Cybermarketing
Researchers have found that a person who surfs the Internet or becomes absorbed in an electronic game enters a particular state of receptivity to the images and messages that he/she encounters. Marketing specialists have quickly exploited the Internet’s potential to attract and gain the confidence of young people in a brand name.
Before the Internet, young people were passive when they watched an ad on television. Now interactivity allows advertisers to involve them in an active role in cyberspace, encouraging them to respond to a personality or star. To attract them to this type of environment, marketing specialists provide all kinds of interesting activities, such as pages to colour, postcards to send, virtual clubs to join, games, questionnaires, etc. Very often, young people are bombarded with advertising without even realizing it.
Marketing specialists also use strategies that are considered more traditional, such as commercials where they invite the surfer to click in order to get more details on a product or a promotion; ads that move around the page; large images that are inserted in the content of the Web page; or ads that arrive in one’s personal e-mail.
Unlike television, there are no rules in Canada concerning Internet advertising aimed at young people.
However, some sites follow the Special Considerations in Marketing to Children of the Canadian Marketing Association’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice or the Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children published by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, in cooperation with Advertising Standards Canada.
In the United States, many Web site owners have adopted the Safe Harbor program of the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. Safe Harbor is a voluntary self-regulatory program related to marketing to children and their protection as online surfers. It has been approved by the Federal Trades Commission under the Child’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998.
Protecting Personal Information and Privacy
For marketing specialists, the Internet represents a very useful means of collecting personal information. It uses technology (e.g. pixel spy, witness, etc.) that allows them to collect information on how surfers navigate the Web. In addition, young people give them information when they fill in, for example, personal profiles and registration forms online.
Some companies mention how they use the information in their confidentiality policy, but many do not supply this information. To learn more, consult the document Protecting Kids’ Privacy on Commercial Web Sites in the right sidebar.
Canada does not have any specific laws that prevent electronic media companies from collecting information from children.
The Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP) has developed a voluntary code of conduct for its members, based on 10 principles. The code does not specifically address the issue of children but does include them implicitly.
The Canadian Marketing Association provides guidelines on privacy protection that contain articles on the gathering, transfer and request for personal information from children less than 13 years of age. However, these statements are not prescriptive and are applied voluntarily by members.
Canada has put into effect the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. “The Act applies to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by organizations during commercial activities.” [1]
In the United States, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act was passed in April 2000. This law demands that commercial sites reveal their means of gathering personal information and obtain the authorization of parents of children less than 13 years of age before they request personal information.
Taking Action
It is important for persons acting as resource persons for kids to learn to recognize the different marketing strategies used to gain their attention and to teach them not to give away any personal information that identifies them. To learn more, consult the document Tips for Dealing with Online Marketing.
[1] Office of the Privacy Commissioner. An Overview of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. Consulted online, April 23, 2004
THE ISSUES
Internet Security
Cybermarketing and Personal Privacy on the Internet
Research and the Evaluation of Online Information
Internet Citizenship
BECOMING INVOLVED
Web Awareness for Parents
Web Awareness for Young People
