EDAA extends our deepest condolences to the family, friends and all colleagues of our late dear friend, Lucas Boudet, who tragically passed away.

Lucas was a true champion of advertising self-regulation, his commitment and dedication to his work and his team clear for all to see. Throughout his time as Director General of EASA – the European Advertising Standards Alliance – Lucas was a strong advocate of the work done by the EDAA, and his partnership and commitment to our efforts has helped our organisation navigate through times of change and stay true to our values – values shared and lived by Lucas, in his open, transparent and trustworthy approach. Those of us who knew him well will remember him fondly for his charisma, warmth and kindness, which he held in abundance.

Lucas lived life to the full. He was not only a close friend to many of us, yet he was also a loving father and husband, and all our thoughts are with his family in this most difficult time. He was also an inspiring leader who cared deeply about his team at EASA. We wish all those who knew him a great deal of strength.

Lucas, thank you for your warmth and the legacy you’ve left behind; we will miss you.

Brussels, 15 November 2023: A major breakthrough in digital advertising transparency — EDAA delivers the online advertising industry’s solution to DSA-level transparency requirements under its new “Advanced Advertising Transparency Programme” (AATP).

The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA) unveiled its new programme under the banner “The New Era of Advertising Transparency” at their annual Summit yesterday.

The AATP was unveiled in front of leaders from across the global advertising industry and beyond – stakeholders comprising industry practitioners, trade associations, and policy makers.  The centerpiece of the new programme is the well-recognised and consumer-facing “AdChoices Icon”, a prominent symbol found across online ads. This Icon () will leverage a technical standard currently being produced by the IAB Europe and IAB Tech Lab. New information including the identity of the advertiser and the main parameters behind the ad delivery (and, where applicable, how to change them), will be disclosed to all European consumers under the new programme, mirroring the obligations set out in Europe’s landmark Digital Services Act.

The timing of the EDAA’s announcement yesterday comes in advance of the much-anticipated deadline for platforms’ compliance with the new regulation as of 17 February 2024. EDAA is calling on all platforms and their technology providers to get their houses in order with the new industry best practice rules. Although the specifications are still being finalised, there is sufficient clarity in approach for companies to get in front of their obligations and adapt to the requirements which will soon be commonplace in business tenders going forward.

Angela Mills Wade, EDAA Chairwoman and Executive Director of the European Publishers Council, stated: “At this year’s Summit, we unveiled the single most significant development in EDAA’s drive to provide transparency, choice and control in online data-driven advertising, since its inception back in 2012. With EDAA’s experience in the market, its traction, and the serious implications of the Digital Services Act, the new programme – the AATP – is at the forefront of meaningful consumer-focused transparency”.

The programme will be based on the core values of EDAA’s approach: transparency, choice, and control, backed by credible compliance and accountability. EDAA will leverage the best of its approach to-date, whilst innovating its products to apply to a broader community of actors operating at the heart of the digital advertising space, notably platforms and advertising technology vendors.

EDAA’s Programme Development Director, Ionel Naftanaila, emphasised: “This announcement should not be missed – advertisers and agencies should start briefing their supply chain partners to respect and adopt the new rules from February. Ad tech vendors and platforms should consult with the EDAA to determine their respective roles and ensure they don’t fall foul of the incoming standards.”

The message is clear – it’s time to act on transparency.

 

About EDAA

The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance EDAA is responsible for the administration of the pan industry self-regulatory programme on Data Driven Advertising, enabling users, through the display of the well recognised “AdChoices Icon”, and consumer choice portal, to access transparency and choice with regard to online data-driven advertising. EDAA sets the bar in creating a better and more transparent user experience and consequently works to improve user trust in the digital advertising ecosystem. EDAA provides technical means for consumers to exercise transparency and control over data-driven advertising through the youronlinechoices.eu online consumer choice site. More information can be found at www.edaa.eu.

 

About EDAA Summit

The EDAA Annual Summit has become a staple calendar event within the data privacy and advertising technology fields, and is known for provoking honest, open, intellectual and critical debate, covering broad and valued viewpoints.

