"I Am the Law"
By David Fishman

The strength of any government is based on its people. Jack Walsh is famous for searching, finding, and hiring only the best people for any specific job. Executives, account representatives, and administrative support staff are the ingenious individuals who are not afraid to fail and have pushed each industry to succeed. However, without structure, governance and oversight the proverbial “wild west” would control each industry. From the beginning of industrial America, each industry has been forced to go through growing pains. From the development of the railroad to industrial factories to the personal computer, each industry has had its parents who helped forge its current business state.

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The Internet marketing companies that are a source of support for AOL, Yahoo, and Google are constantly reinventing programs, technology and campaigns that excite consumers and build the internet to be a billion dollar industry in the next ten years. Over the past five years the Internet marketing companies have experienced law suites that claim fraud, corruption, and deception. These accusations are a process to help this industry evolve into a mature well-governed industry.

For example “the can Spam act” recently helped remove mass mailers who were acting fraudulently. Email advertising is still an industry that has little barrier to entry for any new comer. The technology needed to send millions of emails daily is not excessively expensive and the opportunity and cost of purchasing a database of consumers is also not a great challenge. As a result the number of bulk email sending companies skyrocketed. Since can Spam the numbers have dropped dramatically and have allowed for the companies who wish to invest in honest email advertising to grow responsibly for the consumer.

For another example the “Do not call” legislation that recently came into law helped to refine the call center advertising industry. Call center’s have been around for the past forty years and have slowly been revolutionized by proper legislation and management concerns. Each industry must pay heed not only to the Advertiser, the distributor but also the consumer. If all three groups are not properly “paid” and governed, the industry will ultimately fail. The “do not call” legislation was another step in the growth of this industry to take proper care of each interest group involved.

For yet a third example; direct mail in the form of “snail mail,” Went through multiple years of reform that have allowed it to become not only an extremely profitable business but also a well respected one that will have a strong future in the United States.

The Internet advertising industry must take steps internally to protect consumers, distributors and advertisers. Review the current lawsuits and complaints and understand that part of the growth of the Internet advertising industry is to find the limits of advertising and technology. It is incumbent that each company (the people who make up the company) help find a balance between advancement and legality. Currently there are a flurry of complaints from consumers and government agencies that are concerned with how advertising is being displayed for a consumer both in form and in practice. It is imperative that the Internet advertising industry review the limits on a moral and legal level and find the governance, oversight and strength to build towards a positive future. A future that will include strong advertisers, distributors, and consumers governed by the same rules with a goal of stabilizing the industry.

 

David Fishman
dfishman@wrpmedia.com