It’s now a principal media trading world, but how do marketers live in it?

A new ANA report has lifted the lid on the hot topic of principal media and the questions of transparency and accountability it raises. TrinityP3’s Stephen Wright breaks down what marketers need to know.

A fortnight ago, the US advertising association ANA released a new report. While the report’s headline might not sound that exciting, “The Acceleration of Principal Media” is a must-read for marketers.

Or at least, it should be.

For those unfamiliar with the idea of principal media, I also recommend checking out Digiday’s WTF explainer published this week.

At its core, principal media sees the media agency move from agent to the buyer of media on behalf of its clients – the theory being that if they buy in bulk, they can get their clients a better deal and price. But the risks are also obvious, not just in terms of disclosure, but also in that agencies will invariably mark up the inventory they buy and this risks inverting the core idea of your agency being an “agent” (who presumably looks after your best interests…).

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