UK Government's Online Advertising Programme: Don't Call it Cookies

Forever Beta is pushing for the Government’s recent Online Advertising Programme consultation to go further to protect children from being tricked into sharing their data online, particularly in the case of ‘Cookies’. To highlight this issue, the agency has created a new plug-in that businesses can use to automatically change the term ‘Cookies’ to the more accurate (less yummy-sounding) ‘data collectors’. Because what child would say no to a Cookie? The plug-in can be easily downloaded by businesses through the ‘Don’t call it Cookie’ microsite and Forever Beta is approaching websites that target children to push them to make the switch. To push the government to do more to tackle this issue, a Change.org petition has been set up by Forever Beta to push the Government to stop the misleading use of the word ‘Cookies’. The idea for this campaign originated from a conversation between Forever Beta’s CCO Paulo Areas and his young daughter about why something as serious as data collection has such a delicious name and all the emotional connotation that the word cookies bring to a kid. The insight was later backed up with further research. To create the campaign, the agency called on its global network of creative & tech partners to create tech solutions promoted by a variety of eye-catching ads. This includes a manifesto film created in collaboration with London animators Cookie Studio featuring original sound composed by Canja Audio Culture in Brazil.