This year, the “EDAA Summit 2023 – The new era of advertising transparency” took place on the Grand Place of Brussels and brought together a great variety of speakers who covered a broad range of critical issues affecting the online advertising ecosystem, with an eye to the future. Regulators, privacy professionals, companies and association representatives gathered and discussed what the next months will look like, with a particular focus on the EDAA solution and the implications of the DSA for the online advertising ecosystem.

 

Press Contact

Federica Detomas – Communications Coordinator, EDAA

federica.detomas@edaa.eu

Today we have the pleasure to interview Paolo Cerroni, VP Legal at LoopMe, one of the companies that recently joined the EDAA Programme.

Paolo has agreed to answer some questions regarding LoopMe’s experience in the EDAA programme so far, as it has concluded its certification process in July 2022 and is now fully part of the EDAA family!

Welcome, Paolo! It is always a pleasure to hear from a representative of one of our participating companies.

What is the role of LoopMe in the digital advertising ecosystem?

LoopMe is a technology company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve brand advertising performance and outcomes. Our vision is to change advertising for the better, by building technology that will redefine brand advertising. LoopMe powers programmatic advertising, improves media delivery, develops bespoke audience curation and effective real-time measurement through our outcomes platform. By putting consumers at the heart of every campaign, the world’s leading brands, agencies, media publishers and programmatic platforms rely on us to reach their goals effectively and more efficiently.

How did you learn about the EDAA Programme? And why have you decided to join?

LoopMe has always put privacy and compliance on the forefront of how we conduct our business. When I joined LoopMe in May 2021, one of my top priorities was to review the entirety of the company’s data protection and privacy practices globally, and ensure that as a business, we are always doing everything we can to ensure we meet, and where possible exceed, the standards of the applicable legislation and regulation.

In seeking to ensure LoopMe’s privacy programme and practices were robust and of the highest standard, we sought an external provider, capable of providing an extensive independent review of the entirety of LoopMe’s operations and processes. Following our research, we identified the EDAA and were impressed by the thoroughness of the EDAA’s review and audit required in order to secure the EDAA Trust Seal certification. In particular, we recognised the high compliance standards required to achieve the EDAA certification and membership, and the resultant prestige attached.

The EDAA Trust Seal certification and membership is a hugely respected independent seal of approval and serves as a strong signal to the AdTech Industry, demonstrating LoopMe’s commitment to brand integrity, consumer trust, data protection, and compliance with applicable legislation and industry standards.

Could you tell us a bit more about what a new company needs to do during the certification process?

LoopMe had some initial calls with the EDAA team to understand the certification process and membership requirements. The EDAA’s independent external auditors conducted an extensive review of the entirety of LoopMe’s data protection and privacy practices throughout Europe. The process included a data collection exercise where LoopMe received a questionnaire, which the LoopMe legal team answered fully, working with several internal business units such as our product, security and data teams. In addition, we provided the auditor with LoopMe’s suite of policy and contractual documents and templates, as they relate to data protection and privacy.

The auditor then reviewed LoopMe’s submissions and supporting documentation and there were a series of calls and email correspondence to discuss these and provide any further information required to ensure a full and clear understanding. They were very helpful in suggesting and recommending steps that could be taken to improve certain practices, processes and documentation, to ensure a robust compliance programme. LoopMe implemented those changes and we were delighted to receive the EDAA Trust Seal certification and become an EDAA member.

What do you think is the reason why companies and different actors in the ecosystem decide to come together and join this programme?

Consumer privacy and protection of user data is at the forefront of digital advertising, such that businesses in the AdTech sector place great importance on their data protection and privacy practices and their compliance with the applicable legislation and regulation. In particular, due to the close proximity in which the various actors in the AdTech ecosystem work together, combined with the instantaneous flow of data, close co-operation ensures a shared understanding of the legal and regulatory requirements, and a collaborative effort to meet those standards. Through working closely together on shared legal and regulatory objectives and requirements, businesses create a culture of compliance within the industry and hold each other to the highest standards.

The digital advertising ecosystem is going through a period of changes, due to new regulations, both in the European Union (with the Digital Services Act and the Regulation on transparency and targeting of Political Advertising) and also in the United Kingdom (with the Online Safety Bill). How do you think the industry can overcome these changes, and turn the challenges into opportunities?

