Campaign: Advertisers Put Transparency Top of Agenda

Major advertisers are putting transparency at the top of the agenda following widespread concerns about brand safety and audience measurement in the digital environment, according to Campaign’s head of media Gideon Spanier.    

In a piece for Campaign this week, Gideon said that advertisers were demanding greater openness from media agencies and recognised it was “time for a reset after a bleak 18 months when questions about brand safety, viewability, measurement, bot fraud and rebates have dogged the sector.”

“The onus is on advertisers to demand changes to the media supply chain, and at last they are taking the lead,” Gideon wrote. “Two major media reviews, by the UK government and Sky, are putting transparency at the top of the agenda.

“Both want to set new standards that can be an example to the industry after Procter & Gamble’s Marc Pritchard spoke out in January. They are demanding greater openness from agencies and promising the same in return as clients. They recognise it is time for a reset after a bleak 18 months when questions about brand safety, viewability, measurement, bot fraud and rebates have dogged the sector.

“The government, which handled its last review badly in 2014 and ended up in court, is also raising its game. The Cabinet Office is taking inspiration from ISBA’s tougher media agency framework contract and has hired PwC to run the £140m review. Whitehall is promising a “partnership” with agencies and hopes it can “help the wider industry” by “restoring some of the trust that has been lost.

“Other advertisers are likely to copy Sky and the government, because brand safety and transparency have become boardroom issues. Agencies are bracing for “Mediapalooza 2” – a rash of reviews similar to what happened in the US in 2015.

“However, brands need to walk the talk. Some have lofty ambitions, but remain swayed by low prices.” Gideon concluded: “A reset requires new behaviour from both agencies and advertisers.”