Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada Releases Results of Consumer Survey on AdChoices Program
53% of Respondents Report They've Noticed AdChoices
TORONTO, September 28, 2017 – Today, the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC) released the results of their second consumer survey, conducted by Synqrinus, for the Canadian AdChoices program. The results show strong growth in awareness of the AdChoices program.
Overall, 53% of Canadians surveyed recognize the text "AdChoices" and the blue icon, up from 38% in the 2016 report. This awareness is even higher among millennials, jumping a full ten points to 56% (from 46% in 2016).
The DAA Canada program has over 80 active company participants, composed of advertisers, third parties (such as DSPs, data aggregators, and trade desks) as well as publishers. All participants provide notice, transparency and choice for interest-based advertising to consumers by way of the AdChoices icon.
KEY FINDINGS ABOUT THE ADCHOICES PROGRAM IN CANADA
Interest-based advertising is familiar to more than half of (54%) consumers, a significant increase from 45% in 2016.
Millennials are even more familiar, now at 7-in-10 (70%) – which is up from 58% in 2016.
The icon with the AdChoices text is recognized by 5-in-10 (53%) of internet users, driven by millennials who have much higher recall than adults 35+ (56% vs. 37%).
80% of respondents indicate that the AdChoices website is clear enough to be easy-to-use.
After reading a description of the AdChoices program, consumers have a more favourable impression of interest-based advertising, among 50% of consumers and 54% millennials (consistent with 2016 levels).
Many consumers (52%) and especially millennials (56%) report having more trust in brands using the Canadian AdChoices program, when they know they can manage their privacy preferences through it.
Publishers also benefit from a 51% overall increase in trust when they feature the AdChoices program.
86% of respondents prefer an ad-supported internet where most content is free, as opposed to a paid internet where consumers pay for what they wish to access but there is no advertising (14%).
82% of respondents indicated that free internet content such as news, weather, email, social media and blogs is important to them.
"This year's results confirm and show progress in relation to what we saw in 2016, which is encouraging," said Julie Ford, Executive Director of the DAAC. "The new questions we added this year, which ask the respondents about a paid internet instead of an ad-supported one, help us understand the consumer's mindset. Favouring an ad-supported internet was predominant, which means we're on the right path with the AdChoices program and will continue our work around education and control for consumers in the online environment."
DAAC Board Chair Wally Hill added that "AdChoices was created to serve Canadian consumers, so it's very positive to see that program recognition continues to grow and that 80% of the survey respondents felt that the program is clear enough to be easy to use."
The report consists of a sample of 994 adults aged 18-64, and was conducted by Toronto research firm Synqrinus. It was created to help the DAAC and its participants understand where awareness about the icon currently resides amongst consumers, and to help plan for future activities.
Click here to download the summary report.
About the AdChoices Program
The AdChoices icon is a sign for consumer information and control for interest-based advertising (which is also referred to as "IBA", "online behavioural advertising", or "OBA"). When you see the AdChoices icon on a webpage or near a web banner, it lets you know that information used to infer your interests is being gathered or used to improve the ads you see. By clicking on the AdChoices icon, you learn about how interest-based ads are delivered to you. More importantly, the AdChoices icon gives you the ability to control whether you receive interest-based advertising and from which companies.
To help address the heavy mobile adoption seen in Canada, earlier this year the DAAC released new mobile guidance for companies engaging in interest-based advertising on mobile devices.
Companies interested in learning more about the AdChoices icon and how the program works should visit the registration form.
About the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada
The Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC) is a consortium of the leading national advertising and marketing associations whose members share commitment to delivering a robust and credible program for responsible online interest-based advertising (IBA).
The Canadian AdChoices program was developed by the DAAC and designed to educate consumers about IBA and provide mechanisms for consumers to know when IBA is occurring and the ability to control whether or not they choose to permit the collection and use of their browsing data for IBA purposes. Companies may reference the DAAC's AdChoices Principles and learn more at YourAdChoices.ca.