Google gathers coalition to create own criteria of acceptable ads
It's been just a few days since we've heard about Adblock Plus ad network, and here they are - the new "police of the web". Google decided to develop own acceptable ads policy and not alone, there is now a "Coalition for Better Ads".
Coalition includes 16 key members like Google, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, The Washington Post, many advertising bureaus and others.
As Business Insider states, coalition was formed in response to rising popularity of ad blockers and will take the role of online ads regulator. Members will create global standards of advertising, which will be implemented with the help of technology created by IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau). This tool will score an ad with a set of criteria: page load, trackers, type of creativity — and only those ads that meet the requirements will be allowed to be displayed on the websites of participating companies.
The coalition says it "will develop the criteria based on consumer research, which will look into the kind of online ads people love and hate". The first prototype of the scoring system is expected to be released at the end of this year, and official release is likely expected in 2017.
Peculiar fact: coalition includes major companies (advertisers), ad companies, but no representatives from the side of users.
As Alanna Gombert from IAB Tech Lab told Business Insider: "the research informing the ad standards technology will include direct input from consumers. That will include research that directly monitors consumers' behavior online to see how they react to different forms of advertising". Will see.
What do we think?
Well, on the one hand this step can be seen as a victory of users. Finally our opinion matters.
On the other hand, coalition now unites ad companies, and no one represents users here. We hope this will be revised and 'fixed'.
