• by June 10, 2011

WPP's GroupM Interaction and Interpublic's Mediabrands, consisting of Initiative and UM, are in the "final application process" to implement the Digital Advertising Alliance's "Self-Regulatory Privacy Program For Online Behavioral Advertising," the group's managing director Peter Kosmala told Online Media Daily.

Signing the two major holding group entities would significantly increase ad agency presence on the DAA's participant list, released Tuesday.

Currently, that list includes some 75 ad networks, including nine of the top 10, 50 brand advertisers, but just three agencies: WPP/GroupM's Media Innovation Group (MIG), Omnicom Media Group's Accuen digital buying platform, and Cobalt, an independent which specializes in automotive marketing.

Both MIG and Cobalt were brought on board through Evidon, one of three approved vendors working with DAA to provide compliance services with the program. The other providers are TRUSTe and DoubleVerify.

Kosmala, who joined DAA last month after seven years with the International Association of Privacy Professionals, credited an ongoing outreach effort by the 4As for his success with Mediabrands, GroupM Interaction and a "multitude" of other agencies now considering participation.

But what exactly does such agency participation entail?

The centerpiece and public face of the self-regulatory program -- the celebrated Advertising Option icon inserted into or alongside ads for consumers' benefit doesn't necessarily need agency involvement. As Kosmala acknowledged, "in many cases they [agencies] don't deliver the ads or collect the data themselves."

But he insisted: "Agencies have a critical role to play in the self-regulatory process. They need to convince the advertisers to participate in the program," he said, "and they need to insist (in contracts if need be) that the ad networks they use are ... compliant."

In a series of webinars last month, the 4As -- one of seven industry associations working with the DAA -- ran down the responsibilities this entails for different types of ad agencies and their clients:

* Media agencies: "Determine which parts of the media plan are OBA [online behavioral advertising]. Include the delivery of the icon into the ad operations and trafficking process."

* Creative agencies: "Ensure that a corner of the creative is free from any logos, calls to action or text. Icon can be hard coded into the creative but in most instances to date it is dynamically overlaid."

* Tech-oriented agencies: "Determine which parts of the media plan are OBA. Include the delivery of the icon into the ad operations and trafficking process. Ensure that users have the ability to opt-out of your technology, either through www.aboutads.info or one of the three approved vendors."

* Advertisers: "Enable the delivery of the icon by instructing the creative agencies to leave a corner of the creative open for the icon. Instruct the media agency to deliver the icon and own the user experience as to how consumers will interact with the icon and the brand."

Agencies, regardless of size, pay a $5,000 annual icon license fee to the DAA, a nonprofit organization that Kosmala said channels the money back into "maintenance and growth."

In addition to its participating agencies, advertisers and ad networks, Kosmala revealed that the DAA also has its eyes set on small publishers, and will be making an announcement concerning that marketplace soon.