Of course, it can be demanding, particularly in digital industries, to ensure compliance with the data protection and privacy legislative and regulatory landscape which is constantly changing, on a global, national and even state basis, as new laws and regulations come in to place all of the time. That said, with new challenges comes opportunity, and it’s important that companies take the opportunity to ensure they are maintaining the highest standards of practice when collecting, storing and processing user data. In particular, transparency with users is of the utmost importance, to ensure users know exactly how their data will be used and by who, what their rights are and how they can enforce them. Therefore, while new legislation and regulation can present a challenge, it nonetheless guides businesses on a path of compliance and provides them with the opportunity to be mindful in considering their practices, and do everything they can to maintain the highest standards to ensure the protection and careful use of user data.

How has your experience been so far with the EDAA Programme? Now that you have completed the process, what would you say to companies that are thinking about joining the Programme?

We found the EDAA Program thorough, well considered yet also user friendly and we also thoroughly enjoyed working with the EDAA team members. In particular, the team were very responsive and helpful with any queries we had. I would urge companies to work with the EDAA in seeking to secure the Trust Seal certification and EDAA membership.

Thank you so much, Paolo for your precious contribution and testimony!

‘Your Online Choices: Your Voice, Your Choice’ highlighted the necessity for the digital advertising industry to adopt a consumer-centric approach.

EDAA was thrilled to be able to demonstrate its leadership in the advertising community once again, whilst being recognised for its ground-breaking consumer-centric research when it was crowned as the 2023 winner of the Research Award in the Consumers Attitudes and Behaviour category at IAB Interact.

The EDAA launched the innovative consumer engagement study Your Online Voices: Your Voice, Your Choice in collaboration with the independent people participation and strategy agency Clever Together, with the overarching objective to understand consumers’ perceptions, expectations and changing needs in relation to digital advertising. For the first time, via this new method of engagement, consumers were empowered and given a real and meaningful voice in the role of digital advertising. This first-of-its-kind research at such scale, covered genuine consumer feelings, from hopes to fears and expectations and everything in between, and gleaned over 25,000 data points from active consumer conversations across five European markets (the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, and Latvia). The Award was received by Martina Gerli, Project Coordinator, on behalf of the EDAA and Clever Together teams.

The announcement of EDAA as the winner of the Research Awards 2023 serves as a resounding confirmation of the crucial role that actively listening to consumers plays in shaping the future of online advertising. The ‘Your Online Voices’ research reflects our deep commitment to understanding and meeting the needs of European consumers.

This Award not only recognises the outstanding impact of EDAA’s research but also reinforces the importance of consumer-centric approaches within the digital advertising industry. It serves as a reminder that responsible practices and trust-building initiatives are essential for sustainable growth in our ever-evolving ecosystem.

Building DSA-forward solutions

Armed with this direct consumer insight, EDAA is currently developing solutions for the challenges that lie ahead and contributing to a more inclusive, transparent, and consumer-driven online advertising landscape. By leveraging the insights gained from our research, we aim to facilitate stronger connections between the industry and consumers, fostering an environment where consumer needs and expectations are valued and respected.

In fact, the longstanding experience of the EDAA and the new programme developments currently in the pipeline, geared towards addressing the heightened online advertising transparency requirements of the Digital Services Act, prove that EDAA is ready to raise the bar once again. The recognition received at IAB Interact acknowledges EDAA’s work as a cross-industry and consumer-facing organisation, that strives for more responsible and standardised practices across the industry ecosystem. 

Alongside marketing trends and analyses, the event turned the spotlight on EU policy developments and the issue of trust and responsibility between industry and regulators. When asked about their preferred contact avenues to discuss DSA Art. 26 implementation, the three regulators on stage (a representative from the European Commission, a representative from the Spanish DPA and the newly appointed Digital Services Coordinator from France) called for multistakeholder dialogue and industry involvement in self- and co-regulation through soft law instruments, such as voluntary standards and codes of conduct. Above and beyond these really useful regulatory insights, we need to layer on top the considerable technical and legal complexities connected to DSA Art. 26 implementation.

