5 media patrons advised ADWEEK they found they have been shopping for via Epsilon SSP through reseller paths with out realizing it. All 5 have since blocked the platform—one as a part of a broader crackdown on reseller site visitors, one because of media high quality issues, and three particularly to keep away from sending cash and knowledge to Publicis.
One Fortune 500 model unintentionally purchased 10 million impressions resold by Epsilon SSP between July 2023 and April 2024 through SSPs like PubMatic and Magnite, in accordance with an in-house media purchaser talking on situation of anonymity. PubMatic identified that advertisers choose their very own media shopping for methods and partnerships, and underscored the prime quality of the media it represents. Magnite declined to remark.
The customer argued that Epsilon SSP is “taking margin…and lowering working media for manufacturers which will or might not be Publicis shoppers,” including that “the potential for it to be an issue, and a battle of curiosity, is huge.”
The corporate has since eradicated most reseller paths. The customer additionally famous that Epsilon SSP wouldn’t be thought of as a possible provide companion for the model in any respect as a result of “an SSP owned by a holdco could be working with incentives that don’t align properly with advertiser targets.”
A special agency-side purchaser stated they felt “indignant and pissed off” after unwittingly shopping for Epsilon SSP’s stock via different SSPs for a number of shoppers final 12 months. The customer blocked Epsilon SSP from all of its provide paths, citing issues about self-preferencing.
They added: “I’m not within the enterprise of funding a competitor.”
