Within the notoriously advanced digital promoting provide chain, some manufacturers and their companies, together with a handful of the world’s largest promoting holding firms, have funneled cash and knowledge to rival Publicis Groupe with out figuring out it.   

Media consumers worry that by unknowingly buying resold writer stock—routed by means of Publicis’ Epsilon-owned supply-side platform (SSP) to different SSPs in open-web auctions—they’ve each funded a competitor and revealed their viewers focusing on methods. Epsilon SSP is the one main SSP in the marketplace owned by an company or holdco.

Over the previous 18 months, the media-buying arms of WPP, IPG, Dentsu, and Havas—together with at the least 4 impartial companies and one brand-side programmatic staff—bought advert stock not directly by means of Publicis’ Epsilon SSP, in accordance with bid response knowledge reviewed by ADWEEK. For instance, final 12 months, WPP dealt with buys for present model Moonpig, Dentsu for United, Havas for Sanofi, and IPG for Truvia and Bristol Myers Squibb, all in circumstances the place Epsilon SSP resold the stock by means of one other SSP.

Some consumers at the moment are blocking Epsilon SSP over considerations that, by transacting on the platform, they’ve not solely funneled {dollars} to Publicis but in addition uncovered priceless knowledge to a direct competitor. This knowledge consists of the quantity they’re prepared to spend on particular stock, inventive belongings, and the audiences they’re focusing on—indicators these media consumers say could possibly be used to achieve a aggressive benefit.

These findings come from an ADWEEK evaluation of publicly accessible provide path knowledge from adverts.txt and sellers.json recordsdata and a evaluation of historic bid response knowledge, together with conversations with 5 model and company media consumers who have been granted anonymity to talk freely about proprietary practices. 

“Bid requests and responses, carrying data essential to ship an advert, should not a aggressive benefit,” a spokesperson for Publicis instructed ADWEEK, including: “It’s regarding that skilled consumers are both unaware of, or just not utilizing, the reporting instruments accessible to them by means of their DSP to totally view each ‘hop’ in a programmatic path.”

“If different holding firms select to not use our platforms, that’s their choice, and one that’s immaterial to our operations,“ the spokesperson stated.

WPP, IPG, and Havas declined to remark. Dentsu didn’t reply to a request for remark. Moonpig, United, Sanofi, Truvia, and Bristol Myers Squibb didn’t reply to requests for remark.

Resold stock provides complexity and prices

In lots of circumstances, consumers didn’t know they have been transacting on Epsilon SSP due to a typical however opaque adtech apply known as “multi-hop reselling,” the place an advert impression passes by means of a number of SSPs or exchanges earlier than reaching the advertiser’s shopping for platform. This could typically put media consumers at midnight about the entire gamers of their provide chains. 

To keep away from opacity in programmatic provide chains, some consumers go for direct relationships with publishers or personal market offers during which publishers make their stock accessible to a choose, invite-only group of consumers.