Within the notoriously complicated digital promoting provide chain, some manufacturers and their companies, together with a handful of the world’s largest promoting holding corporations, have funneled cash and knowledge to rival Publicis Groupe with out figuring out it.
Media patrons concern that by unknowingly buying resold writer stock—routed via Publicis’ Epsilon-owned supply-side platform (SSP) to different SSPs in open-web auctions—they’ve each funded a competitor and revealed their viewers focusing on methods. Epsilon SSP is the one main SSP in the marketplace owned by an company or holdco.
Over the previous 18 months, the media-buying arms of WPP, IPG, Dentsu, and Havas—together with at the very least 4 unbiased companies and one brand-side programmatic crew—bought advert stock not directly via Publicis’ Epsilon SSP, in accordance with bid response knowledge reviewed by ADWEEK. For instance, final 12 months, WPP dealt with buys for present model Moonpig, Dentsu for United, Havas for Sanofi, and IPG for Truvia and Bristol Myers Squibb, all in circumstances the place Epsilon SSP resold the stock via one other SSP.
Some patrons are actually blocking Epsilon SSP over issues that, by transacting on the platform, they’ve not solely funneled {dollars} to Publicis but additionally uncovered useful knowledge to a direct competitor. This knowledge contains the quantity they’re prepared to spend on particular stock, artistic belongings, and the audiences they’re focusing on—alerts these media patrons say could possibly be used to realize a aggressive benefit.
These findings come from an ADWEEK evaluation of publicly accessible provide path knowledge from adverts.txt and sellers.json information and a overview of historic bid response knowledge, together with conversations with 5 model and company media patrons who have been granted anonymity to talk freely about proprietary practices.
“Bid requests and responses, carrying data essential to ship an advert, are usually not a aggressive benefit,” a spokesperson for Publicis advised ADWEEK, including: “It’s regarding that skilled patrons are both unaware of, or just not utilizing, the reporting instruments obtainable to them via their DSP to totally view each ‘hop’ in a programmatic path.”
“If different holding corporations select to not use our platforms, that’s their determination, and one that’s immaterial to our operations,“ the spokesperson stated.
WPP, IPG, and Havas declined to remark. Dentsu didn’t reply to a request for remark. Moonpig, United, Sanofi, Truvia, and Bristol Myers Squibb didn’t reply to requests for remark.
Resold stock provides complexity and prices
In lots of circumstances, patrons didn’t know they have been transacting on Epsilon SSP due to a typical however opaque adtech observe referred to as “multi-hop reselling,” the place an advert impression passes via a number of SSPs or exchanges earlier than reaching the advertiser’s shopping for platform. This could usually put media patrons at the hours of darkness about all the gamers of their provide chains.
To keep away from opacity in programmatic provide chains, some patrons go for direct relationships with publishers or personal market offers by which publishers make their stock obtainable to a choose, invite-only group of patrons.
