Where exactly is the US Association of National Advertisers report into undisclosed media rebates and other allegedly murky media agency doings? It was supposed to come out last week and then today – but it hasn’t so far. Now you ...
Read More »Havas motors on – but what’s the long term strategy?
Havas seems to be motoring nicely under Yannick Bolloré, reporting organic growth of 5.1 per cent and revenue of €2.2bn for 2015, the first time it’s topped the €2bn mark. Profit was €315m, up 20 per cent on 2014, while ...
Read More »Now Publicis Groupe loses $900m Walmart media
Publicis Groupe has taken another media hit below the waterline in the US, this time losing the $900m Walmart account. Mediavest is the losing individual agency and the surprise move by Walmart (which wasn’t supposed to be one of the ...
Read More »US agencies and advertisers fall out over media rebates even before inquiry is complete
There’s an old phrase ‘Get your retaliation in first.’ Some say it originated with the British Lions rugby team in South Africa in 1974 when, on the call ’99,’ each member of the team would race up and whack his ...
Read More »ID Comms’ John Billett reveals the changed reality of today’s media buying marketplace
This week media industry veteran and sage John Billett (below), now chairman of media consultancy ID Comms, addressed the Worshipful Company of Marketors (no less) on the thorny issue of the changing media marketplace, the subject of, among other things, ...
Read More »PepsiCo axes global procurement operation
Here’s story to bring a wintry smile to agency faces. Ad Age reports that PepsiCo, one of the world’s biggest advertisers, has decided to nix its global procurement department, giving cost responsibility back to brand teams. PepsiCo says: “We continue ...
Read More »Media rebate investigation could be ‘mortal threat’ to one or more of the marcoms holding companies
The big holding companies would like the story to be about their range of skills, scale, mastery of the new digital media environment and ability to smooth out the troughs (if not the peaks) of a notoriously cyclical business. Unfortunately ...
Read More »US advertisers call in Jules Kroll’s K2 to investigate undisclosed media rebates
The US Association of National Advertisers is calling in the heavies to investigate the vexed issue of undisclosed media rebates. It’s hired auditor Ebiquity and sister company Firm decisions – fair enough, that’s what they do. But also K2 Intelligence ...
Read More »Pepsico chief Jakeman lashes advertising – and then produces a few daft ideas of his own
Here’s a reprint of an article in Ad Age (hope they don’t mind). It’s about two addresses to the Association of National Advertisers conference this week in Orlando. First up we have PepsiCo executive Brad Jakeman, who seems to have ...
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