
US federal prosecutors have launched a probe into the media buying practices of Havas, as well as other members of the “big six” holding companies.
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US federal prosecutors have launched a probe into the media buying practices of Havas, as well as other members of the “big six” holding companies.
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Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have opened an investigation into media-buying practices in the advertising industry and have begun issuing subpoenas as part of the probe, according to people familiar with the matter.
Read More The Wall Street Journal: Federal Prosecutors Probe Ad Industry’s Media-Buying Practices

ID Comms, a media and advertising consultant, recently released its 2018 Media Transparency Report. While the Report indicates that the advertising industry is hopeful that trust and transparency may improve down the road, it paints a rather bleak view of the current state of affairs.
Read More ReedSmith: ID Comms Releases Latest Report on Media Transparency

Two years after the Association of National Advertisers’ damning report on how agencies profit from media budgets was released, the skepticism it unleashed has only intensified.
Read More Digiday: Two Years After The ANA’s Report, A Cloud Still Hangs Over Media Transparency

The controversial issue of transparency between brand marketers and their advertising agencies appears to be at, or very near, a tipping point — but the journey has been slow and torturous.

Few would argue that the digital ads industry isn’t broken. We’ve come to accept ads as a punishment for using free services, but they’re invasive, annoying, and creepy; they collect too much information, and they can contain malware.

Microsoft and EY launched a blockchain for content rights and royalty management this week with the goal of streamlining costly and time-consuming processes in entertainment rights and royalties. The model will initially serve gaming and then transition to advertising and other industries.

Executives from several major tech companies, agencies and media companies are joining the board of a blockchain consortium devoted to setting standards for using the technology in digital advertising.

As hundreds of high-powered advertising and media executives descend on Cannes this week for a flurry of meetings, marketing stunts, and boozy yacht parties, there’s an undercurrent of deep uncertainly about the industry’s future.

How do you overcome the lack of transparency, trustworthiness and efficiency in digital? BT CMO Zaid Al-Qassab and Direct Line marketing director Mark Evans explain…
Read More Campaign: Agency Promises v CMO Wishes: Transparency And Greater ROI