Brussels, 29 October 2019 – The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) held its fourth Annual Summit on 24 October in London, under the banner “Delivering a consumer-centric future for the digital ad world”. This year’s event came in a crucial and shifting landscape for the online ad industry – shifting consumer expectations, regulatory scrutiny and terms of business. EDAA presented its groundbreaking consumer research on EU perceptions of digital advertising since GDPR and unveiled its plans to increase transparency and education measures, placing consumer trust at the forefront of its efforts.
A record attendance of 159 leaders from across the global advertising industry came together in London to address the challenge of engaging consumers and increasing consumer trust and transparency in online advertising. Following its multi-market consumer research conducted in March 2019 to determine how EU citizens perceive digital advertising since GDPR, EDAA presented a path towards a vibrant and dynamic, consumer-centric future of the digital advertising ecosystem, centered upon: (1) improving consumer trust; (2) developing new self-regulatory tools and approaches adapted to the evolving landscape; and (3) educating consumers and businesses on the benefits of self-regulation and the EDAA programme.
EDAA also presented its plans to reshape how self-regulatory mechanisms will continue to play a critical and positive role in supporting consumers and companies to navigate their digital rights and responsibilities in today’s self-regulatory landscape. Drawing on the success of the ubiquitous AdChoices icon displayed on online ads, and the pan-European www.youronlinechoices.eu, available in 33 markets and 27 languages averaging 2m visitors each month, EDAA will reinforce real-time, contextual and meaningful information to further empower consumers with regard to their online advertising preferences.
Angela Mills Wade, EDAA Chairwoman and Executive Director of the European Publishers Council, stated: “The evolving landscape we all face is precisely why, as things move faster, the efficient, quick-to-adapt nature of self-regulation is so essential as EDAA and the rest of the digital advertising ecosystem move forward. This year’s summit title, Delivering a consumer-centric future for the digital ad world, is an objective which must be seen as both an aspiration but also seriously as an achievable ambition. As an association promoting self-regulatory principles in digital advertising, EDAA is committed to providing trustful programmes for consumers and in the end we will all be judged by the very consumers we aim to serve”.
Thanks to exceptional keynotes and panel discussions with 20 leading European and global speakers, the 2019 Annual Summit provided practical solutions on how the industry can and must rise to the challenge and give pro-privacy practises a competitive edge. A panel on Improving responsibility and openness in digital advertising, composed of representatives from across the advertising ecosystem, discussed what consumer trust means to them and how each of their sectors – from advertisers, agencies, technology platforms, to media – can provide consumer-centric solutions and how self-regulation, and in particular the EDAA Programme, can provide real added value as part of the business toolkit going forward, for responsible, open and transparency companies.
Over 150 stakeholders attended this informative event, spanning trade associations, policy makers, leading ad industry practitioners, and data protection authorities. Now more than ever, the digital advertising industry must come together to demonstrate a pronounced responsibility and rebuild consumer trust.
Watch the official aftermovie here and view all the pictures of the 2019 EDAA Summit here. The interviews of speakers and other participants can be viewed here.
About EDAA
The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance EDAA is responsible for the administration of the pan industry self-regulatory programme on Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA), enabling users, through the display of an icon, to access transparency and choice with regard to OBA. We are currently looking at the user’s online experience now that the GDPR is in place, and how we can improve this experience, and consequently user’s trust in the ecosystem. EDAA provides technical means for consumers to exercise transparency and control over OBA through the youronlinechoices.eu online consumer choice platform. More information can be found at www.edaa.eu.
The EDAA Annual Summit, now in its fourth successive year, has become a staple calendar event within the privacy and advertising technology fields, and is known for provoking honest, open, intellectual and critical debate, covering broad viewpoints with the ultimate objective of building trust with consumers.
Press Contact
Robin de Wouters – Communication Coordinator, EDAA
+32 2 213 41 80 – robin.dewouters@edaa.eu
