Public Service Ad Campaign Worth $13 Million; Will Reach Over 70% of Internet Audience
October 2, 2001, New York – The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Privacy Leadership Initiative (PLI) today launched a new public service advertising (PSA) campaign aimed at informing consumers how they can gain greater confidence in maintaining their online privacy. The campaign is the result of a partnership between IAB, the leading trade association dedicated to furthering the interests of online, wireless, and interactive television media companies, and PLI, a non-profit coalition that provides research and education to help consumers meet their privacy needs. IAB member companies have committed ad avails worth more than $13 million to the campaign.
The ad campaign focuses on presenting a series of “tips” that will help consumers greatly increase control of their online privacy. A new interactive advertising format developed by Netomat, an interactive software development company, will be used to launch the privacy campaign on the Internet. The new ads are offered in the skyscraper (120 x 600) and large rectangle (300 x 250) IMUs, using a graphic design of a keyhole through which one can view various letters. When the user clicks on a letter, the privacy tip is displayed within the keyhole. For example, the letter “P” will lead to a tip about passwords and “C” is used to teach consumers how to protect one’s privacy in a chat room. These new rich media ads will run on three IAB-member sites: About, iVillage, Inc. and TerraLycos.
In addition to the new Netomat ad format, banner ads and IMUs will be launched simultaneously over IAB-member sites including About, America Online, Cars.com, CMP Media Inc. (TechWeb), CNET Networks Inc., Discovery.com, Forbes.com, iVillage, Inc., iWon, Monster.com, NetZero, New York Times Digital, Snowball.com, SportsLine.com, TerraLycos Inc., Travelocity, USATODAY.com, Vindigo Inc., Wall Street Journal Online, Weather.com, Yahoo! and Ziff Davis Internet as well as sites represented by ad networks 24/7 Media, L90, Lightningcast and DoubleClick. More than 70 percent of the nation’s Internet consumers will be reached in this campaign, and a total of 538.6 million impressions with a value of nearly $13.5 million have been committed over the next 12 months. A total of seven ads have been created for the launch and new executions will be developed over the next few months.
“Privacy is a critical issue for our members, and we are pleased to be able to work with the PLI on this consumer education effort,” said IAB President & CEO Robin Webster. “Consumers are concerned about receiving information about how to meet their individual privacy needs, and we believe this campaign will help address their needs. We are indebted to all the companies who have joined us in this important effort.”
“PLI members know that privacy is good for business and that business has a responsibility to directly address the needs of consumers when using the Internet and protecting their privacy,” said PLI Director David Klaus. “Preserving the consumer’s right to choose how their personal information is used either online or offline is one of the most critical issues facing companies today. The campaign we are launching today starts with the online world and will expand over time to new initiatives to aid consumers in both the online and offline world.”
The ads focus on the importance of:
Choosing and protecting unique passwords.
Safeguarding an individual’s Social Security number.
Ensuring a secure online connection with encryption before providing credit card information.
Research conducted by Harris Interactive for PLI found that consumers believe it is their responsibility to protect their privacy but often do not know how. In addition, the Harris Interactive research indicated that almost half of consumers found that the risk of identity theft outweighed the benefits of the Internet. The IAB/PLI ad campaign helps address many of the general concerns found in the Harris Interactive research. The research can be found on the PLI Web site at www.understandingprivacy.org.
ABOUT THE INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING BUREAU (IAB)
Founded in 1996, the IAB is the industry’s leading interactive advertising association. Its activities include evaluating and recommending guidelines and best practices, fielding research to document the effectiveness of interactive media, and educating the advertising industry about the use of interactive advertising and marketing. Membership includes companies that are actively engaged in the sale of interactive advertising and marketing. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.iab.net.
ABOUT THE PRIVACY LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
The PLI is a partnership of visionary CEOs from 15 major corporations and 9 leading business associations who believe individuals should be able to choose what and how personal information is used in the pursuit of better meeting their needs. Through research and knowledge building, the PLI is working to build a climate of trust – both online and offline – to help accelerate the emergence of the information economy as a safe marketplace. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.understandingprivacy.org
Contact:
Marla Nitke IAB