Strong recognition for EDAA’s approach to industry best-practice

The positive recognition of self-regulatory standards coming from regulators is nothing new. MEP Eva Maydell at the EDAA Summit in 2021 commended EDAA for the work we have done on advertising choices and finding the balance between consumers and industry. Guido Scorza of the Garante at the same event commented on the significant scope for self-regulation to play a vital role within the context of the new DSA.

The crucial role of self-regulatory initiatives, and among them the EDAA Programme on Data-Driven Advertising and its “Trust Seal”, was highlighted by several other speakers at IAB Interact, notably representatives from Google and Virtual Minds. This continued the strong support and traction we see right across the digital advertising industry for our best practice principles and guidance when it comes to interest-based ads.

Along with the many participants that are seeking ways to demonstrate their responsible business practices, the EDAA offers simple, intuitive and discreet means for consumers to take charge of their online advertising preferences. It is our participants that help drive our work forward on a day-to-day basis, with these companies leading the charge for a more responsible and sustainable digital advertising ecosystem.

Effective communication within the industry and a harmonised approach towards regulatory requirements will be essential in earning the trust of regulators and consumers alike, while ensuring viable implementation solutions and a consistent transparency experience online.

As the digital advertising industry continues to evolve, the importance of responsibility and trust cannot be overstated. EDAA’s Research Award serves as a sign for the industry to actively listen, adapt, and prioritise the interest of consumers. Embracing this new era of responsibility and trust will enable us to collectively shape a brighter future for online advertising, built on the foundation of consumer empowerment and meaningful engagement.

The research

In March 2022, EDAA launched an innovative consumer engagement study in collaboration with the independent people participation and strategy agency Clever Together, with the overarching objective to understand consumers’ perceptions, expectations and changing needs in relation to digital advertising. For the first time, consumers were given a direct channel to the industry through which to voice their ideas and experiences with data-driven advertising. The engagement was undertaken with the intention to inform the evolution of industry-wide, pan-
European standards and best practice, at the intersect of data ethics and digital advertising, across all European markets.

With over 1100 people actively participating from five European markets (the UK, France, Germany, Belgium and Latvia) and over 25,000 data points gathered, the study provided some valuable insights on European consumers’ expectations, needs and ideas.

Key results from the study:

• European consumers feel overwhelmed by the amount of ads they see and data collected about them, worried about having their data misused to manipulate them, and irritated by intrusive ads and their lack of control.
• Levels of trust in online advertising are low and driven by consumers’ level of familiarity with advertising actors.
• Despite over 50% of consumers indicating they do not seek additional information (contradicting existing research), consumers (80%) want meaningful control over targeting and privacy.
• Consumers want better-quality ads, including greater transparency on how their data is used, whom to trust, and what other controls are available.

About our partner Clever Together

Clever Together works to put people’s expertise and lived experiences at the heart of decision-making and has two core business units that develop and deploy unique insights, methods and people participation technologies to ensure people have voice and leaders act with more wisdom. The Clever Together Conversations team creates psychologically safe digital and physical spaces, where the voices of people, en-masse, are brought to the centre of change, understanding and decision-making. The Clever Together Thought Partners team works with leaders to take personal responsibility as they seek to enable meaningful positive humane change, by making sense of and navigating complexity.

Since 2012, the core mission of EDAA has included delivering consumer-facing transparency, choice, control and education, regarding online advertising, bringing together various actors to set industry-wide best practice standards that deliver both consumer-facing and business-oriented solutions. 

