
Spam
compliance company UnsubCentral will unveil a new service Thursday that enables marketers to allow Web users to manage the types of behaviorally targeted ads they receive.
The new program,
dubbed PreferenceCentral, will allow brands to collect information directly from consumers about whether they want targeted ads, and if so, for which types of products. The program is designed to work
in conjunction with the soon-to-debut behavioral targeting icons, which will carry metadata that includes
information about the advertiser and links to the company.
The PreferenceCentral platform can be included in the icons' landing page for marketers; consumers who click on that link would be able
to visit a marketer's page where they can let the company know their preferences regarding behaviorally targeted ads. The tool is slated to launch in the third quarter.
The icons are a key
component of Madison Avenue's attempts to convince lawmakers that online ad companies can
adequately inform consumers about behavioral advertising, which typically involves tracking people as they surf the Web and serving ads targeted based on sites visited.
"This is a tool that will
help brands comply with the online behavioral advertising principles," says PreferenceCentral Privacy Officer Steven Vine about the new product. He adds that the company developed the tool in response
to requests of clients that use UnsubCentral to ensure their email lists comply with the federal Can-Spam law.
Vine says that companies will be able to integrate the platform with the online
networks that serve behaviorally targeted ads. Consumers also will be able to sign in and create ad preference profiles under their own names, or will be able to have information stored on cookies
that aren't associated with their names.
UnsubCentral's new offering comes as an increasing number of companies are allowing consumers to manage their online marketing profiles. Last year, Google
introduced Ads Preference Manager, which lets people edit the interest areas Google associates with their cookies. Yahoo and BlueKai also allow consumers to edit their ad preferences, and mobile ad
network JumpTap will do so by the end of June.