I recently expressed concern over the apparent leadership from the AANA on the issue of media transparency and rebates. This is an issue that we have seen develop in the past four plus years and which we have recommended possible solutions to our clients and the industry during that time. But with the latest rebuff from the AANA I posed that the inaction could be due to a possible conflict of interest in their financial membership, which includes agencies and advertisers. Instead of a discussion on the topic there was a rebuttal and then silence.

But while it is convenient to believe that the interests of the advertiser and their agencies are aligned, the recent K2 Report into Media Transparency and Rebates, commissioned by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has raised questions over whether this is still the situation. Debbie Morrison, the Director of Consultancy and Best Practice at the UK Association ISBA is quoted as saying “I don’t believe that (the media agencies) have got the best interests of their clients at heart anymore”.

Read the full TrinityP3 article here.