A Small Icon which has Potential for a Huge Impact!

This new little icon has a lot of potential to attract new buyers to the online marketplace. After browsing through the link that was posted on the Professor's blog, it seems like this is a legitimate program and it is developed with the consumer's privacy as a priority. It is a smart move for online marketers because if the government steps in, there is no telling what type of legislation they will enact.  However, they must be careful not to overload potential buyers with information. Too much information and the buyer may get frustrated and forget why he or she even logged on in the first place.


Well-known organizations such as the Better Business Bureau are supporting and helping develop the Self-Regulatory program which is important for getting exposure and having a good reputation. Now, the question is will consumers catch on? At first, I think a lot of people will have no clue as to what the icon means and I think a large portion won't care. There are many websites that use behavioral advertising which we basically depend on. Think about Google and Facebook. These websites have both implemented their own type of behavioral advertising programs and have done it in way that has become accepted for massive numbers of online users.

I searched on Google and found that there was already a lot of discussion going on about the Advertising Option Icon. This article http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=146240 explains that the coalition aims to make this icon an industry standard. Apparently, the annual license fee is $5,000 for an e-commerce site to use the icon and $10,000 for a third-party company like an ad network. Pricing is also supposed to be a bit more flexible for small businesses.  This still seems like it could be a little expensive to start but ultimately it should serve "as a universal symbol for opting out." However, some companies may be drawn away until it catches on.

From the way this icon has been presented so far, it seems like the participating organizations will actually monitor the company's compliance with these rules. It would certainly justify the high cost of the annual license fee. In my opinion, behavioral marketing has come a long way and there are certain times where the advertisements which are presented to me are relevant and I end up clicking them. Personally, I am not too concerned with the privacy issue. Facebook and Google are two huge companies which have built ad systems that are very important to internet marketing, so lets see if and when they adopt this new icon.

Hands down, this icon definitely has the potential to become the next big online "seal of approval." A consumer who is concerned with privacy and online advertisements may opt-out and it may lead to them becoming more comfortable with the online marketplace, which in turn may make them more comfortable with behavioral advertising and what it has to offer. To sum up, like Mr. Miyazaki said, "only time will tell."