Mikey Z. in Da House
Rep-re-sent!
The Interactive Advertising Bureau has decided to get down and dirty on the Hill. They’ve opened a D.C. office and hired lobbyist Mike Zaneis, reports Wendy Davis of Mediapost.
Where to even begin? He unveils his master plan to ClickZ’s Matthew Nelson, which is,
Putting together a public policy council, developing positions on key issues, and leveraging the contacts that I have on the Hill, and in the FTC and other places. And then it’s a take no prisoners attitude to advocate for our members.
Sounds like a plan to me. Zaneis, who is coming from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where he served as executive director of technology and e-commerce, wants to first and foremost educate Congress on "how the Internet works, and what the interactive advertising industry actually is, and how it operates," which sounds like a noble cause when you consider last year’s hullabaloo about Ted Stevens and the "series of tubes," which I’ve already ranted about.
The issues he’s talking about, we’re assuming, are things like new neutrality, spyware legislation, and data security issues.
Consumer advocates in Washington have been beating the drum and the online ad peeps are worried. Jeff Chester on Digital Destiny remarks that "if consumers can actually control their data, the ability of digital marketers to collect, profile, track and target us will be threatened."
Mike! Stand tall and proud to defend our rights to Data!