When it comes to information to be provided to consumers, a central question that we ask ourselves is “how can information be displayed in a simple, intuitive yet comprehensive way to consumers?”. There is a great deal of complexity when it comes to online advertising, and the question itself may seem contradictory. Our solution to this is through the AdChoices Icon – a small blue symbol attached to all online ads – this displays a simple text (“AdChoices” when hovered) and is interactive – when clicked, consumers can find more information in simple terms about why the specific ad has been delivered to them. We are already building further disclosures onto this transparency tool, which is well-recognised by consumers, to align with the heightened information requirements of the DSA, whilst retaining simplicity and convenience from the consumer standpoint. The tool also enables companies to provide one-click links to more detailed information (a layered approach) for consumers who wish to delve a little deeper. Our research demonstrates that the Icon is well-recognised and understood – in 2021, Ipsos MORI conducted research providing many data points, including that in the majority of surveyed markets, one in two consumers actively interact with the Icon when displayed. The research saw up to 57% uplift in consumer trust towards brands and up to 47% towards interest-based advertising where an ad was carrying the Icon. Meaningful transparency through user-friendly and intuitive interfaces that do not disturb the user’s online experience, is clearly the way forward.

From more recent research by people-participation agency Clever Together – “Your Online Voices” consumer conversations (the largest effort of its kind in the online advertising space) – consumers elaborated on what level of information they wish to know as to how they are served with ads. Many opinions were gleaned about information overload, and setting the right levels. At EDAA, we’re pleased to see that the DSA heightened transparency information on platforms goes a long way to delivering to the level of expectations expressed by consumers (who reported wanting to know what data is collected, how, by whom, and how it used to serve them ads). 

The point of this blog post isn’t to dive into the benefits of data-driven, interest-based advertising, of which there are a great number of opinions, facts, and figures already expressed. Yet we rather want to consider a different angle – one that is being asked, often by those outside of the industry itself, including policy makers… What are the alternatives and is there a demand for something to replace the current model? At EDAA, we believe there are different issues to address when tackling this question:

• First off, consumers aren’t asking for alternative methods of ad delivery, they are asking for better options to ensure practical and meaningful control 
• Tellingly, over 50% of consumers (in the YourOnlineVoices research) wouldn’t use choices they are provided with, but want to be provided with those choices all the same (the provision of information and choice is important for the trust, even where people wish to receive relevant ads above less relevant ads)
• About half of consumers in the same research signalled desire for actually improving the relevance of ads, rather than diluting it – expectations are shifting on one side of the spectrum for an ever-increased level of personalisation, including through advertising options that are presented to people. Given a high level of understanding that data processing is involved in online advertising (a finding from MTM Research Agency in their study on “How EU Citizens Perceive Digital Advertising Since GDPR”, conducted for EDAA, showed that 97% of respondents were aware that data is used for online advertising), the YourOnlineVoices study later demonstrated a notably common feeling that ads could be better tailored   
• Consumers want to be able to practically, meaningfully, and easily curate their own advertising experience when online. They reported that self-curation and self-identification of interests would be much more effective and would ultimately lead to a better response to the ads they see
• Consumers want retention of choices across the web without re-doing the same choices over and over
• Alongside having their preferences retained, consumers expressed that they would like the ability to easily revoke consent they’ve given and delete associated data

Privacy is a fundamental right, of course, but it is also much more than that. The way in which it has been regulated and subsequently enforced has led to the growth of tools – such as cookie banners – that today govern the relationship of how we navigate online and determine a large part of our online experience. The idea of “cookie fatigue” (increasingly referenced) – or rather, notice fatigue (less commonly referenced, but more accurate, in our view, to reflect the perceived concern) – is an unintended consequence, and we fully agree with efforts aimed at encouraging solutions that simplify consumer disclosures and are respectful of consumers’ online preferences. EDAA’s mission is to do just that. And with good cause – we believe that by empowering consumers, the benefits of increased consumer trust can be reaped by all involved, from advertisers, publishers and across the intermediary advertising ecosystem. With trust comes an increased comfort and receptiveness towards the marketing communications that are being delivered, leading to a greater willingness for engagement and dialogue on the part of consumers. There is scope for a win-win-win here, towards more empowered consumers, a more trusted and trustworthy industry offering for advertising transparency, and a more enhanced toolkit that regulators can call upon beyond legislative instruments. EDAA can help deliver on that future.

The value of industry best practice and accompanying standards comes with uptake in the market and EDAA should be proud of the market footprint it’s demonstrated over the years. 

