The Pontiflex Blog

Next Stop – the Power I

June 22, 2010 at 4:17 pm zlasker Leave a comment

There was an exciting development in the field of online advertising yesterday.

For those who missed it, Power Eye places an icon in the top right corner of an online advertisement.  Consumers who mouse over the icon will get a view of all the data that was used to target the ad. They will also be provided with the option to opt-out of future targeting by those companies. Companies that will participate in the launch of Power Eye include industry heavyweights like AT&T, Microsoft and American Express.

The effort is commendable in the way it addresses pressing problem of transparency. Power Eye lets consumers know why they are being served a particular ad. If they are uncomfortable with what they see, they can opt out of the ad. Power Eye opens a line of transparent communication between the advertiser and the consumer – which is a good thing.

It’s a positive development to see the advertising industry tackle the issue of privacy head on. But given how important an issue privacy is to the future of our industry, one can’t help wonder what could the advertising industry be doing better to ensure that consumers feel comfortable wading the ocean of advertising they find themselves submerged in.

A 2009 Harris Interactive survey provides a clue. The survey revealed that 96% of consumers were comfortable receiving messages and offers from advertisers they chose through email. The implications are clear. Advertisers need to stop thinking of themselves as merely advertisers. They need to think of themselves as marketers. Instead of merely broadcasting advertising messages, they can send timely and relevant messages to consumers in a venue they trust – be it their email inbox or a social network fan page.

Permission based marketing puts the consumer in charge, making him/her a Power I if you will. It enhances relevancy. It bolsters trust. And ultimately, increased trust and relevancy is what will cause our members of Congress to unarch those angry eyebrows, and keep our industry free from excessive regulation in the long run.

Entry filed under: Online Advertising, Privacy. Tags: .