Source: TheDrum
The UK trade body IPA has slammed Accenture’s decision to open a media buying arm as representing a “direct conflict of interest”. IPA underlined that the consultancy’s plans to start offering programmatic media planning and buying are troubling and “incompatible with its legacy role as a media auditor”.
Accenture unveiled the new ‘Programmatic Services’ offering last week, claiming it will “help advertisers take back control of their media capabilities”. IPA however dismissed Accenture’s claims that the new unit could operate independently of its existing Media Management business which audits media agencies and runs pitches.
“As well as compromising impartiality, no business can legitimately offer competing media services to a market where it has a media auditor’s access to confidential client and agency media data and financial information,” said IPA director general Paul Bainsfair.
“In an era where transparency is under the spotlight, this self-evident conflict of interest is unacceptable,” IPA concluded, echoing similar concerns that have been expressed by the industry in the wake of Accenture’s announcement.
Stephen Allan, worldwide chairman and chief executive officer of the planning and buying agency MediaCom, described Accenture’s new services as “troubling” in a blog post.
“They can’t police transparency and measure performance for clients while also competing with those of us who provide media services,” Allan wrote, adding: “I’m sure Accenture will promise all sorts of Chinese walls between the two bits of its business but as someone who now competes with one part of the company, I would be extremely reluctant to provide MediaCom’s proprietary data to another part.”