We see the opportunity to support collective aims and ambitions in this area, and this is what EDAA can offer: 

• We bring together both website operators and technical solutions providers. 
• Our mission is to empower consumers with transparency, choice and control over their online advertising preferences
• Companies must be held to account to respect consumers’ wishes, and provide a layered accountability structure – comprising both certification through independent auditors, and enforcement – including consumer redress in their own market and language – through independent advertising standards authorities.

We believe in the need to help foster solutions that respect and align with the benefits of media plurality and the right for businesses to pursue legitimate monetisation of the value they create. 

We believe in the value of data-driven, and particularly interest-based, advertising – when done respectfully and in view of shifting consumer demands and expectations – as a means to improve the consumer experience whilst providing a legitimate opportunity for that monetisation. 

Lastly, we believe in the need to support business by enshrining in industry principles and best practice what respectful and responsible advertising entails, in a harmonised way that further consolidates a level European playing field. 

On 28 April, EDAA was invited  to join the multi-stakeholder discussion organised by the European Commission, on the possibility of a voluntary solution that could address the concerns of consumers in relation to data-driven advertising. We look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the discussions in this area, bringing our cross-industry and consumer-facing perspective, that will add to a balanced and sustainable solution.

On 15 March 2023, the global marketing industry launched the DEI Census 2023. At EDAA we consider this a critical initiative that can be a drive for meaningful change and lead to actions that aim at making the advertising and marketing industry more open, inclusive, and appealing. 

The initiative is supported by a coalition of 10 global marketing and advertising organisations –WFA, VoxComm, Campaign, Kantar, Advertising Week, Cannes Lions, Effie Worldwide, IAA, Global Web Index (GWI) and Adweek – , and it has also been backed by a growing list of leading companies from across the marketing and advertising ecosystem, including Bayer, BP, Danone, Diageo, Dentsu, The Estée Lauder Companies, Haleon, Havas, Kraft Heinz, L’Oréal, McCann, Philips, Reckitt, Sanofi and WPP.

The objective is to assess the current level of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sector, and map the progress made from the 2021 benchmark. When talking about DEI, the survey offers an in-depth understanding, as it assesses individuals’ feelings of inclusiveness, the level of bias experienced in the workplace, and the instances of good conduct within companies operating in the marketing and advertising industry. This effort becomes stronger when done collectively, and at EDAA we therefore feel fortunate to be able to spread the word in our role as the  alliance  that brings together a broad industry coalition of actors, from advertisers, agencies, media, ad tech, and platforms. Today, we call on representatives across this ecosystem to participate and lend their hand to establishing a clearer collective understanding, via a completely anonymous questionnaire that goes beyond perceptions and views, to also emphasise lived, work-related experiences, to move towards an industry that meets everyone’s needs.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are critical issues for businesses across all industries, and the advertising and marketing industry is no exception. In an increasingly complex – and diverse – world, it is more important than ever for companies to embrace DEI principles, not just for ethical reasons, but also for the bottom line.

Creativity is often considered the heart of advertising, and the greater the diversity the greater the influence on creativity, integrated with high levels of sensitivity to the varied audiences being communicated to. There is ample evidence to demonstrate that diverse teams flourish and support businesses and campaigns to build forward from a more thorough appreciation of the needs and preferences of different groups, ensuring enhanced value, relevance, and resonance. 

At EDAA we not only work directly with companies that aim to demonstrate ever-increasing levels of responsibility, yet we also work with associations that represent different advertising sectors, and with the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) with its network of national advertising self-regulatory organisations (SROs) that promote and uphold advertising standards across Europe and beyond. 

By prioritising DEI in their operations and keeping them at the top of the corporate agenda, businesses are not just ‘doing the right thing’ by avoiding the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes or inadvertently mislead, offend, and so forth, but also they value all their employees, making sure that they do not waste the potential that comes from a diverse team.

All these issues are directly referenced in national and global advertising codes administered by SROs, and are proactively enforced against. Therefore, promoting DEI can also help ensure that companies fulfil their obligations and commitments to act in good standing and with responsibility, protecting and enhancing their reputation in the process. 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical elements for all businesses to embrace, and the DEI Census helps the advertising and marketing industry take a leading role to make a better future for itself and for society. 

