the fact that advertisers must recognize the need to better understand the multi-platform environment and be proactive by developing and utilizing tools to better serve the needs of consumers. Some of the important questions addressed by the panel included what the multiplatform environment means for the industry, and how advertisers can better leverage innovative tools to meet their business and brand needs while giving customers exactly the transparency and choice they look for.
One important point underscored by all the speakers was that advertisers must let consumers know that they are in control. It is particularly important that a consumer’s choice to opt-out of advertising is respected and recognized, particularly in the many platforms where consumers are consuming content.
The discussion also emphasized the importance of creating balance—recognizing that consumers do want interest-based advertising but they also want advertisers to honor their privacy and right to choose.
