When media agency executive Jon Mandel alleged from the stage at an ANA national conference in March 2015 that media rebates were widespread in the U.S., he started a fire that is still burning today — and causing a fair share of agita within the marketing field.

Mandel’s comments illuminated a problem that’s plagued agency/client relationships for decades: trust — or a lack thereof. Mandel’s explosive claims led the ANA to commission what’s become a landmark study titled “An Independent Study of Media Transparency in the U.S. Advertising Industry.” The 2016 study was conducted by K2 Intelligence; it took the pulse of 150 business professionals, including marketers, media suppliers, ad tech vendors, current and former advertising and media agency professionals, trade association executives, industry consultants, attorneys, barter company employees, and post-production professionals. The study concluded that rebates were “pervasive” in the U.S. media supply ecosystem.

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