And with all of that in mind… please get involved. This is your chance to make your voice heard! The survey will close on 15 April, and takes only 15 minutes to complete. Thank you for your contribution.

On 15 November 2022, the EDAA held its annual Summit, themed “From choices to voices: Transparency in action”.

This was an especially meaningful theme for us. It tells of our aspirations to put the consumer voice at the heart of our efforts; to move further from static consumer choices to a more dynamic, interactive, inclusive, and action-oriented model. I’m pleased to say the event was a huge success, with over 110 diverse stakeholders coming together in London and engaging on core issues spanning data privacy, ethics, and responsibility in digital advertising.

We also took this opportunity to celebrate EDAA’s 10^th anniversary in the picturesque Royal Horseguards Hotel, where we welcomed speakers from around the world, who contributed to insightful keynotes and conversations on the past, present, and future of online advertising.

Regulators, digital advertising companies, trade associations, research agencies, recognised authors, and many more representatives, all contributed diverse and often controversial opinions to the debates.

For this blog, I’d like to focus on what I personally took away as the five key themes emanating from the discussions, from which a series of learnings can be drawn:

1. The EDAA is gearing up for the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Over the past year, the DSA has applied further pressure on the digital advertising ecosystem, as it requires (cf. Art. 26, Rec. 52, …) enhanced consumer-facing transparency on ads that are being displayed. The EDAA endeavours to turn this challenge into opportunities that deliver value for all stakeholders, responding to the provisions of this new regulation by delivering transparency in a way that companies can address consistently in a harmonised manner and that can improve the end consumer’s digital advertising experience. It is important to adopt an industry-wide approach to respond to the challenges of the DSA, and this collaborative structure has always been a centrepiece of EDAA’s practices and offering.

2. Regulatory changes call for global cooperation.

In the UK, new regulatory developments, such as the Online Safety Bill, are now under discussion. The EU and the UK have distinct approaches towards data privacy and other current key issues that concern the digital sphere. Will these regimes compete or collaborate – and what is in the best interest of concerned stakeholders? We heard wide-ranging views at the Summit but one thing was clear: such differences call for a deeper collaboration in order to succeed and be effective.

Outside the European continent as well, and specifically in Argentina, Canada and the US, self-regulation is busy adapting to new changes and regulations. Although there are jurisdictional differences and challenges specific to our global partners, we are always pleased to cooperate, engage, and learn from the wider DAA network and beyond, with the aim to make self-regulation increasingly effective across the globe. We are thrilled that our Summit was chosen by our global DAA partners to reveal the imminent expansion of the ‘AdChoices’ Programme in India!

3. Transparency and control are priorities for savvy consumers.

The EDAA Summit revealed the extraordinary, first-of-its-kind consumer research in the shape of direct and deliberative conversations with consumers about their expectations and wishes of digital advertising, and how important it is to give people real, meaningful and informed choice over what ads they’re shown. Consumers demand more transparency and information on how their data is used and want to learn more about how the system works, and they would want to have more control over their data shared online. In fact, almost 80% of consumers would like to have the option to turn on and off data-driven advertising.  They call for more control over their preferences and choice on whom to give or revoke permission. A bold approach through potentially transformative research insights, the EDAA looks forward to working across the industry over the coming months to bring forth critical improvements called for by the very consumers the advertising industry aims to serve.

4. Collaboration around a principles-based approach will win the day.

The EDAA is ideally positioned to address the concerns of consumers and meet their needs, as it has been doing over the past 10 years, and serves the whole digital advertising ecosystem, being the only organisation that brings together all actors from the industry around the same table. Robert Madelin (former Director General of DG Connect who led the EU Multi-Stakeholder Round Table process that led to the creation of the EDAA in line with regulators’ expectations) commented 10-years-on: “The key to success [for the EDAA] will be to go on doing it in the manner that you have done it so far”. As the Digital Services Act, but also the technology innovation are challenging the ecosystem, with the joint effort of the whole industry and focusing on consumers’ experience and user expectations, we will continue to succeed with our purpose of delivering more transparency, choice and control to consumers in an ever changing and evolving context.

