Letting Children be Children
38.
Whilst aspects of both the brand ambassador and peer—to—peer techniques are regulated, there are currently no regulations regarding the inclusion of children in peer—to—peer marketing campaigns or their employment as brand ambassadors. The WOMMA code stipulates that "A WOMMA member shall not include children under the age of 13 in any of its word of mouth marketing programs or campaigns" (Word of Mouth Marketing Association).
I don't like that peer-to-peer stuff or using my children.
That peer-to-peer thing is extremely worrying, that is morally wrong isn't it...
Parents, Review qualitative research39.
It has been argued that such techniques can commercialise friendships and disrupt peer relationships for profit (Nairn, 2008).When specific provisions regarding children under the age of 16 are enshrined in the Advertising Codes and with evidence of the significant influence of peer pressure affecting children and parents and of use of 'pester power', we believe that it cannot be right for children to be rewarded for increasing that pressure (see our recommendation below).
Online behavioural advertising
40.
Online behavioural advertising (OBA), a practice that allows brands to deliver adverts that aim to reflect the user's interests, has been at the centre of a privacy debate for the past few years since MEPs, Commissioners and national governments debated wording about 'cookies' (pieces of text sent from web servers and stored on your PC) in the ePrivacy directive adopted in 2009.
41.
The European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) Best Practice Recommendation on Online Behavioural Advertising was released on 14 April 2011, and provides for an industry—wide self—regulatory standard for online behavioural advertising. It promotes the identification of OBA advertisements via a uniform European—wide icon, which clicks through to a website, www.youronlinechoices.com, providing information about OBA and a means for consumers to exercise their choice about whether they want to receive OBA advertisements. Consumers that want to complain about an OBA advertisement will be able to do so via the ASA, as for other advertising.
42.
The Best Practice Recommendation will be rolled out over the next twelve months via national industry associations and self—regulatory organisations, such as the ASA, and by mid 2012 it is foreseen that 70 per cent of all member nations will have implemented it.
The Best Practice Recommendation incorporates and complements the Internet Advertising Bureau Europe's 'icon' and consumer web tools.68
