ADSL Broadband
Best Broadband
Cable Broadband
Free Broadband
Fastest Broadband
20Mb Broadband
50Mb Broadband
Fibre-Optic Broadband
New campaign targets online advertising
Tuesday 24th November 2009, by Daniel King
Some of the UK's biggest companies have lent their support to a new campaign aimed at raising children's awareness of online advertising.
With around four in five youngsters in the UK now regularly making use of the internet, the advertising industry has launched its new Digital Adwise initiative to teach users how to cast a critical eye on online marketing efforts.
Specifically, the drive - which is being funded by the likes of McDonald's, Kellogs and Mars - will offer primary schools across the UK free access to a series of online tutorials aimed at making the web's youngest users not just "digitally savvy" but also "digitally literate".
Announcing the launch of the campaign, Paul Jackson, chairman of the advertising industry's own media literacy programme, Media Smart, explained such lessons are more necessary than ever, given the fact some £2.78 billion was spent on online advertising in 2009 alone.
"[Children] come across a lot of messages on the internet and Digital Adwise will help them to spot and think carefully about online advertising," he said.
"Media literacy is more important than ever now that children have TVs games consoles and the internet in their bedrooms."
Both the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Institute for Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) have given their full backing to the initiative.
This follows on from the recent launch of the IAB's new guide to online behavioural advertising, aimed at 'demystifying' how behavioural targeting can benefit marketers and pointing to the success of the tactic outside of the UK.
Categories: Broadband, Internet Security
