ICYMI- New Internet Association Has a Message for Congress

Adweek
New Internet Association Has a Message for Congress:
Video ad delivers ‘hands off’ directive in a subtle way
Posted January 7, 2013, 11:54 AM EST

There are a million ways to say how wonderful the Internet is, and the newly formed Internet Association uses dozens of them in this new video ad directed at lawmakers.

Backed by more than a dozen of the nation’s biggest dot-coms, including Google, Yahoo, Amazon and Facebook, the Internet Association has one overarching mission: to make sure policymakers in the nation’s capital don’t screw up the beloved Internet.

The ad debuted today, timed to coincide with the beginning of the 113th Congress and just as a number of policymakers, lawmakers and lobbyists get on planes to head to Las Vegas for the annual International Consumer Electronics Show, where a number of sessions will address keeping the Internet free from harmful new laws.

“Paving the Way,” the association’s 45-second message, starts out with Internet users giving short, stylized messages. The ad ends with a drive through a beautiful snowy scene reminiscent of a car ad and the tagline: “Paving the way for a free and open Internet.”

“As we begin a new year, the Internet Association welcomes the new Congress and hopes that members of both parties continue to protect the fastest growing economic sector in America: the innovative, free and decentralized Internet,” said Michael Beckerman, president and CEO of the Internet Association.

While the association billed the ad as a “welcoming message,” there is also a lot of weight behind it. After all, companies like Google have shown they will spare no expense in protecting the booming Internet business—and now there’s an association dedicated to the Web to maintain that pressure.

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