The Association of National Advertisers named PwC, Kroll and TAG TrustNet to conduct an in-depth study of programmatic media buying.
The ANA said programmatic buying lacks transparency and is unnecessarily complete, and that the study will focus on eliminating waste throughout the programmatic marketplace and supply chain.
“As powerful a tool as programmatic advertising has been for marketers, the programmatic market has been riddled with material issues, including a lack of transparency, fractured accountability, and mind-numbing complexity,” said ANA CEO Bob Liodice. “These issues impair critical decision-making, leading to wasteful and unproductive media-buying decisions. We have selected PwC, Kroll, and TAG TrustNet to conduct a deep dive into these issues and to find ways for advertisers to drive business and brand growth through the elimination of wasteful and unproductive spending.”
Phase One of the probe will look at programmatic spending across the open web.
Phase Two will look at programmatic spending in Walled Gardens.
Phase one is expected to start this month and run through the end of third quarter 2022. Results are expected to be released in the fourth quarter of 2022, the ANA said.
“We see a real opportunity for brands to drive greater value from their media investments,” said Derek Baker, principal, marketing transformation, PwC and project lead. “However, to do so, we must have a transparent supply chain. We are excited to lead this groundbreaking study, which will bring insights to market that can help advertisers get a better look into how their media dollars are spent, reduce waste, and drive greater return from their media investment.”
The ANA said the goals of the study include driving business and brand growth through the elimination of wasteful and unproductive spending, making the digital media supply chain understandable, highly transparent, and analytically rich and instituting corrective solutions and industry standards that have long-term sustainability.
"In its current state, the digital programmatic marketplace is incredibly opaque and confusing — it is in desperate need of transparency for the benefit of all participants. Working closely with our partners, that’s exactly what we intend to provide,” Richard Plansky, the North American regional managing director for Kroll’s Forensic Investigations and Intelligence practice, said. ■
