While rebates are a known — if controversial — practice in the U.K., hidden fees are different. In the latest installment of the Digiday Confessions series, where we grant anonymity in exchange for candor, a media agency veteran with over three decades of experience in advertising lifts the lid on the murky world of programmatic margins. Pressure from holding companies and clients has lead media agencies in a “downward spiral” to prioritize cost above all else, this person tells us.

Read More Digiday: Confessions of a media agency veteran: Hidden programmatic fees ‘must stop’

Transparency and the media industry aren’t typically synonymous, at least not according to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). Earlier this year, the ANA released a 58-page report detailing an eight month-long investigation led by K2 Intelligence. The report suggests that unethical practices appear to take place between advertising agencies and their media partners. Following the report, Ebiquitypublished a set of media transparency guidelines for ANA members and the industry. All of this is helpful for those already in the field, but what do these findings and guidelines mean for business schools preparing the next generation of marketers?

Read More MediaPost: An Educator’s Take On The ANA Media Transparency Report

In 2016, over $30 billion of media spend was put under review, with a majority of marketers citing transparency as a main reason. Several major agencies were put under legal investigation, and Facebook admitted to substantial errors in several of their metrics that influenced the marketers’ buying behaviors. Large and small brands woke up to realize they’ve been making decisions based on data they cannot trust or truly understand. No wonder the Association of National Advertisers’ “Word of the Year” for 2016 was “transparency.” Moving into 2017, data reporting will continue to be shaken from the ground up, with more investigations and admissions of inaccurate metrics from different distribution channels and even agencies. The industry will become more and more ruthless toward those who’ve either created the mess or turned a blind eye to it. But the real question at the onset of 2017 is: Can this modus operandi really change, and if so, who are the players who can change it and what can they do?

Read More Forbes.com: How To Make Transparent Marketing A Reality

Digital has injected unprecedented complexity into the advertising industry. Exponential growth in inventory, channels, and technology intermediaries, coupled with audience fragmentation, has created a complex and oft-misunderstood landscape for advertisers. While digital complexity has created a world of new opportunities for brands and consumers alike, it’s also seriously undermined a fundamental value shared by advertisers and agencies: operational transparency.

Read More MediaPost: The Intersection of Technology and Transparency

A recent report by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has reignited the evergreen debate about the issue of transparency in the advertising industry. Claiming that non-transparent business practices are pervasive, the report underscores the importance of collaboration and visibility to ensure marketers understand the flow of dollars and agency remuneration, both locally and globally.

Read More MediaPost: 3 Steps To Achieving Programmatic Media Buying Transparency

As advertisers continue to wrestle with the issue of transparency, columnist Andrew Waber outlines the kinds of questions you should ask when vetting potential technology partners.

Read More Marketing Land: The Truth About Transparency In Digital Advertising

For well over a year, advertising industry trade publications have published countless stories regarding the lack of transparency between agencies and their marketer clients. The coverage rose sharply this past June after the release of an ANA-commissioned independent study, which found that numerous non-transparent practices were “pervasive in the U.S. media ad-buying ecosystem.” In August, to address transparency concerns and guide the client/agency relationship, the ANA released detailed principles and recommendations to advertisers, including a contract template.

Read More Association of National Advertisers: Stall Tactics