Page 58 - PR Communication Age January-June2020

Buyers are also ramping up their DOOH investments as the panies claiming to "clean the supply path." Adtech compa-
targeting and buying options become more programmatic nies can make use of this trend.
and data-driven. Ad tech players who offer capabilities and
solutions in this emerging channel will be in demand in 2020 ACR data will be a key focus
and should take advantage.
The beauty of ad tech and digital advertising in general is in
its targeting. But what happens when consumers migrate
SPO is the new ad tech buzzword from traditional TV to smarter devices? In 2020, everyone
Supply path optimization or "SPO" might be the buzziest will be talking about ACR data. ACR data allows marketers
ad tech acronym of 2019. SPO refers to DSPs and ad buy- to understand viewership behavior across CTV inventory and
ers being choosy about specific content. In doing so, they devices, so it's core to targeting ads on CTV. Yet ACR data
get more efficient and transparent routes to media. This currently faces several challenges. It's hard to scale, although
cuts down on the volume of queries for buy-side vendors that will change quickly as CTV grows. Other issues, like de-
while lowering prices for potential inventory. It boils down vice fragmentation, are more entrenched. Different CTV
to streamlining how the demand side and supply side inter- product manufacturers have different ACR guidelines in
act. place. End-user privacy is also an issue, given new regulations.

As the ad tech landscape has become more convoluted, SPO This is an obvious PR opportunity for ad tech companies in
will be a top ad tech PR trend in the New Year. However, the CTV space. Most advertising reporters, especially on the
ad tech PR pros should keep in mind that it's a fairly tech- trade side, know about ACR data. But they may need more
nical topic and not likely to drive interest among main- background on ACR challenges, particularly as new privacy
stream business publications - at least for now. Alterna- regulations go into effect. There's also an opportunity to
tively, ad trade media have been all over it with great ex- brief ad tech reporters at business publications, because
plainer articles. In 2020, I expect media to seek out com- they might not yet be focused on ACR data. (PRtoday) T

New Consumer Protection Act comes into force
The Central Government will soon be notifying new norms for e-commerce companies on consumer complaint redressal,
as part of the Consumer Protection Act 2019. In an official statement, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food &
Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan, said the rules for prevention of unfair trade practices by e-commerce platforms
will also be covered under the Act. The new Act has been introduced to provide protection to buyers not only from
traditional sellers but also from e-commerce retailers and platforms. According to the Act, e-commerce platforms will
need to acknowledge the receipt of any consumer complaint within 48 hours and redress the complaint within one
month from the date of receipt. The gazette notification for the establishment of the Central Consumer Protection
Authority and rules for prevention of unfair trade practice in e-commerce are under publication, the official state-
ment added.
Paswan said under the Act, every e-commerce entity is required to provide information regarding return, refund,
exchange, warranty and guarantee, delivery and shipment, modes of payment, grievance redressal mechanism, pay-
ment methods, security of payment methods, charge-back options including country of origin, which are necessary
for enabling the consumer to make an informed decision at the pre-purchase stage on its platform. The Act provides
for establishment of the Central Consumer Protection Authority. The CCPA will be empowered to investigate viola-
tions of consumer rights and institute complaints and prosecution, order recall of unsafe goods and services, and or-
der discontinuance of unfair trade practices as well as misleading advertisements. It will also have powers to impose
penalties on manufacturers, endorsers and publishers of misleading advertisements.
There will be no fee for filing cases up to Rs. 5 lakh. There are also provisions for filing complaints electronically and
credit of amount due to unidentifiable consumers to Consumer Welfare Fund. The law also introduces the concept of
product liability and brings within its scope, the manufacturer, service provider and seller, for any claim for compen-
sation. It provides for punishment by a competent court for manufacture or sale of spurious goods.
The Central Consumer Protection Council Rules provide for the constitution of the Central Consumer Protection Coun-
cil, an advisory body on consumer issues, headed by the Minister of Consumer Affairs with the Minister of State as
Vice Chairperson and 34 other members from different fields, the official statement added.

58 PR COMMUNICATION AGE January - June 2020