5. EDAA’s experience and credibility to guide you for the next decade.

In the past decade we have been able to achieve so much thanks to the steadfast commitment and support from the industry and our partners. Since 2012, hundreds of companies have signed to the EDAA Self-Regulatory Programme, over half a trillion AdChoices Icons have been delivered on ads and youronlinechoices.eu has received over 218 million visits since its creation. We are proud of these accomplishments, and we look forward to the next 10 years of activity.

It has been a pleasure to welcome so many people and celebrate such an important milestone and we can’t wait to update you further about our progress. If you’d like to get more actively involved with our work around ad transparency, choices and controls, and/or market and consumer education, don’t hesitate to get in touch at info@edaa.eu.

Thank you to everyone who joined! The pictures and videos of the EDAA Summit 2022 are available on the event website.

Federica Detomas, Communications Coordinator – EDAA

Permanent contract, full-time

Preferred starting date: ASAP

What you’ll be doing

EDAA – the cross-industry alliance of EU-level organisations which make up the value chain of data-driven advertising within Europe – is looking for a highly motivated and reliable Project Coordinator to work with our small international team in Brussels. If you’re a proactive self-starter with a professional attitude and are eager to gain experience at the heart of Europe, in an environment where the world of digital advertising meets the growing demands for consumer data protection, online privacy and advertising transparency, then this opportunity is for you! Working in our office in central Brussels (or telework due to COVID-19 policy), you will be working with the team in developing the European Self-Regulatory Programme for Data-Driven Advertising.

The role will involve:

• Closely work with the Director of Programme Development and the team to support the development and implementation of the Self-Regulatory Programme.
• Closely work with the team, participating companies and member organisations to prepare, coordinate and compile contributions to documents, plans, deliverables
• Prepare and attend a range of internal and external meetings, conferences, and events.
• Respond to member and consumer requests and queries and compile relevant statistics.
• Support European level initiatives related to digital advertising transparency, choice and control.
• Engage with participating companies and governing trade organisations.

What skills and experience you need

• Project management knowledge and concrete one to two years of experience; previous participation in technology implementation projects is a plus.
• Solid understanding of how advertising works in general, and digital advertising in particular.
• Fluent spoken English, knowledge of at least one other European language is a plus.
• Excellent English writing, editing and proofreading skills (knowledge of other European languages an asset).
• Interest in issues surrounding data protection or online privacy, as well as a keen interest in the digital advertising industry.
• Enthusiastic approach to delivering high quality results with attention to detail.
• Adept problem-solver, demonstrating a positive attitude towards challenges.
• Proactive team player, with an ability to work autonomously towards completion of tasks and responsibilities.

What EDAA offers

• A full-time permanent contract, in relation to a specific project currently being launched.
• Opportunity to work in a fast-moving industry, and to participate to the development on industry solution to increase the transparency and responsibility of the digital advertising industry
• The opportunity to experience an international working environment within a small and committed multicultural team.
• Exposure to a diverse range of stakeholders (notably across the advertising industry).
• Access to a wide network in the Brussels public affairs scene

Important information

Candidates must already have the right to work in Belgium.

Type of contract: permanent, full-time.

A full application must consist of your CV and cover letter (in English) emphasizing relevant past experience.

All applications should be sent to Ionel Naftanaila at info@edaa.eu, with the subject heading: “EDAA APPLICATION: Project Coordinator”.

Applications will be treated as they come in. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis, for an anticipated start date end-September 2022. We may choose to conduct interviews via phone/Skype/Zoom.

Due to the high volume of expected applications, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

Earlier last month, we had to say goodbye to Richard Wade, former Director General of the Advertising Association, and a great advocate for Self-Regulation in the advertising industry. Among the founders of the European Advertising Standards Alliance in 1992, Richard has always been an active supporter of cross-industry initiatives fostering responsible and trusted advertising. His forward-looking vision of the heightened role of self-regulation in the new world of digital advertising was essential in bringing together the self-regulatory community and digital players to support building the self-regulatory programme on data-driven advertising administered by the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance.

We are saddened about Richard’s passing away and we express our condolences to Richard’s loved ones.

More information are available at this link: Tributes paid to former AA Director General Richard Wade.