Frequently
Asked
Questions

What is GroupM’s position on rebates?

GroupM does not seek or accept rebates from media vendors in the U.S. Additionally, GroupM does not accept rebates elsewhere in the world relating to spending in the U.S.

How does GroupM manage/approach brand safety?

Digital advertising on platforms where content is user-generated (UGC) and not curated has inherent risks. GroupM vigorously pursues every brand safety precaution and technology available to mitigate these risks, and we encourage all clients to make use of these tools. We help clients understand the risks inherent in such environments and consult with them on their level of risk tolerance while evaluating brand safety versus performance.

How does GroupM manage “fake news” environments for client ad placements?

Fake news is a type of yellow journalism that consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread via social media, or even broadcasting or print publications. User-generated social media platforms make the spread of fake news easier than ever. GroupM encourages and supports the work of Google, Facebook, Twitter and others to minimize the possibility of advertising funding fake news on their platforms, and we believe these partners have a responsibility to pursue these efforts vigorously.

How does GroupM manage hate speech environments for client ad placements?

User-generated social media platforms have created the opportunity to espouse views many consider offensive, or which incite violence or terrorism. While disinformation may more easily be identified factually, the consideration of what constitutes hate speech or extreme political views is often more nuanced, and censorship of certain opinions can impact rights to free speech (in some countries). GroupM’s role is not to serve as a censor, but we invite clients to advise us at any time if there are media properties they wish to avoid on the grounds of perceived extremism. To help clients decide what is right for them, we include identified hate speech sites in our global Mandatory Exclusion List, and we have developed an optional high-risk exclusion list that includes extreme political opinion, propaganda, conspiracy theories, and pseudoscience. We work with several syndicated data providers to keep these lists up to date.

What is GroupM’s approach to transparency and integrity within the programmatic supply practice?

GroupM takes a very clinical, data-driven approach in developing a comprehensive and sophisticated programmatic supply practice. By applying the principles of supply path optimization, GroupM consolidates its programmatic investments in the cleanest, fairest, and most efficient path to our premium publishers’ inventory. By only sourcing inventory from a select number of ADS.TXT and APP-ADS.TXT authorized exchanges, wherever available, against an inclusion list of domains, GroupM automates the purchase of the right supply for its clients. GroupM has also adopted a new openRTB protocol, known as sellers.json, to help detect major sources of fraud.

What is GroupM’s stance on client in-housing?

Clients always have the choice about what marketing and advertising functions to perform in-house; as ever, we shape ourselves to their needs. We also believe that media agencies have a role in this holistic view. Media agencies are focused on building technologies that have the most value when integrated into media planning, activation and optimization. These kinds of tools are not likely to be as effective when brought in-house at a client. When companies are dealing with their own data, in-housing DMP, CDP, third party data licenses and marketing automation software may make sense.

How is GroupM advocating for consumer privacy in the context of regulations like GDPR and CCPA?

Beyond compliance with laws like GDPR and CCPA, GroupM has a Global Data Governance program, with Data Privacy as one of three core pillars (along with Data Governance and Data Ethics).

In many cases, we don’t need consumers’ personal information to achieve clients’ campaign objectives. If we don’t need it, we don’t gather it or use it. A key tenet of almost all privacy legislation around the world is giving consumers clear notice of how their data is to be used and offering them choice over use. Transparency and choice are things we’ve long promoted; we’ve supported every major industry initiative to inform and educate consumers. Our program includes privacy by design implementation for all internal technologies and processes and comprehensive supply chain privacy and IT security due diligence.

How is GroupM planning for a future without third-party cookies?

While the death of the third-party cookie has been getting a lot public attention, it is only part of a broader transformation the industry is going through. New capabilities will open new advertising channels and data sets for advertisers. With new rules on how data is used and how ads are delivered and measured, execution and measurement of primary media investments will also change. GroupM remains on the cutting edge, leading this transformation through partner, client and industry collaborations.