Amid looming threats of government regulation, how do marketers secure access to online consumer behavior? Ask, says Carl Fremont, EVP and Global Media Director at Digitas North America. “We
need to ask permission,” Freemont insists. He also suggests ramping up education efforts -- because the IAB’s recent initiative wasn’t enough -- and engaging in a
“dialogue” with consumers. “If we do, some of the privacy concerns will [lessen] over time.” Meanwhile, needless to say, “If we don’t self regulate, [the behavioral
advertising] will be regulated for us,” says Fremont. Yes, he’s well aware that it might be too late to block impending government regulation, but he insists that’s all the more
reason to increase internal industry efforts. What's the biggest barrier to progress? “Right now," Fremont says, "I don’t see the industry working hand in hand.”
