Last year, Procter & Gamble cut its digital advertising by more than $200 million, after its call for transparency wasn’t satisfactorily answered. The company, whose brands include Crest, Pampers and Tide, believed that much of the spending on digital ads was not effective and that it could find more productive means of reaching consumers. The company cut $100 million in last year’s June quarter, for $100 million, with $100 million more from July through December, and included “several big digital players.” Continue reading Facebook, Google Improve Transparency After P&G Cuts Ads

Social media platforms that placed ads on pages espousing extremism and hate have vowed to take steps against this, but the brands involved, from AT&T to Kellogg, are also getting flak for appearing on the sites and inadvertently funding the purveyors of fake news and hate speech. That has happened because brands now depend on automated ad technology to reach targeted demographics, but they are now re-evaluating that strategy; Unilever is considering leaving YouTube and Facebook unless they gain control of the situation. Continue reading Brands Pressure Platforms to Resolve Hate, Fake News Issue

Facebook is answering criticism from advertisers to provide more precise data about the reach of digital ads. The social network agreed to an audit of the audience measurements and other information that it provides to advertisers. Marketers pay based on the number of times an ad is viewed, but media companies count views differently based on whether the sound was on or if the viewer watched the entire ad. Advertisers are calling for ad platforms to increase transparency. Facebook will allow the Media Rating Council to conduct an audit of the data that the company reports to its advertisers. Continue reading Facebook Will Submit to Audit to Offer Ad Data Transparency