“I Agree”: The Effect of Consumer Educational Programs on Consumers’ Online Behavioral Advertising and Cookie Perceptions

• In Event: Advertising and Privacy

Abstract

Online behavioral advertising became a popular means to target advertising to Internet users by collecting information about their online surfing behavior with the help of cookies As this technique heavily infiltrated website users’ privacy, consumer educational programs started paying more attention to cookies and online behavioral advertising in TV programs. Nevertheless, whether such consumer educational programs are effective in actually educating and empowering the consumer is unknown. By means of a two wave experiment,the current study showed that detailed consumer education resulted in more cookie knowledge than general, and no forms of education. Interestingly, the results demonstrate that instead of developing a more critical mindset toward online behavioral advertising, website users feel less vulnerable for online behavioral advertising techniques and they have a more positive opinion toward online behavioral advertising directly after watching consumer educational programs. However, only the knowledge effect is still present after two weeks.

Authors

• Guda van Noort, U of Amsterdam

• Hilde Voorveld, U of Amsterdam - ASCoR

• Verena Wottrich, University of Amsterdam

• Edith Gloria Smit, U of Amsterdam