Interesting article from Adexchanger, which reveals that marketers are still subject to a range of hidden fees being charged by DSPs. This item, in conjunction with DSPs earning non-disclosed rebates from exchanges certainly raises questions about DSP objectivity. Of note, these non-transparent charges and sources of revenue can be in excess of 20% of media spend.
While the subjects of “transparency” and “accountability” have been at the fore of industry discussion over the course of the last few years, it is quite surprising to see how little progress has been made across certain segments of the digital media supply chain. It is clear that marketers cannot rely on their media agency, trading desk or DSP partners to safeguard and optimize their programmatic investments.
Strong contract language establishing an advertiser’s expectations for “cost-disclosed” transactions, coupled with independent oversight and financial penalties for violations are required if marketers are truly interested in boosting their working media. DSP’s desire to offset rising costs or to recoup investments in ad technology and infrastructure are not valid reasons for the application of hidden fees. Marketers should continue to push for full disclosure of all transactional cost detail from each player in the digital supply chain. Read More