Have you noticed the ad icon?
Whilst you’ve been going about your daily web browsing you may have seen the triangular icon in the corner of ads. You may have even clicked on it to see what it’s all about. Some of you may know that advertising businesses and publishers have, for some time now, been rolling out the icon in display ads and on web pages across the UK and EU markets (and beyond) as part of a pan-European self-regulatory initiative. Backed by the European Commission and national governments, such as the UK’s, the initiative seeks to provide consumers with greater transparency and control over behavioural advertising.
The new 'ad icon' explained
Now that the icon is prevalent across EU markets, it is time to tell the general public about it, what it means and how they can interact with it.
It takes time for any new symbol or logo to become well-recognised but the goal is for the icon to become familiar like the recycling symbol we all know and love. Therefore, this week the UK kicked off an EU-wide campaign – overseen by the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA), the body administering the EU self-regulatory initiative - to do just this. Designed by UK agency, Mediacom Beyond Advertising, and based upon a concept developed by a team of students from Belgium, the ads feature a zip with statements such as “How do websites know which adverts suit your interests?” and “Find out what goes on behind the ads you see online.” The zip opens to reveal the icon and – when the ad is clicked – it links to a landing page explaining the role of online advertising and how privacy can be safeguarded. The landing page also features a short video helping people to understand how ads may be customised to likely interests. The UK campaign has only been possible because of the inventory of leading news brands, media owners and ad tech businesses, amounting to approximately £3m. Similar campaigns in Germany and Ireland will commence later this month or early July, and other EU markets will launch later this year. And this is only the start…
IAB UK research shows that consumers understand the need for online advertising to help fund much of the content and many of the services we enjoy at little or no cost. Given the role of ads, consumers are clear that they want relevant ones.However, they are also very clear that they want transparency and control over the information that is collected and used to make the ads a bit more interesting. It is this approach that underpins the self-regulatory work across Europe, balancing the needs of the individual with the need to support innovation that will help provide the ever-increasing range of digital services that people use and enjoy in their daily lives.
If you’d like to see the ad campaign creative click here. Or if you want to know about the EU self-regulatory initiative visit the IAB UK FAQs.
Nick Stringer is head of regulatory affairs at the IAB