In wake of media buying scandals AANA releases guidelines for achieving media transparency

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SG_headshot2_Reset2016.jpgIn response to a spate of media buying scandals the AANA has today released two documents, the AANA Media Contract October 2016.pdf and the AANA Media Contract Guidance Notes October 2016.pdf to help advertisers obtain greater transparency over the return and effectiveness of their media investment.

The AANA also announced that it has partnered with legal advisors, Bird&Bird in Australia to provide capability training on contract drafting to AANA members and Ebiquity and FirmDecisions to provide capability training to help members navigate the increasingly complex nature of media buying and contract negotiations.

The AANA said the contract template had been adapted specifically for the Australian market from the version prepared by the Association of National Advertisers in the US.

“The template has been written to equip advertisers with a starting point to each element of the contract negotiation. We believe that appropriately detailed contractual agreements together with capability training are the keys to achieving transparency in media buying and ensure that media buying dollars are spent with the sole objective of securing the best outcome for the brands they are promoting,” Matt Tapper, the AANA’s Chair said.

The purpose of the guidance notes is to provide advertisers with a ‘long-list’ of considerations and questions that should be addressed, if they’re to reduce or eliminate non-transparent and non-disclosed practices that relate to the advertisers’ media spend. They are designed to ensure that all revenue earned by agencies and related parties is detailed in the contract, unless explicitly agreed otherwise by the advertiser.

“The dealings agencies undertake with third party media and technology vendors, and the media owners themselves, are much more complex today than a few years ago so these initiatives are very timely. Individual brand owners, as the buyers of the services, must always take primary responsibility for carrying out their own due diligence and our role is to look to ways to help them by providing guidance and tools to do so. We’re very grateful to the ANA for allowing us to use their contract template and to Bird& Bird (Australia) for adapting it for the Australian market,” Sunita Gloster (pictured), the AANA’s CEO said.

The AANA plans to conduct capability training for its members from early 2017 and said it invited feedback on the template and guidance notes.

“We invite ongoing feedback both in terms of improving their current usefulness and in terms of maintaining relevance given the rapidly evolving technology and media landscape. We’re delighted to have secured the involvement of Ebiquity and FirmDecisions to provide capability training for AANA members. They have been intimately involved in helping both the ANA and the World Federation of Advertisers respond to transparency challenges so are ideally positioned to provide capability training to our members,” Ms Gloster said.

The AANA thanked its members and specifically the members of its Media Reference Group (Unilever, CBA, Foxtel, McDonalds, Telstra, 20th Century Fox, Westpac and Woolworths), Jen Davidson (Consultant), Bird & Bird (Australia) Ebiquity and FirmDecisions for their time and help in developing the documents.